Messages Matter

Issue No. 2

April 2007

Dear Colleagues:
There’s a lot of buzz lately about how citizen media makes it impossible to control the message. But I say it makes good messaging, writing and good old-fashioned etiquette more important than ever.

Just ask Don Imus. It wasn't the incessant replaying of his audio and video that brought him down. It was his words.

Here’s another example of bad manners, one closer to home. In my writing workshops, I talk about situations that are not appropriate for e-mail. When my now ex-boyfriend had the gall to break up with me by e-mail, I reviewed his missive in pedagogic detail in an Orange County Register opinion piece.

Proving I have no shame (or at least not nearly as much as I had when this happened), and in hopes that you’ll learn something, I invite you to read the article.

Lessons from Match.com

Attracting a mate has always involved marketing of sorts. When I visited the Galapagos, I learned that the blue feet of the famous blue-footed boobies are a form of sexual selection – essentially, booby marketing. The guys with the blue feet got the most gals and now blue-footed boobies are their own species.

The blue feet that make one stand out in our society are good writing and powerful messages. On sites like Match.com and eHarmony, you are what you write. The same is true on social networking sites like MySpace, where anyone offering anything from friendship, a book, a film or politics (a la John Edwards) needs to have a presence.

So whether it’s personal or professional, words matter, more than ever. And just in case you were wondering if this article is in any way connected to my OC Register op-ed, the answer is no. You won’t find my messages on Match.com.

Show Off Your Blue Feet

Even if you’re not a politician, a spokes-person facing tough reporters or even a PR person pitching media, you still need messages to show the world your blue feet. Those seeking jobs, trying to get new business, or raising funds will all be more effective if they take time to develop key messages.

Contrary to what you might see on CNN, good messages:

Are sincere – never awkward or contrived

Use powerful language – consider the difference between the words house and home

Are true – don’t try telling someone you're the best unless you can prove it

Beyond the Campfire

I recently helped a client break through the wall of academic rigor to influence a research study at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her primary tool was the art of storytelling.

A technique we often reserve for novelists and campfires, storytelling is also a powerful business communication skill that moves the audience beyond information to the heart of what matters.

This particular client counsels traumatized parents when they find out one of their children has cancer. Her stories would make anyone cry, but the technique is effective even for traditionally staid business situations. Case in point: I recently worked with bankers who also had some tissue-worthy stories up their sleeves.

Like good messages, powerful storytelling is well planned, but completely authentic. Developing a strong story with a colleague or consultant can do more to persuade an audience in one or two minutes than reams of data could ever do.

Corporate Identity Crisis

Is everyone on your executive team working for the same company? You might not be so sure if you heard their elevator speeches.

Try this exercise to kick off your next management meeting or retreat:

Imagine you’re on a plane talking to the person next to you. Write down – in no more than three sentences, preferably one – your response to the inevitable question: what does your company do?

Have one person collect the answers and see how closely aligned the group is. If there seems to be confusion or divergent opinions, your company may need a messaging tune-up or a Cloud Communications Message Delivery Workshop. Find out more at my Web site.

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Thanks for taking a minute to read my newsletter. And special thanks to Jessica, my Galapagos excursion shipmate, for the outstanding photo of the blue-footed booby.

If you think your team would benefit from one of my messaging sessions or writing workshops, I’d welcome the opportunity to talk with you about it. In the meantime, be well and write well.

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