Great communication in 3 steps
No communication is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood
A school had a problem. In the toilets, teenage girls applied lipstick and then kissed the mirror, leaving imprints. At the end of each day, cleaners had a hell of a job removing the lipstick from the mirror. They were frustrated and reported this to the head teacher. One day, the head teacher told the girls to gather in the female toilet. The teacher asked the cleaner to come in and show the girls how much effort was required to clean up after them. The cleaner put their mop head into a toilet then used it to rub the lipstick off the mirror. That short demonstration solved the problem. The girls stopped leaving lipstick on the mirror.
This story features in marketeer Dave Trott’s book One + One = Three. It illustrates his believe that effective communication has to Gain attention, Communicate and Persuade. Dave gave us: Lipsmackin’ thirstquenchin’ acetastin’ motivatin’ goodbuzzin’ cooltalkin’ highwalkin’ fastlivin’ evergivin’ coolfizzin’ Pepsi.
Gain attention
Of course I'm naughty. I've always had to compete for attention. - Rachel Johnson
The first step in creating effective communication is to gain attention. This can be done by using humour, surprise or shock. We are bombarded by people, devices and ads seeking our attention. In order to stand out, we need to make an impact.
I just watched a video clip of teenagers talking and laughing about how they text while driving. Next, a young lady with facial scars limps in using a walking stick and sits down. She explains to the teenagers how, due to someone texting and driving, her parents were killed and she suffered life limiting injuries. The teenagers were in tears. It got my attention.
Communicate
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw
Once we have someone’s attention, we need to communicate our message clearly and concisely. What are we proposing? Why should they care? What do we want them to do next? Our message should be easy to understand and remember. We should use simple language, be specific, use visuals and make it straightforward to take action. David Cameron’s speech writer said effective speeches: 1) Conveyed information, 2) Have emotional impact, and 3) Cause people to act.
A small boy stands in front of a drinks vending machine. He stretches up to press a button then feeds a coin into a slot. He then retrieves a can of Coca Cola. He repeats the process. The boy places the two Coca Cola cans on the ground, in front of his shoes. He steps up onto the cans and stretches to press another, higher button and deposits another coin. The boy then recovers a can of Pepsi and walks away with a big smile. It stuck me as a brilliant way to convey a message.
Persuade
If you’re trying to persuade people to do something you should use their language. - David Ogilvy
Finally, we need to persuade people to take a desired action, e.g. trying a product or sharing an idea with others. This can be done by using influencing tactics, e.g. using social proof to build credibility, suggesting scarcity to create a sense of urgency or establishing a unifying cause.
Apple’s 1984 Macintosh advert portrayed IBM as Big Brother and suggested there was a different way to think. This was the start of Apple’s path to becoming the most valuable company in the world.
Applying the principles
I attempted to apply these great communication principles in this post:
Gain attention: I try to create a title which engages and intrigues. I opened this post with the school lipstick story which I hope illustrated the elements of great communication and amused you.
Communicate: This post is structured around the three elements of great communication. I hope is that you buy into the idea that great communication gains attention, conveys a message and persuades people to take a desired action.
Persuade: The action I hope you will take is to share the post with someone you think will benefit from it. As Mrs Doyle in Father Ted would say, Go on, go on, go on.
Other resources
Upstream Thinking talk by Dave Trott
Improving My Writing post by Phil Martin
Four Digital Body Language Tips post by Phil Martin
I’ll leave the final word to Dave Trott: I’m convinced, in communication, simplicity is power.
Have fun.
Phil…
