Getting Your Point Across When You Only Have 60 Seconds or Less

You need to get an important message across to employees and the problem is, employees have so little time and attention. I am sure that you receive several emails daily where a few people at least, do not get their point(s) across to you asking you to do or respond to something they ask for/about.

But if you were given less than 60 seconds to get your point across to another person, most people give excuses. Some have said, “I cannot possibly make my point in a short period of time.” Granted that 60 seconds or less is not much time to get your point across to anyone, but think of about this. If you were in an elevator with someone who you wanted to ask a question to or say something to, the time between floors is the only time you have to see that person and say anything to. Do you think you can talk with them in that short period of time? They probably do not have any other time to stay on the elevator with you.

The basic principle of a 30 even a 60 second message is to have a clear objective. Essentially, what do you want to achieve?). To get your point across in business today you need to focus on your own communication skills and your audience’s ability to understand. Speakers who get their points across in a short period of time and know to concentrate less on what they want to say and more on what they want you to hear are the most successful

One of the most important abilities of a manager is the ability to get your point across. Some have said that, “85 percent of what you accomplish in your career and in your personal life will be determined by how well you get your message across and by how capable you are of inspiring people to take action on your ideas and recommendations.”

When we're trying to get a point across to someone else we often think long and hard about what we want to say. Instead of focusing on what you want to say to get your point across, you should focus on what you want the other person to hear.

You want to say just the right thing so the other person understands your point. Sometimes you practice what you are going to say.

Verbally, 3 Seconds is all it takes to lose your audience. It is also all it takes to grab their attention – if you know how.

3Basic Principles

1. Know What You Want- Have a clear objective of what you want to say.
2. Who Can Give It to You- Know who you are talking to.
3. How to Get It

Keep it Brief and Simple
Say what you need to say and nothing more. Keeping it simple will allow your audience to understand and remember what you want them to.

Use a hook in your message to grab their attention. This is what you create to have your listener think about what you are saying or asking about.

Use descriptive words that catches you listener’s attention. Paint a vivid picture for your listener.

Be Detailed
In what you do choose to say, tell the audience specifically what they need to know, including quantities, hard deadlines, and delivery.

Body Language
Make sure your posture depicts someone who considers themselves as confident and successful. Otherwise, your listener is not going to have a good impression about you no matter how well you come across to them. Do not have your arms folded, and as long as you sound confident with good eye-contact and do not apologize for possibly feel anxious or nervous, you will probably be in a good position to get what you want from them.


You may feel that what you have to say is important enough to you. So create a compelling opening line for your listener to grab onto what you are saying. Be a little creative in your opening statement, and then ask a specific question relevant to what you just said.

For a 30 minute complimentary session to see how we can help you, please contact us at 602-405-2540, or email nburgis@successful-solutions.com.