Joel Schwartzberg on Making a Point That Actually Lands

Ever finish a meeting, read an email, or watch a presentation and walk away genuinely unsure what the person was trying to say?

Joel Schwartzberg is a workplace communications coach, speaker, and speechwriter who helps professionals simplify and sharpen their points to make their words matter. A former speechwriter and national champion public speaker, Joel now coaches clients across healthcare, financial services, biopharmaceutical science, cybersecurity, nonprofit advocacy, national defense, animal welfare, and social justice. He’s the author of the best-selling second edition of Get to the Point! Simplify, Sharpen, and Sell Your Message, and has contributed to publications such as Harvard Business Review and Inc.

In this episode, Joel joins Kristen to unpack what a point actually is (and isn’t) and share two simple tests anyone can use to determine whether or not they have a point.

Watch or Listen to the Episode

Watch the full episode here or listen to it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

The Big Idea: If You Don't Have a Point, Your Communication Is Pointless

Most of us communicate all day without ever stopping to ask the most foundational question: “What am I actually trying to say?” Joel argues that the reason so much workplace communication falls flat is that the speaker never had a real point to begin with. They had a topic. A theme. A catchphrase. A category. An observation. None of those, Joel says, are points, and treating them as if they were is what renders so many speeches, slides, and emails pointless.

A real point, in Joel’s framing, is a proposition of value: a complete, arguable claim that makes your audience feel, think, or act. He shares two deceptively simple tests—the “I believe that” test and the X/Y test—that anyone can use to separate a real point from the wordplay we often mistake for one.

"If you don't have a point, you're pretty much rendered pointless. Whether it's a speech or an email or a tweet, it all starts with that."

Joel Schwartzberg

Workplace communications coach, speechwriter, and author of the best-selling Get to the Point!

Key Takeaways

Two easy ways to test whether or not you have a point: 1) Put the words “I believe that” in front of your sentence. If the result isn’t a complete sentence, you don’t have a point yet. 2) Use this simple equation: “If we do X, Y will result.” When both halves are present, the idea has a means and an end.
If you can’t communicate an idea simply, that’s a signal that you may not understand it well enough yet. Breaking an idea down to its molecular pieces helps you achieve a level of clarity that resonates with audiences.
Deductive and inductive thinkers reach the point from opposite directions. Deductive thinkers lead with the claim and then support it; inductive thinkers build up to the claim through context and reasoning. Recognizing which mode the other person is in—and flexing to meet them—is part of effective communication.

Ways to Connect with Joel

If you’d like to connect with Joel, you can do so here:

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