Audience, goal, and setting: check! Now let us have a look at the actual content of the proposal. We will start with its shortest version: the core message.
What are we talking about?
What do you want to sell? Many candidates we meet in our sessions struggle to find the answer to this question. Especially if we ask to say it in one sentence. Talking about research in salesmen’s terms feels alien and bringing the entire proposal, years of work, down to a single sentence seems ridiculous at first. But, after a bit of brainstorming we always find a sentence.
Why bother? If you do not provide clarity on what your Big Idea is, the panel members have to search for it. The risk is that they miss the point and dismiss your proposal on wrong beliefs. But, a lack of clarity also makes them less likely to believe you. Remember the biases of the human brain as explained in Step 1? If something is understood with cognitive ease it feels more true than when it results in cognitive strain. As marketeers (and dictators) know: if you want people to believe a message, you have to connect it to what they already know (priming), repeat it, and display it in a clear way. It all leads to easily getting the point.
Another reason why to create a core message is that you do yourself a favour. A sharp view of the project’s essence makes constructing a presentation around it much easier. While formulating your core message you have to decide what is the hierarchy of the concepts in your presentation. It makes leaving things out, a necessity in such a short presentation, much easier. And, having a clear core message helps you to underline it during the Q+A.
How to do it
It can help if you restrict yourself to a ten (or if it really does not fit, fifteen) words core message. The following steps can help you to make this difficult task a bit easier.
- Brainstorm about key concepts. Write down the concepts you think that are vital to your research project. This can be as many as you like.
- Group your ideas. Try to reduce the amount of concepts to a maximum of three. Where possible group your ideas and combine them in one term. Leave out those that are not strictly necessary.
- Formulate a statement. In order to make an appealing core message, in a scientific context, it helps to formulate it in terms of problem – solution. For example: curing cancer starts with understanding the physics of metastasis. In other words: why is it important (problem) plus what is your point (solution). Or: if we want… (problem), then we should… (solution).
A well formulated core message works like a title in a newspaper or a book. It gets your attention and makes you want to hear more. It is easy to remember. It is also the shortest version of your presentation. A well formulated core message connects a problem the audience can relate to with an unknown concept. You take a concept that’s already in the head of the panel members and attach your idea to it. Because they can relate to the problem (curing cancer) and want it to be solved, they become interested in the solution (understand the physics of metastasis (whatever that is)). They also become willing to let you explain what you mean with the basic concept of your solution. Or, they might not agree instantaneously and be triggered to hear your arguments.
Writing a good core message is difficult if you do it on your own. You will have to zoom out to a much more general level than you are used to in your daily work. If you want to test your core message, just tell it to a colleague, a friend, or your spouse. A badly formulated message closes the connection between presenter and audience. The silence after the words is almost painful. On the other hand, a well formulated message result in the opposite, it triggers curiosity (a universal commodity in your audience). It starts a conversation.