Developing a Power Statement
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A power statement answers the question, "What do you do?" How many times have you been asked that question? What is your answer? I’m a speaker. I write books. I’m a doctor. That’s the typical answer given. Yet we all know about first impressions and the importance of the initial seconds of one’s answer. With a good power statement you can turn a simple question – What do you do? - into an opportunity for enthusiastic dialogue and interest in you and your message.
People with weak power statements usually try to compensate for them with verbosity. They think that if they keep talking long enough something they say will grab their listener. Just the opposite is true. If the hearer is not impressed with the first explanation you give, she or he won’t stay tuned for a better one. It’s too late to make a great first impression. So the next time someone asks you, "What do you do?" be prepared with a power statement that grabs attention, ignites curiosity and makes you and your message stand out.
This presentation will help you construct an effective power statement. Authors write a lot of words for the sake of others – to encourage them, to lift their load or to otherwise help them along the way. The words you are about to write are for you. They will benefit you and your career as much as any other words you will write.
Your power statement will be used to introduce you and your business in conversation, to get and conduct media interviews and to promote yourself in writing on your business literature, web site and under your name on letters and email correspondences. It becomes your slogan. It expresses your message. It sets you apart from all others.
A Tip: Developing your power statement is a process that takes time and yields big rewards. As you work through each step you will be forced to rethink who you are and what you offer others. Most of us seldom, if ever, take the time to undertake such valuable evaluation. Enjoy the process. Don’t rush it. I suggest that you stop at times and set your work aside for a day or two. Then come back to it with a fresh look. You will also benefit from the help of others. Solicit the help of people who know you and from some who don’t know you as well. Most of all don’t get bogged down. I’ve seen this process take as little as an hour and I’ve seen it take weeks.
Now, let’s look carefully at power statements.
Definition:
A power statement is a concise, engaging explanation of your ministry directed to your target audience to address their dreams and goals, representing who you are and how you will meet those dreams and goals.
Look again at the five important element of that definition.
• A power statement explains your ministry.
• A power statement is concise.
• A power statement addresses the goals and dreams of your
target audience.
• A power statement capitalizes on who you are as a person?
• A power statement is engaging.
The following paragraphs more closely examine those elements and give you opportunity to formulate your ministry power statement. Using a separate sheet of paper begin writing your thoughts and responses to each paragraph.
A power statement explains your ministry.
What do you do? Better yet, what, of value, do you offer to others? Sure, you write books, you speak, you consult, and so forth, but what does that do for others? Can you break it down a little more in term of what you do for them? Are they inspired? Encouraged? "Taken somewhere?"
In my ministry I teach people to develop and promote themselves and their message more effectively. I do this through workshops, keynotes, resources and coaching. However, workshops, keynotes and coaching are not really what people dream of getting. They want to be more convincing, more interesting, more authoritative, more engaging. They want to be heard and remembered. So, I simply say, "I help you share your message with power and confidence." That’s what they really want. I, then, follow that with more explanation. From there I explain that through coaching, workshops and training I can help them become aware of their needs and how to accomplish them.
So, what do you do? Begin putting words on paper without evaluating them at this time. Consider the following as examples to get your creative juices going. Use a thesaurus to find more. How would you explain your service to others?
I …
help, motivate, inspire, teach, take, train, transform, guide, encourage, broaden, rise above, walk, run, increase, enlarge, bridge, connect, soar, release, raise, rise, become,
Other key words
heights, depths, fullness, to the top, uncharted, genius
Here are examples. Note that these are not necessarily completed power statements. They are simply statements of what a person does using one or more of the power words above.
I inspire women to explore the hurts in the depths of their souls and teach them how to leave these behind and go on to forgiveness and wholeness.
"I help women learn to effectively manage their daily routines and make time for creative expressions of themselves."
It’s time for you to write. Put on paper at least five possible statements that express what you do. Keep in mind the value you offer to others.
A power statement is concise.
