Lessons in Persuasive Language from The Game of Thrones

1. www.hoffman.com
A face not even
a mother could love
Lessons in Persuasive Language
From The Game of Thrones

2. Imagine
a world without
PowerPoint

3. Imagine
a world without
PowerPoint
Tyrion did

4. Tyrion’s plea to Daenerys
(season 5, episode 8)

5. Sheer Genius
Tyrion’s plea to Daenerys
(season 5, episode 8)

6. Right up There with
Winston Churchill’s First Speech
as Britain’s Prime Minister
“You ask, what is
our aim? I can
answer in one word:
It is victory.”

7. And the Soliloquy from
Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire
“Help me,
Help you”

8. What does the Persuasive Language
from Tyrion, Winston Churchill
and Jerry Maguire have in common?

9. No Slides

10. No Props

11. No
Teleprompter

12. Instead, the total focus
lies with the speaker
and what he says

13. Before going further, let’s talk
about that thing in the room

14. Those in business often use
PowerPoint as a

15. They feel naked without their slides

16. Yet, nothing
wins over an audience
like an individual
alone on stage,
expressing a viewpoint
with utter conviction

17. Back to our friend Tyrion
trying to sell Daenerys

18. In a corporate setting,
Tyrion would fire up the PowerPoint
deck and start talking

19. In Game of Thrones, it’s just him
(Jorah has taken on the characteristics of wallpaper)

20. Our Boy
Forthose not familiar with Game ofThrones,
a quick bit of background onTyrion

21. He’s a dwarf
with an uncanny
knack for
figuring things
out and living to
see another day

22. Shooting an through
his dad’s chest put a damper on his career
in the House of Lannister
Not his finest moment in problem solving

23. He’s now trying to reinvent
himself as a counselor
to the one ruler on a roll,
Daenerys

24. You’re up to date

25. In this scene, Tyrion has hit the
proverbial fork in the road

26. Tyrion’s stature doesn’t portend a happy
ending if he ends up in the fighting pits
6”
4”
2”

27. But Tyrion’s persuasive
communications wins the day

28. The scene serves as
a reminder
of the Power of Language
without “Decorations”

29. You can watch Tyrion in action in
the initial 140 seconds of the video
(Click on image plays the video, source: HBO)

30. This same
communications would
have looked something
like the following in
PowerPoint form

31. T I T L E S L I D E M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

32. S L I D E I I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

33. S L I D E I I I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

34. S L I D E I V M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

35. S L I D E V M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

36. S L I D E V I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

37. S L I D E V I I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

38. S L I D E V I I I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

39. S L I D E I X M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

40. S L I D E X M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

41. S L I D E X I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

42. S L I D E X I I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

43. S L I D E X I I I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

44. S L I D E X I V M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

45. PLUS I DO A MEAN
HANDCUFF SHUFFLE
S L I D E X V M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

46. S L I D E X V I M A R C H X I V , M C D L X I I I

47. It’s not bad

48. The slides reflect
fun
with

49. Nice touch with the visual
storytelling, particularly explaining
the bad guy problem

50. Levity even appears in the slides

51. Would the slide
presentation have also
earned Tyrion a place
at Daenerys’ side as
advisor?

52. Probably not

53. No question that the more persuasive
of the two techniques comes
from Tyrion standing alone …

54. Solely dependent
on choice of words
and delivery
of those words

55. This isn’t to say
business professionals
should immediately
stop using PowerPoint

56. The withdrawal symptoms
from no PowerPoint would lower the
country’s GDP
(Gross Domestic Product)

57. But there are times
you might consider
going it alone

58. Thank you
The Hoffman Agency
a Communications Consultancy

59. Our Contact Information
North America: Stephen Burkhart 1 408 286-2611
Asia Pacific: Cassandra Cheong 86 (21) 6203-3366 ext 125
Europe: Mike Sottak +44 (0)203 322 6903
Global: Lou Hoffman 1 408 286-2611