Have you ever written a speech, a blog post or an essay and wondered: “Why does this matter?” “How can I show them that it does?”. We’ll be breaking this down in 5 steps using a blog post as an example.
#1. Ask yourself, “What do you want to be true of your audience after they read this post that is not true of them before they read it?”
Example: “I want them to act on the truth that what they do shapes who they become.”
#2. Ask yourself, “What do you want to be true of your audience a year from today that is not true of them today?”
Example: “I want them to take small steps to reach big goals focusing not on what they do, but on who they are becoming.”
#3. From your answer to question #2, pull out an action and an impact(s) you want your audience to have on the world. You can have both a future impact and a current impact in this process but you need at least one or the other.
Example: “I want them to take small steps (action) to reach big goals (future impact) focusing not on what they do, but on who they are becoming. (current impact)”
#4. Word that in a single sentence. After you have a sentence, ask “Do I really need this word?”, “Could this word, or this phrasing be better?” Do this until you have the best version of your purpose statement that you can create today. It’s ok if isn’t perfect, you can revise it as you learn and grow and think about it. This will give you a great starting point.
#5. Create a different version to share with your audience that is tailored to them. Keep it short. A sentence or at most two.
I would strongly urge you to use your purpose statement from step #4 to refine your content. For each paragraph, ask: “Does this follow my purpose statement?”. In our example, I could ask: “Does this show people that what they do shapes who they become?” “That little steps they take can add up to big results over time?”. If not, cut it. It can be good, but if doesn’t work with your purpose. It is not what is best. Now that you know how to communicate your purpose, go forth and make an impact, change lives and communicate well!
If you think I am missing something, or this didn’t work for you, please let me know in the comments.