1: The competition to host the 2016 Summer Olympics was down to the final four cities: Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro.
How much was winning the games worth, according to a Credit Suisse study?
The answer: ten billion dollars.
“Three of the cities had reason to be optimistic,” Erik Peterson and Tim Riesterer write in their book Conversations That Win the Complex Sale.
“Chicago had President Obama backing it,” Erik and Tim note, “and a lot of press attention was being given to the amount of personal energy that President Obama was investing to try to bring the Olympics to his hometown.”
Tokyo and Madrid’s organizing committees also had reasons to feel confident.
These two cities scored highest among the original seven cities hoping to host the games.
Rio was the fourth and final competitor.
“Rio had failed in its bid to be an Olympic site for 2004 and 2012,” the authors note. “It hadn’t even been a finalist either time.
“And whenever talk of its potential as a host city for the Olympics was discussed, the conversation inevitably centered on Rio’s relatively high crime rate.”
2: Each city would have its opportunity to make its case during a presentation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Copenhagen.
The competition would be fierce.
To win, Rio needed a compelling answer to one question: Why us?
Rio’s presenter stood in front of a blank map of the world.
After some introductory remarks, he says: “Today, the Olympic movement is looking for new ways to reach the youth of the world and to spread our global message. . . .
“Personally, I have seen wonderful Olympic and Paralympic Games in Europe. . .
As he speaks, the blank map behind him begins to fill with the names of cities that have hosted the Games. Europe becomes so crowded with names that the continent almost disappears.
“In modern Olympic history,” the speaker states, “there have been 30 games in Europe, 5 in Asia, 2 in Oceania, and 12 in North America. . .
Large numbers appear over the continents: 30 over Europe. Five over Asia. Two over Oceania. Twelve over North America.
What was impossible to miss?
South America was blank.
“Neither Africa nor South America had hosted any Olympic Games in the modern Olympic era,” Erik and Tim note. “Those two continents were untouched by the Olympic movement.
“And only one of the four cities bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games could fix that problem,” they write.
The presenter continues: “We want to bring the games to South America for the first time, and open the door to a new continent.”
As the big numbers began to fade, the Olympic logo appears over Rio.
“One that stands ready to take the Olympic movement forward to new territories and new cultures and people,” he says, “and, thanks to the character and the spirit of Rio—a new energy.”
3: So, what happened?
Rio was chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
According to Erik and Tim, when IOC members were later asked why they chose Rio, they pointed to Rio’s opportunity to bring the Olympics to a continent that had never hosted the Games.
What else did they remember?
The map.
And what Rio did with that map illustrates another powerful way to make your message memorable.
That’s the next topic we will explore with RiseWithDrew.
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: What important message are you trying to communicate that people may understand but not remember?
Action: Before your next important conversation or presentation, ask yourself: How could I make my central idea impossible to miss?
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