Commandment 1: Enter Their Movie
Everyone is starring in their own mental movie where they're the hero facing challenges. Your job isn't to pitch your idea—it's to show how your idea fits into their movie.
Traditional approach: "This new system will revolutionize our data processing."
Influential approach: "You know that frustration when reports take three hours to generate? This eliminates that."
David learned this presenting to the CFO. Instead of leading with technical capabilities, he opened with: "What if you could answer any financial question from the board in under thirty seconds?"
The CFO leaned forward. "Tell me more."
Enter their movie by: - Starting with their pain, not your solution - Using "you" more than "I" - Connecting to their specific context - Making them the hero of the transformation
Commandment 2: The Power of Contrast
The human brain understands through contrast. Light needs dark. Success needs failure. Your solution needs a problem.
Watch how Maria secured resources for her team:
Weak: "We need two more developers."
Strong: "Right now, we're turning away $2M in projects because we can't deliver fast enough. Two developers would capture that revenue within 90 days."
The Contrast Formula: 1. Current pain (vivid, specific) 2. Future possibility (tangible, achievable) 3. The bridge (your solution) 4. The urgency (why now)
Lisa mastered this in sales: "Most companies in your position lose 30% of customers in year two. Your retention is already dropping. We can reverse that trend, but the window closes in Q3."
Commandment 3: Concrete > Conceptual
Abstract ideas die in the mind. Concrete images live forever.
Compare: - "Improve efficiency" vs. "Cut meeting time in half" - "Enhance collaboration" vs. "Get answers in minutes, not days" - "Drive innovation" vs. "Launch three new products this year"
Robert transformed his influence by replacing every abstract concept with something you could see, touch, or measure:
Before: "This initiative will transform our organizational culture." After: "Imagine walking past the break room and hearing people excited about Monday morning."
Make it concrete through: - Specific numbers and timeframes - Sensory details (see, hear, feel) - Before/after scenarios - Real examples, not hypotheticals
Commandment 4: The Strategic Pause
The most influential part of your communication isn't what you say—it's the silence between your words.
Amateur speakers fill every second with words, terrified of silence. Masters use pause like a weapon:
"Our competitor just stole three major clients." [Pause. Let it sink in.] "But I know exactly why." [Pause. Build tension.] "And I know how to get them back."
Strategic pauses: - After important points (let them land) - Before key insights (build anticipation) - When asked difficult questions (show thoughtfulness) - After making requests (create pressure to respond)
Nina discovered this in negotiations: "I need a 40% budget increase." [10-second pause]. The silence was so uncomfortable, the other party started negotiating against themselves.
Commandment 5: The Trojan Horse Close
End every communication with something they can't help but share or think about.
Examples: - A provocative question they'll ponder - A counterintuitive insight they'll repeat - A simple next step they'll take - A memorable framework they'll use
When presenting the new hiring process, instead of ending with "Any questions?", Samantha closed with:
"Here's the question that will transform your hiring: Instead of asking 'Can they do the job?', ask 'Will they make everyone else better?' Start using that filter tomorrow and watch what happens."
Three months later, executives were still quoting "the Samantha question" in meetings.