Wallet vs. Suitcase

Pull messages from your wallet, not your suitcase.

My husband is a salesman. He loves to talk. And he's very good at what he does. That said, a few years back, he was preparing for a television interview. His amazing PR leader was prepping him, giving him his messages and walking through anticipated questions. It was a Saturday morning, so I tagged along.

He did well; he knows his subject inside and out. The problem was, he gave the TV reporter a suitcase of data to pull from. Lots of numbers - facts and figures - in addition to his key messages. When the story aired, not only were the messages lost but also the numbers were reported out of context and were just plain wrong.

Guess who was not happy?

I've used this example for many years when training executives for media interviews and speeches. The moral of the story is to go with the wallet, not the suitcase.

Your messages should be succinct enough to fit in a wallet. They are easy for you to remember and for the interviewer to use or report. When you provide a suitcase full of information, there are just too many choices. Way too many. And, guess what, the message you are trying to convey is suddenly competing with all of those other choices.

So, when preparing for an interview or a speech, determine your three to four key messages. Stick to them. Bring your wallet, not your suitcase.