This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Get to the Point!" by Joel Schwartzberg. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What is the book Get to the Point! about? What are the main takeaways of the book?
In Get to the Point!, Schwartzberg argues that anyone can make a point that leads to action or change. You just have to know what your point is and how to convey it effectively.
Read below for a brief overview of Schwartzberg’s book Get to the Point!.
Get to the Point! by Joel Schwartzberg
It’s not difficult to communicate effectively and bring about the change you want—as long as you know what point you want to make and how to convey it.
However, in his book Get to the Point!, Joel Schwartzberg argues that many people fail to ever make a point because they don’t know what their point is. He says that while many books explain how to be clear and focused, there’s little information available on how to identify, craft, and communicate your point so that it resonates with your audience.
Whether you’re trying to convince a friend to watch your favorite show, pitching your boss on a new idea, or rousing a crowd to donate money to your cause, you must first have a point, then know how to market it.
Schwartzberg’s advice for getting your point across comes from his experience as a communications consultant and trainer, the communications director for the ASPCA, and as a coach for university public speaking teams. In 2002, Schwartzberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Forensic Association, a renowned intercollegiate debate organization.
Part 1: Identify, Craft, and Market Your Point
No matter who you are or what platform you’re using, compelling change begins with making a point. In Part 1, Schwartzberg gives advice for identifying what you want to say—your point—and then discusses what to do with it.
Principle 1: Identify and Hone Your Point
Schwartzberg defines a “point” as an assertion that you can clearly state, explain, and support. However, he says, many people have only a vague idea of what they’re trying to communicate when they start talking, which makes it impossible to convey their message powerfully enough to accomplish anything.
Avoiding this pitfall and getting your point across requires identifying and carefully crafting your point, then effectively marketing it in a way that resonates with your audience—whether that’s a handful or a roomful of people.
(Shortform note: Why is it so important to get to the point quickly? It’s been widely reported that people’s attention spans are shorter than that of a goldfish, having declined from 12 seconds to eight between the years 2000 (the start of the “mobile revolution”) and 2015. But some contend that the goldfish comparison myth needs debunking, arguing that the concept of “average attention span” is meaningless because attention varies depending on what task you’re doing.)
Schwartzberg offers a three-pronged approach to help you 1) determine if you have a point, 2) make your point stronger, and 3) hone your point by centering on the statement, “I believe” and the questions, “So what?” and “Why?” We’ll give you a step-by-step overview of the three components of Schwartzberg’s approach and provide examples of what each looks like in action.
(Shortform note: The key to Schwartzberg’s method, as we’ll discuss, is specificity. Whether you’re speaking or writing, precision and clarity are critical to communicating your message in a way your audience can understand.)
Principle 2: Present and Drive Home Your Point
Now that you’ve identified and honed your point, you’re ready to market it. Schwartzberg says the single most important goal when presenting your point is to make a strong pitch that resonates with your audience.
Principle 3: Stay Laser-Focused on Your Point
Once you’ve driven home your point, allow nothing to distract you from it. Schwartzberg argues that your point is your grounding and guiding principle—the thing you should always come back to if you get lost or distracted.
For example, if someone challenges your point or asks you to respond to something unrelated, and you get confused or rattled, Schwartzberg recommends turning the conversation back to your point with a directive statement, such as: “Here’s the point…” or “The most important thing to focus on is…” followed by your point.
(Shortform note: Though it might seem less obvious, your physical comfort also plays a role in your level of distraction. Before your presentation, try to find out whether the room you’ll be in will have heat or air conditioning, and select your outfit accordingly; make sure you have a glass of water available in case you get thirsty; and if you absolutely must use the restroom during your presentation, be prepared to show a short video that’s relevant to your point, ask a colleague to step in momentarily to talk about a related subject, or announce that it’s time for a “comfort break.”)
Principle 4: Conclude by Restating Your Point
By now you know and have honed, marketed, and resolved to remain focused on your point. Schwartzberg says your final step is to close your presentation with a reminder of your point.
- Restate your point to give your audience a takeaway message and signal the end of your presentation.
- Give your audience a moment to absorb and react. Don’t muddle or weaken your final message by immediately jumping to “what’s coming up next” or directions to the reception area.
(Shortform note: Earlier, we noted that Schwartzberg recommends making just a single point in a sentence to focus your audience’s attention on one core message. However, some communications strategists assert that the “rule of three” makes ideas and concepts more memorable and interesting, in part because three is the smallest number of factors that, when combined, create a pattern.)
Part 2: Tips for Making Your Point in Different Scenarios
In the first part of this book, Schwartzberg taught how to identify, craft, and pitch your point powerfully. Now we’ll examine Schwartzberg’s tips for maximizing your impact in various scenarios in public presentations and the workplace.
Public Presentations
Whether you’re delivering a speech, sitting on a conference panel, or presenting a PowerPoint, here is how Schwartzberg recommends you make your point.
Scenario 1: Speeches
- Prepare for your speech by practicing it in your full voice.
- When possible, refer to bullet point notes rather than reading a full speech (the more scripted you are, the less focused you’ll be on your audience).
- State your point at the top of your speech.
- Make sure your stories illustrate your point (irrelevant stories distract your audience by creating mental work for them).
Scenario 2: Conference Panels
- Enter the panel prepared to present your key points and have evidence to support them.
- Respond directly to the person who asks you a question (moderator, panelist, or audience member), using their name when possible.
- If you can’t make your point early on, find your way into the discussion using transition sentences. For example: “I’d like to return to a point that Althea just made….”
- Positively engage your audience by affirming that the questions they ask are smart and offer actionable takeaways that can help them.
- If someone attacks you, calmly reiterate your point and explain its merit. Don’t be reactive or aggressive.
- Throughout the event, be mindful of your body language and reactions, which others in the room are watching.
Scenario 3: PowerPoint
- Take command of your technology and the room by standing front and center. Don’t let your technology upstage you by sitting in the audience and reading your slides.
- Only use slides that explicitly support your point and state their relevance.
- Use no more than five bullet points on a slide and no more than five words per line.
- Make sure your print and graphics are visible throughout the room.
In the Workplace
The workplace offers many opportunities to make your point. Whether you’re conducting a staff meeting, giving a performance review, communicating with staff, or simply writing an email, here is Schwartzberg’s advice for effectively presenting your point.
Scenario 1: Conducting Staff Meetings
- Enter knowing the point you want to make.
- Raise your voice, insert pauses, and use the fewest words possible to convey your message.
- Recommend next steps, directions, and outcomes you’d like to see.
Scenario 2: Giving Performance Reviews
- Begin with a clear point you’d like to make about a company goal.
- Provide examples of how your employee’s work has helped or hindered your company’s ability to reach that goal.
- Recommend strategies your employee can use to improve their performance.
Scenario 3: Executive Communications With Staff
- Immediately state your point using active and specific language.
- Keep it brief so staff can focus on your message then get back to work.
- Wrap it up with a hopeful vision for the future and an expression of gratitude to staff.
Scenario 4: Writing Emails
- Put your point in the subject line.
- Use bullet points where possible in the body of your email. Limit your paragraph length to three sentences or fewer.
- If you raise problems, offer solutions.
- Before you wrap up, pitch your point one last time and recommend ways to move forward.
- Check your facts, spelling, and grammar before you hit send.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Joel Schwartzberg's "Get to the Point!" at Shortform.
Here's what you'll find in our full Get to the Point! summary:
- How anyone can make a point that leads to action or change
- Steps to identify, craft, and communicate your point
- How to argue your point in different scenarios
