The best way out is always through

“The best way out is always through.”

– Robert Frost
American Poet
(1874 -1963)

We could resolve the deficit – if we had a dollar (and they say there’s no inflation…) for every time someone has said, “I just want to get to the meat, the good stuff – the sweet spot – the payoff! I want to get busy and write this presentation!”

So with unbridled enthusiasm, they rush to put ideas on paper. And then – the crash – all the details the mind can conceive rush into the vacuum created by thinking: “What shall I say?” Then the task of making sense out of this “Idea Soup.” Of course, without intellectual boundaries, any idea is reasonable. Editing however, requires some limitations – a desired outcome for example, and a sense of who is listening. This may be why composing is so difficult: it requires the writer to submit willingly to limitation.

“Ready, Set, Go!” originated to help the speaker circumvent the “data avalanche” that accompanies composition. The first step: Establish an Objective. Why are you speaking? Certainly not to hear yourself talk – but to bring about a result in the form of a listener response! This is business – we’re looking for outcomes!

Second; Who is listening? What are their concerns, their reasons for taking action? You’ve got to Analyze the Audience, and arrive at the main idea that will move them to action.

Now, and only now, should you start Organizing Remarks.

It’s a process. Follow – and it will set you free. And you’ll get some sleep. The way out isn’t over, around, or under, but directly through!  “Ready, Set, Go!”

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