Ideas Are Not Powerful

August 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Ideas are not powerful.  Comprehension is.  Comprehension is where an idea takes root, spreads, flourishes and has real impact.

Mary Kay Ash is quoted as saying, “A mediocre idea that guarantees enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one.”  I would like to suggest a corollary:  A mediocre idea that is understood is more powerful than a great idea that no one understands.

You may have seen people ignore this simple truth.

Paula Simmons cited a course description from the University of Alberta as an example of writing that is hard to understand.

“We will interrogate the production of ‘society’ out of a non-totalized set of archival fragments or ‘ruins,’ and we will ask how the writing of history sets hegemonic discourses into opposition with counter-discourses.”

I think this means “we will look at how culture influences the way history is written”.  But really, I have no idea.  Perhaps the person who wrote it felt obligated to use intellectual jargon.

Your dilemma may actually be worse. What if you have an important idea that is really complex and really hard to understand? This is very possible.  Many of the clients we serve have very complex, technical concepts that they need to convey to broad business audiences. Under these conditions, what is one to do?  Here is a 3-step process that can offer your audience an on-ramp to comprehending your important, hard-to-understand idea.

  1. Start with the problem you are solving.  Suggest for example, that the world needs an abundant source of renewable energy that has little or no environmental impact.
  2. Connect your idea to something people already understand.  For example, fusion is how the sun creates energy.  Our new process takes advantage of this same concept…
  3. Offer more resources.  For more information on our new fusion generator, see our web site here.  And for more general information, consider buying Principles of Fusion Energy: An Introduction to Fusion Energy for Students of Science and Engineering.

In the extra-credit zone:  Don’t make up new words unless you must.  It is tempting to lead an industry by coining a word or phrase.  But most of the time, a new term either confuses or leaves the audience feeling you might have aggrandized a bit.

When you bring clarity to a tough topic, you are viewed as an expert and a person that customers, executives and others can turn to when they need to understand. It is an enviable and powerful position.

Filed Under: Communications Planning, Complicated Communications, Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Speechwriting

Keep Calm and Carry On

July 17, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’m a big Churchill fan.  He drank heavily. Took naps.  Defeated the Nazis.  Famously traded jabs with Lady Nancy Astor and others.  There is a Winston Churchill exhibit currently at the Morgan Library in New York City.  I am making a trip this summer to NYC to have a look.

And he wrote his own speeches.  A bunch of them.

Most are classics.  For example, before he was prime minister, Churchill offered a speech to the House of Commons at the outbreak of the second World War.  He offers the perspective of a man that can see history and give voice to our place within it.

“…there is a generation of Britons here now ready to prove itself not unworthy of the days of yore and not unworthy of those great men, the fathers of our land, who laid the foundations of our laws and shaped the greatness of our country.’

Many of us (me for sure) are not capable of writing with such passion and insight.

But there are a couple of techniques that he used that we can imitate.

Write drafts.  Churchill took his speeches seriously.  He worked hard on them.  Perhaps one reason he found just the right words is he experimented with words until he was satisfied.  He is quoted as saying he spent an hour on every minute of speech.

Plan and rehearse.  We have evidence that his final draft was structured in a way to suggest pauses and when to emphasize ideas.  It is believed he spent a great deal of time thinking about how his words should be delivered.  Below is an example.

Stop changing:  Once a speech was complete, it was complete.  Churchill read his speeches word-for-word.  This level of completeness and preparedness contrasts with many of the speeches we see that continue to change until the very last moment.  (no exaggeration:  we watched a speech writer changing slides as a technology CEO walked on-stage with many thousands in attendance).

With luck, you will not be asked to comment on or lead the defense of the entire free world.  But your talks matter.  And you can leverage some of the genius of Winston Churchill to make your speeches more powerful.

