Funnel – Focus – Future

Just the shape of a funnel is an indicator.

Going from a lot to a little.

From many to mini.

It is by far one of the toughest exercises I have practiced.

One that I still have trouble with.

I tend to take a shotgun approach rather than a rifle approach.

Let’s see if we can wound a lot of them rather than kill one of them.

Even in writing, a mentor of mine, constantly reminds me to funnel down my message.

I am always thinking about who is my core audience.

Am I reaching that core group.

To his point, it does make me a better communicator to funnel.

It is an ongoing exercise for me.

To make my message sharper.

Funneling can be done in any environment.

Are you a writer?

Take five hundred words and edit them to three hundred and fifty and make your message sharper.

A speaker with thirty minutes allowed?

Narrow your presentation down to twenty three minutes.

I have several friends who are pastors.

I kid them from time to time that it is better to speak for thirty minutes and have them wanting more, than to speak for forty minutes and have them wanting less.

Trying to reach a much broader group of customers?

Why?

Narrow your message and find your exact customer base.

Taking on five projects at one time?

You are smarter than that.

Pick the one of the five that you can excel in and go with it.

Sell your strengths.

It will take you less time to supersize your strengths than it will to minimize your weaknesses.

Funnel down to what you do best.

It is definitely tougher to do than it is to say.

Are you one of those people who can do anything?

Then list them all, no matter how many pages you require.

Then go back, or have someone go back with you, and go through the list.

Begin scratching out those items where you are less than average.

Then those that are average.

Then slightly above average.

You will eventually funnel your way down to your greatest attribute.

Want a team exercise for your department or organization?

In the next meeting or training session, give every single person present a funnel, two sheets of paper and a writing instrument.

Have them attempt to stick the two sheets of paper through the funnel.

They can’t.

Then, give them ten minutes to list all their attributes, their strengths, their best practices.

Then have the individuals narrow them down to one.

Have them tear it from the page and push it through the funnel, down the smaller spout.

Just the visualization and the practice of this exercise will make them a better department and cohesive team.

Then take those individual strengths and collectively discuss them with the group and narrow all the individual strengths down to one collective strength.

Then push it down through the funnel.

The one that comes out through the funnel is your mission statement, your purpose, what that group of gifted individuals can do best through a coordinated effort.

Funnel – Focus – Future

John