Rainmakers
A Toolkit For Powerful Change Communications
By Dr . Clifford Ferguson
No matter how many difficult messages you ’ ve delivered , there ’ s no denying it , leading change is tough . Try out this simple methodology to get to the heart of what you want to say and what people need to hear .
Contrary to popular belief , you don ’ t need to send subliminal messages or be an illusionist for people to buy into your vision .
Take the ‘ priming ’ technique , a subconscious memory trick centred on the perceptual identification of words and objects ; it can take years to master . In practice , it means that if a person reads the word “ banana ”, they ’ re more likely to pick the colour yellow . Say ‘ try ’ and ‘ cycle ’ in separate sentences and you ’ re priming someone to think of the word ‘ tricycle ’. But clever priming can lead to the opposite effect ( reverse priming ). When people realize they ’ re being manipulated , they overthink their responses and their feelings become biased .
Delivering information doesn ’ t need to be that complicated . To communicate powerfully , a short story will do . And stories don ’ t need to be five minutes long - you ’ re not writing a novella . Instead , try a two-sentence metaphor or simile . For example : “ Cracking the US market is like trying to teach a Neanderthal to use a digital
People receiving the news don ’ t want a rationale . Those delivering the news focus too much on justifying the ‘ why ’. The receivers want to know what ’ s in it for them , when the change is happening and how the people in charge will help them work through it . The more time spent justifying the communication the more the receivers tune out . watch .” This simple method creates three-dimensional stories that have meaning and energy . It ’ s also a useful tactic for offering your own opinion ( no one can argue with your view when you place ‘ like ’ before it ).
Of course , a storyteller ’ s artistry starts way before the delivery . A good story starts with good preparation . Here-under are four elements of all communication that can help prop up your case .
# You
What ’ s your relationship with the communication ? Do you own it , believe it ? What ’ s your natural style , and how much can you flex it ? What ’ s your connection with the audience , for instance , is there historical baggage ? What do you want them to feel about you - love , like , indifference ?
# Them
Who are you communicating with ? What ’ s their preferred style of communication and does that suit the message you wish to tell ? What ’ s their response likely to be ? Indeed , do they bring their own emotional baggage to the room ?
# Message
Can you distil the communication down to three sentences ? And then , down to one ? It ’ s deceptively simple , yet after working with many global CEOs , I find that the message often comes too late . When the message is considered first , the desired outcome is clearer and the rest of the process much simpler .
# Objective
What do you want your audience to think , feel , do ? There ’ s often a supra-objective and then minor objectives underneath ; so are you clear about the objective ? The objective can never be to “ give an update ” or “ provide information ”. There must be an outcome . What do you want your audience to do differently as a result of the update or new information ?
These elements are not exclusive to face-to-face communications , they work over the phone , via Teams ,
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