Filed Under: Communications Planning, Complicated Communications, Executive communications, Speechwriting

Eight Do’s and Don’ts for Executive Blog Posts on Company News

April 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When executives blog, people pay attention. During the news cycle following a recent product launch announcement for one of our clients, the executive blog post on the launch garnered two and a half times more hits than the official press release.

Why would the executive post get so much more traffic? For one, blog posts are often more accessible and easier to read than standard corporate communications. More importantly, people value senior leaders’ opinions and viewpoints – executive blogs provide a window into leaders’ perspectives that readers would not otherwise get.

That’s why many organizations are using executive blogs to announce or amplify company news, such as new partnerships, acquisitions, or product launches. Compared to other corporate channels, executive blogs are a more impactful, personal and flexible way to communicate.

How do you craft a compelling executive blog post on company news?

Here are a few tips:

Do’s

1) Get to the point – Deliver the key message early on. Don’t spend too much time on background or context setting.

2) Be conversational – Use a personal, authentic tone. Write the way you talk – it’s more memorable for readers.

3) Know your audience – Speak to what they care about. Address their needs, interests, and concerns.

4) Say something interesting – Share insight. Provide new information. Generic PR or marketing-speak won’t cut it.

5) Make it personal – Offer a story, anecdote or observation from the executive’s experience.

Don’ts

1) Be long-winded – Your message will likely get buried. Instead: Edit ruthlessly. Remove extraneous words and examples.

2) Provide detailed background information – You’ll lose your audience. Instead: Briefly provide the basics and then move on. Link to the details.

3) Attempt to appeal to all audiences – A broad message can be too generic and lack impact. Instead: Target a specific audience. Focus on what will resonate with them.

Filed Under: Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Social media, Speechwriting Tagged With: , ,

The Power of the Transition Sentence

March 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

You have been there. The presenter seems to have lost their place. They are rambling about topics that seem to have nothing to do with the visuals they are presenting. As they advance the visuals, you discover (and they discover) that they have already covered most of the topic now on the visual.

So they cover the same topic again.

This continues to a greater or lesser degree throughout the presentation.

The coup de grace comes at the end when the presenter just kind of peters out. “Well, that is about it, I think. That’s really what I wanted to cover. I guess, if we have a little, time, I am thinking I could see if you have any questions.”

You can avoid this horror with the power of the transition sentence.

A transition sentence is how you get from where you are to the next topic. And it is ALWAYS about the next topic.

We are borrowing ideas from Dale Carnegie and possibly others. Dale Carnegie said you should memorize your first and last sentence in a speech. Those two sentences are examples of a transition. One gets you going. One gets you off the stage. This is good guidance from Dale. He says people don’t remember much in between, but I am hoping your talk is a bit more interesting.

So we will focus on transitions during your talk. Starting with moving from slide to slide. Here are the rules:

1. Write a transition to get you off the current slide and onto the next one. All of them.

2. The transition sentence is always about the NEXT slide.

3. Write the whole sentence, not just a few reminder words.

Here are these rules in action.

image

When you plan the transitions, you feel more confident. You sound smoother. And you sound more in command of the topics being covered.

You have your own thoughts on making transitions. Set us up for the next blog by sharing those thoughts.

Filed Under: Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Speechwriting Tagged With: ,

5 Techniques to Drive Audience Engagement (Part 2)

March 7, 2012 By 2 Comments

Radio presenterWhen we last left our heroes, we were talking about how to engage audiences. And we offered a couple of ideas about how to do that:

· Mention audience members by name

· Ask questions

Today we get to a few more tactics that may require a little more effort but also offer the promise of even greater dividends in terms of audience engagement.

Connect around common experience. When you talk about something that you share with your audience you introduce a level of empathy that connects you and your message with that audience. Consider the difference between these two approaches that express the same idea:

“Meeting with new, potential customers can be difficult. There is a need to prepare. There is a need to really listen to what they are saying. And to build credibility, you need to talk knowledgeably about the customer and their problems. Today, I am going to show you how to do each of these things.”

