How to create action when you speak

Most people end their speaking when they run out of time or out of words, but not necessarily when they've made impact. The case gets made, the room nods, and then nothing happens - no decision, no commitment, nothing anyone does differently on Monday. The key to achieving action when you speak is found in a conclusion that follows cognitive sequence.

In your conclusion, first reiterate your Conceptual point. Before you ask for anything, bring people back to the idea that matters - the reason underneath everything you've just said. Conceptual thinkers act on meaning, not detail. If the big idea has drifted out of view while you worked through the specifics, Conceptual thinkers can find their way back to the point here.

Then make your request. Say plainly what you want to happen. Most people blur this into a vague hope and leave the audience to guess - but the Relational thinkers who are often looking for a way to support your initiatives want something explicit. Tell them how they can help you.

Finally, define the next steps. Who does what, and by when. This is the part for Logistical thinkers that turns agreement into motion. Without it, even a room full of genuine enthusiasm quietly dissolves back into everyone's existing priorities.

For the Analytical thinkers, your conclusion is often a confirmation of the conclusion they've already reached after going through the evidence. They don't need anything specific, but they appreciate a clean end point with any details they need to move forward.

Reiterate the idea, make your request, define next steps. It can take less than thirty seconds and it's the difference between being heard and being acted on.

I shared the Cognitive Sequence Method™ with all of you last week. If you missed it, here's the link again - it walks you through the full structure, including this close.

As always, if your team or organisation would like to build the method into how your leaders communicate, get in touch.

Gregor