"WHAT'S IN A TITLE?"

WHAT'S IN A TITLE?©
By Shirley Carolan, ATM


What's in a title, or WIT? Everything! The title of any piece, oral or written should accurately, and briefly, convey your message …or, your purpose, product or service. That may sound like a tall order. But today, with 30 second sound bites as introductions, a title is in the same category. Actually, a title always was a sound bite, or teaser, especially for folks who wanted to impart knowledge.

Whether you are writing a speech, book, an eBook, Blog, an article, or presenting a seminar, it's vital to give the audience a clear idea of what you are going to speak or write about. A truthful or stimulating title goes a long way in accomplishing this, Thus, the audience can/will determine whether the speech, article, blog, seminar, etc. is worth the investment of their time and money!

Conversely, a wrong, or misleading title, can break an otherwise credible person and ruin their fine reputation. Once this happens. it is very difficult to re-establish credibility with an audience because the audience feels that is has been duped!

Titles, therefore, should play a major role in all your marketing pieces, your repertoire, your reputation! It takes some creativity and imagination to come up with a title that will catapult you above your competition! It means selecting only titles that best reflect who and what you are! As you read this, I hope you will give careful consideration to your next public presentation. Is the title worthy of you? If not, brainstorm it with others who know and understand what it is you are trying to share or achieve.

Following are two examples I experienced that I feel illustrate the importance of a title, and/or the making or breaking of a reputation:

1. A colleague urged me to attend a seminar, at a local community center, where a well- known Pastor was giving a presentation. She told me his topic was very metaphysical and that I would get a lot out of it. I relied on her judgment and was expecting to hear a specific topic unfold. Alas, I waited, and waited, and waited but the Pastor never talked about the subject I had paid good money to hear. Instead, I felt it was a total waste of my time, money and energy! The next day my friend called and said "Wasn't he (the Pastor) fantastic!?" I had to admit that "No, he wasn't fantastic and he certainly did not live up to the billing or topic that I wanted to hear!" She responded "Oh, well, I wrote that press release for the news media."

I was shocked. Methinks she did this man a great disservice as well as possible damage to his reputation because he certainly did not live up to the billing he got in the press!

2. Recently, I was killing time in a bookstore, and scanning various books on different subjects when lo and behold a title leaped out at me "Hitler's Pope," the secret history of Pius XII, by John Cornwell, Viking Press. I was both fascinated and appalled by the synopsis of this untold story of Eugenio Pacelli's rise to power as Pope Pius XII, especially since I lived in war-torn Europe during his reign (1939-1958). So, I decided to purchase the book. It has more than lived up to its title and I have learned some indisputable facts about Austria-Hungary, the Serbian obsession for dominance, the Pope's unprecedented quest for more papal control and power thus aiding Hitler's rise to power. Indeed. I have not been able to put the book down! It is history in the making, it answers many questions without malice or subterfuge, and it gives new meaning to a catastrophe of unprecedented human magnitude. I highly recommend this book to everyone on many levels.

Interestingly, if this book had been entitled "The Life and Times of Pius XII," or, "The Life and Times of a Wartime Pope" etc. I probably would not have purchased it. But, "Hitler's Pope" hit me between the eye balls. Historians, clerics, libraries and schools should all have a copy of it.

So, there you have it … two very different impacts a title has had upon me; one a seminar, the other a book! One experience left me cold, the other leads me to want to share it with others!

To recap, a meaningful title:

· Must convey its true message/content.
· No window dressing, or whitewashing (the material)
· Be short and to the point
· Can be controversial
· Shake up the status quo
· Provoke feelings
· Inspire, motivate, or persuade
· Capture the imagination

Here are some titles that work for me: Gone With The Wind, Atlas Shrugged, Tobacco Road, Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, Man's Search for Meaning, Wuthering Heights, On The Waterfront, War and Peace, Hitler's Pope!

As you put your material together for your next presentation, treat your title as another piece of the jigsaw puzzle. You'll be glad you spent the extra time and effort, and watch how your audience reacts to you from the get go!

Shirley M. Carolan, ATM
Speaker/Writer/Coach
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
carolcom@qwestinternet.net
www.shirleycarolan.com
http://smcarolan.blogspot.com


Copyright © 2006 by Shirley Carolan. All rights reserved. To reprint any portion of this article simply contact Shirey Carolan at carolcom@qwestinternet.net .