- or -

“I remember sitting where you are right now, thinking about how to make the best impressions on customers. For me, preparation took time. I had to train myself to really listen. And most frightening for me, I had to find ways to bring ideas into the conversation that really added value and demonstrated my knowledge of the customer’s business. Today, we are going to talk about each of these.”

Reference current events. Talking about things that happened today can make the topic you are discussing more relevant and fresh. Consider these two ideas:

“Even in volatile times, there are customers that need our solutions.”

- or -

“This morning the Dow was up/down 150 points in early trading. This is one expression of the volatile business times in which live. Here is the point. Today and every day, regardless of business volatility, there are customers that need our solutions.”

Localize to venue. When you are talking to a group as a visitor, take time to talk to them about themselves – even if this is not your main topic. When you talk about them, it makes you seem appreciative, aware and gracious. Consider these two options at expressing the same idea:

“I am so glad to be here. We have so much to discuss regarding the future and where we are going together.”

- or -

“I am so glad to be here. This team has fantastic examples of the type of achievements we need to drive everywhere in our business. When it comes to innovation, no team has done more than this group right here – defining new solutions, creating new go-to market strategies and aligning our business with the things our customers really want and need. Your contributions are truly appreciated. Today these things are the focus of our conversation – what our future looks like and ways we can get there together”

So these are some ideas on how to engage with your audience. To engage with us, all you need to do is comment. We’re all ears.

Filed Under: Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Speechwriting Tagged With:

5 Techniques to Drive Audience Engagement (Part 1)

February 12, 2012 By 1 Comment

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If you want to drive to deep insights and strong team alignment, consider applying techniques that compel your audience to think with you. This is most effective when you need to have strong intellectual and emotional connections. Effectively, you need to discuss something really important.

Many of the executive presentations we deliver fall into this category.

For example, several of our clients have wanted to move their sales teams from product sales to solution sales. Intellectually this may make a lot of sense. But it is difficult.

Let’s use that situation as an example to illustrate 5 techniques that compel your audience to meditate with you as you examine an important topic. This blog post will cover off on two.

Mention audience members by name. When you mention an audience member, you change the tone. It is like you are talking to the audience members individually. Consider the difference in impact these two ways of expressing the same idea might have on audience engagement.

“We have examined the sales results and concluded our customers are interested in solving problems – not necessarily in having newer, faster equipment. Customer opportunities focused on solutions close faster and up to 30% more often.”

- or -

“Roger, I remember the two of us talking last spring. You talked about seeing how our faster equipment could really solve some tough problems for your customers – and when you talked to one of your customers in those terms, they agreed to start running a pilot right away. Today that is one of your biggest accounts. The numbers reinforce your perspective. Customer opportunities focused on solutions close faster and up to 30% more often.”

Ask questions. Whether the members of the audience want to or not, when you ask a question they mentally answer. It can be a good way to connect in a manner that gets the audience thinking and agreeing with your premise. Consider the following two options to saying the same thing.

“Customers frequently attend a meeting with things on their mind. We can use these moments to understand the solution that is really going to work for them.”

- or -

“How many of you have talked to a customer that let you chat for a moment about a new product and then tried to change the subject? Something like, ‘Listen. We could talk more about your product, but our real issue is driving out costs around some of our basic utility items so we can focus on other things.’”

Feel the difference? (Notice you mentally answered). Questions have the power to create an immediate connection between you and your audience. In the best case, you ask a question to which they have the same answer as you wanted to offer.

There are more powerful techniques. In the next blog entry we will discuss three more techniques.

  • Connect around common experience
  • Reference current events
  • Localize to venue

You have your own techniques for getting people to engage. Can’t wait. We’re on the edge of our seats.

Filed Under: Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Speechwriting Tagged With: , ,

When good arguments go bad

January 24, 2012 By 2 Comments

Nothing undermines a really powerful presentation more than a good argument, poorly structured. I listened to a CEO offer a pretty powerful look at where technology is today and where it is headed tomorrow. He offered these words.