The statement must be short enough to be remembered. Usually one sentence with less than fifteen words is best. It will then need to be shortened for use in print. However, when first working on your power statement, don’t worry about wordiness. Just get the words on paper. Then start editing. Take out all the unnecessary words. Try to find words that replace phrases. For example, "Providing Bible study tools that help women better understand the Bible" might be shortened and have more impact as "Making you Bible-brilliant."
Although this step comes next in the definition, it really is a part of step five.
A power statement addresses the goals and dreams of your target clients.
To qualify as powerful, a ministry statement must set you above the crowd in terms of your perceived ability to achieve the reader’s or listener’s goals and dreams. As mentioned earlier, developing your power statement is a valuable process. It can also be a transforming process, especially in this step. It’s here that you look at what you do from the perspective of someone who may need what you offer. You have to do a complete one hundred eighty degree turn and look back at yourself from their shoes. In doing so, you may have to ask yourself if you’re truly offering what your target "customer" wants. You may believe that he or she needs what you have but they may not see it that way. It may mean that you will repackage what you do to better suit, or to better communicate it to, your target customer. That process could add greater value to your service or product. Take extra time on this step.
On a separate sheet of paper, begin to answer the following questions.
A. Who is your target customer/client? Describe that person. Include age, gender, education, and any other characteristics that fit them.
B. Describe the customer/client’s dreams and goals in the light of what you do.
Let me give you an example of how this step works. Remember this example from step 1?
I inspire women to explore the hurts in the depths of their souls and teach them how to leave these behind and go on to forgiveness and wholeness.
Now, ask yourself if your target woman really wants that? OK, she needs it, but does she really want to explore the hurts in the depths of her soul? Maybe not. That might be frightening or sound too difficult. So don’t tell her that in your power statement. You might instead say, I point women from failure to freedom/ from hurts to wholeness. Perhaps that sounds more inviting, even though the process may include some soul searching.
A Power statement capitalizes on who you are?
Do "YOU" make your ministry unique? I hope so. You are, to some extent, what sets your ministry apart from other’s ministries. What do you contribute that makes your ministry more attractive?
I had the opportunity to help create a power statement for Florence Littauer. Florence is a noted Christian speaker and author with a charming personality. She is a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and member of the National Speaker’s Association Hall of Fame. Florence can hold an audience in the palm of her hand for sixty minutes or more without losing them for a second. She’s a master at her craft. Furthermore, her life abounds with incredible experiences. So, how do you say all of that in one power statement?
Two words came to my mind: legend and inspire. The first one summarizes who she is. She is truly one of a kind. However, rather than say that in a power statement, I assumed that the reason audiences are so fond of Florence is that they wish, in some way, to be like her. So rather than saying she is a legend, I said that she will help you become a legend. How does she do that? She inspires you with her stories. Here is the end result. "Florence inspires ordinary people to live legendary lives." Florence, then, modified it to read, Inspiring you to live a legendary life.
The same opportunity was afforded me by Marita Littauer. Marita is past-president of CLASServices, Inc. as well as a popular national speaker. Marita is an intelligent, energetic woman with a wonderful smile who offers her audiences practical helps and a great experience. With that knowledge of Marita and her professional materials in front of me, I suggested the following power statement. "More success in who you are and more joy in where you’re going." You’ll find that on materials promoting her speaking and writing.
So, who you are, not just what you do can help shape your power statement. If there is something about you that really stands out, use it in the development of your statement.
List words that characterize you. What have people said about you? What makes you unique or successful? Let these words guide the design of your power statement.
A Power Statement must be engaging.
Now, with the above information, write a complete power statement for your ministry. In fact, write several statements. Get them all on paper before evaluating them. Then start rewording them. Eliminate words you don’t like and add words that say it better. Next, evaluate them using all the criteria laid out in this paper. Select one or two statements that you like the best. Let a professional friend help you evaluate them. When you think you have one you really like, test it in public before you put it into print. Try using it in conversation with others. Does it roll of your tongue easily? Does it sound engaging to say it out loud to others? What response does it elicit? Does it seem to be working?
Finally, ask yourself one more important question. Can I deliver what my statement says?
Once you have your power statement, use it every time someone asks you, What do you do?
