Avoid hype as a form of persuasion. But remember that the absence of hype doesn't mean the absence of opinion. Hired to help an investment company develop and shape their message, I listened to four executive vice presidents as they presented their segments of the "official" company overview. The General Counsel presented his overview of real estate investing and new regulatory laws relating to such. When he finished, I asked him, "Do you think real estate is a good investment for high net-worth individuals today?"

"Absolutely," he said. "The best. For several reasons." And he listed them for me.

"Why didn't you include those reasons in your presentation?" I asked.

"I did."

"I missed them."

"Maybe they didn't come across as reasons," he said. But the facts were there. The investor could have drawn that conclusion."

"But why would you leave it to the listener to draw that conclusion?"

"Well, I'm a lawyer. I didn't want to come across as a used car salesman."

For the next hour, we discussed the difference between hype and a persuasive presentation. After all, his organization spent several million dollars annually flying in estate planners, financial advisors, brokers and potential clients to persuade them to invest in real estate. Why would he not want to lead them to a conclusion?

Be clear about your purpose. If you're asked just to dump information, do it. But far more often than not, you're expected to take a point of view about the information you provide.

That point of view involves the four S's of persuasion to make sure your listeners or readers arrive at the same destination:
-Solid facts
-Sound logic
-Straightforward language
-Strong structure