“I am going to make a simple argument.” And then he failed to make that argument.

He talked about other things. And I was left feeling that his perspective was correct. But I was also left with the nagging feeling that he hadn’t thought it all the way through because his speech did not center around and support the simple argument that he promised.

That is the danger.  Failing intellectually to fulfill the promise you establish at the start of your speech can make a good argument go bad.

Here are some of the powerful approaches that can turn on you.

The numbered list that doesn’t finish. Which three federal departments are you planning to close? Rick Perry famously couldn’t remember all three. But the same thing happens when you promise to cover five things and then ramble so no one can tell if you covered five things or not.

The funny thing that isn’t. If you use these words. “This is really funny.” You are in trouble already. There is at least a portion of the audience that is thinking, I’ll be the judge of that. It is also the sort of thing that people say that are not comfortable using humor. Beware the funny story that isn’t. It detracts significantly from your whole presentation.

The missed connection. Historical references, popular references and heaven forbid, Shakespeare references all have the potential to be lost on your audience. This is particularly true if you have an international audience. Explain enough to make sure everyone understands the reference.

The “Therefore” that doesn’t make sense. Woody Allen once lampooned philosophical thinking in his book “Getting Even” this way.

  • Socrates is a man
  • All men are mortal
  • All men are Socrates

Make sure your logical connection is logical. When you infer a relationship and it is tenuous, you run the risk of losing your audience.

The simple that isn’t. Ever have someone tell you that predicate calculus or some other complex topic was simple? You wait, hoping it has been simplified. But then hope is replaced by disappointment, anger and, in my case, confusion. Don’t try to win the audience over with the promise that you will make a tough subject easy to follow. You just disappoint.

You heard a speech recently and thought, that is not quite right. Share with me. I’d love to hear what you learned.

Filed Under: Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Speechwriting Tagged With: ,

5 Executive Communication Things To Do For 2012

December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Take a deep breath. You deserve it.

But now is also a time for you to consider what can be done to make 2012 easier. And if we are honest with ourselves, we would like 2012 to be a bit easier. Here are 5 things you can do right now that will make 2012 the year executive communications got a lot easier for you.

1. Make an honest assessment. What are you good at? Really. Are you the content guy that takes big ideas and brings them into focus? Are you the detail guy that explains things in such a way that people can actually act? Are you the motivator? The empathizer? The leader of courage and conviction? Chances are you are not all of these. You know the answer. Just write it down. If you have evaluations from your big events, review them. Knowing some of it will be painful. Now take this pledge. Repeating after me:

I will play to my strengths when speaking. If I am funny, I will put them at ease with humor. If I am passionate, I will let it show. If I am boring, I will be brief. Really brief.

2. Catalog your speaking materials. I know they are on your hard-drive, but no one else has them and most of the time you can’t remember what they are all about. So get someone on your team to give you a SharePoint site or some other shareable and protected storage site. Now copy everything you can find. Everything. Change the titles so they can tell what you are talking about.

Here is a suggested naming convention. [YYYY MM DD] – [Actual Title] – [Venue]. For example: 2011 02 15 – Driving Growth With and Through Partners – Annual Sales Conference.

Why the date in the front in such a weird format? So they sort into date order so in 2012 you can find that thing you did last spring.

3. Schedule the speaker training now. You don’t think you need it? Are you kidding? Go back and look at the scores again for a minute. I will pause here while you brace yourself with a swig of eggnog. You need training. Find someone that is really, really good. Not someone that is also a life coach and a part-time yoga instructor. We know of several and are happy to refer.

4. Make your list of 2012 topics. You and your executive team have finished your strategy for 2012. What does that imply in terms of the communications you need to make to your company, to the industry in which you participate and to your investors? Think a little bit about how the message and the story that you have to say are likely to impact the performance of your team and the outside perception of your organization. Communicate willfully and with purpose.

5. Define success. Let’s pretend we were in December 2012. What would you like your communication to have driven in terms of outcomes? What would you have liked to have improved with respect to your communication abilities? How would you have liked the evaluation numbers to have changed? Keep this in front of you as you communicate in 2012.

You have given thought to 2012. Let us know what you are trying to achieve. And if it makes sense, let us help.

Filed Under: Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Speechwriting Tagged With:

Pulling it all together – getting 10+ executives aligned at a big event

October 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Big events usually involve senior executives. Traditionally these executives are asked to snap to an overall event theme such as “Faster!” But with this level of guidance, the executives are generally all over the map and there is little continuity and usually no storyline. Add to this, the executives generally have a message that they want to communicate and you end up with an audience that is confused.

And overall, your executives have had less impact.

We often get the chance to run large events. We apply the same rules to the overall event that we do to individual speeches. Namely, we start with a clear story arc. The event, in its entirety, should tell a story – not just have a theme. In its most effective form, the event is similar to a 1930’s movie serial – each speech is an episode with tension, reveals and resolution. And at the end of the episode there is a teaser to make you want to stay tuned for what is up next.

The story arc is informed by the impact that we want to have on the audience emotionally and intellectually. And almost always, it is about the actions we want the audience to take. For a deeper description, have a look at our blog on Know/Feel/Do.

People often create a run-of-play that describes how the event looks. Here is the one thing you can do to make your run-of-play powerful – in terms of creating the story arc and informing the content delivered by each of the executives. Ready? Here it is…

Notice the transitions and how they get the story moving to the next level. We’d love to hear how you have created continuity in big events. Let us know how it went.

Filed Under: Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Speechwriting Tagged With: , ,

Your baby is ugly – a how to guide for difficult executive communications

October 16, 2011 By 3 Comments

Our client, a senior corporate VP, had to deliver a difficult message to the other CEO direct reports – and the news was about them! She was fantastically successful. She got agreement. She got action. She was praised by everyone involved for her insight and practical suggestions. It was good for the company. It was good for her. Question is… how did she pull off such a miracle?

That is the subject of this blog. When you must tell someone that their baby is ugly, how do you do it?

Let’s start with why this type of thing usually fails.

People don’t believe you. You make claims that are subject to debate: “The problem is crippling our performance.” These should be avoided.

You are embarrassing people. If you tell a team of people that they are doing something poorly, in front of their boss – and it is true – what reaction do you expect them to have? Even if you are right, expect push back.

It is too big a problem to fix. Sometimes what you are saying is true and people agree, but they don’t have the energy to solve the problem. This means it is a problem that is not a high enough priority in the minds of the audience. So, either make it a higher priority, or forget doing anything other than make people feel bad.

Here are the 5 things our client did.

She had her facts straight. Everything was straight-ahead true. The numbers, the facts and findings were all fully vetted and agreed. From that solid foundation she started to draw conclusions.

She sought agreement from the CEO ahead of time. She discussed her perspective with the CEO. She told me, “I told him what I thought and he just paused thinking. And then he said, ‘You are absolutely right.’” This is a fantastic case of executive communication and executive judgment all around.

She tethered what the audience hated to hear to something they loved. This is a group that prides itself on high performance. She attached each of her findings to that performance and talked about how the problem they needed to solve was impacting what everyone in the room loved – even cherished.

She offered practical steps forward. She made the first steps of the solutions very clear. She pinpointed specific actions the executives needed to take and the impact those actions were likely to have.

She requested and got commitment. She had them on the ropes by then. They agreed she was right. It was regarding things about which they cared deeply. She offered specific steps they needed to take. And she requested they commit. Individually. She got it.

It was text book execution.  She avoided each of the common communication problems and deftly executed her strategy of factual comment and emotional connection.

Have you ever had to tell an executive group their baby was ugly? How did it go? What did you learn?

Filed Under: Executive communications, Messaging frameworks, Speechwriting Tagged With: , ,
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