Apr 11, 2020 | COVID-19, Interview Preparation
The current global health situation may seem insurmountable, but at some point it will change. Right now, the story can shift almost hourly and companies are working hard to respond. But, what will that story look like on the other side of the pandemic?
It won’t be business as usual. COVID-19 has had profound impact on the lives of customers, employees and the community. Future communication must acknowledge that impact, and help stakeholders see a clear path forward. Here are some elements to consider as companies begin to structure the eventual rebound story.
Lead with Empathy
No one is untouched by COVID 19. Customers, co-workers, suppliers and neighbors forged common bonds of survival and loss that must be acknowledged before attempting to talk about the future. Convey empathy in words and tone. Make it personal. Where did the pandemic touch you directly? What impact did it have on the community where you do business? Communicators must acknowledge the loss of employees, family members and friends. Without a clear expression of empathy, stakeholders will shut down, concluding you don’t understand what they’ve been through.
Focus on Resilience
Recognize acts of heroism within the company and the community. Where did individuals step up and find solutions and how will you honor them? Where did the company use its equity to support the greater good? Point to individuals, partnerships, teamwork and innovative actions that produced results.
Acknowledge the Seismic Change
Recognize that the notion of “getting back to normal” is unlikely. Much like 9/11 forever changed travel security, there are many common practices that have already dramatically evolved. “The New Normal” has changed perceptions about cleanliness and social distance. What can employees and the public expect in terms of new standards for cleanliness? What visual evidence can you provide? Businesses where social distancing has caused the greatest disruption—retail, travel and hospitality, dining, healthcare and live entertainment – will need to set expectations for the new reality that offer clear reassurance of safety. Prepare to explain lessons learned, where things have changed and how the company, organization or service may be different in the future.
Commit to an Open Dialogue
The pandemic has underscored the importance of regular, accurate information, a bar set high by many of the nation’s governors. Commit to more frequent communications to reassure a skittish public. Ask their opinion in shaping best practices. Establishing a frank and continuous dialogue with the public will build their confidence in your vision for recovery and help them reconnect with your product or service.
The “welcome back story” is far more than a relaunch of business as usual. Striking the proper tone for the recovery will require careful planning, sensitivity, and an acknowledgement that for most stakeholders, the world will never be the same. It is about recognizing a shared experience. Conveying a commitment to navigating the future – in partnership – is key to successful communications.
April 2020
Feb 4, 2020 | Interview Preparation
Around New Year’s Day, many of us made resolutions to eat right and exercise more often. (Too much champagne and cake can do that to you.) But experts say 20 percent of most resolutions are broken in by the second week of February, which means the odds are good you’ve already stopped heading to the gym.
I propose a two-part solution that’s bound to provide a greater return. First, to take a cue from journalist Craig Melvin, give yourself a reset and set a new resolution now, in February. Second, as communications practitioners, let’s take our focus on getting more energetic and physically fit and transfer it to the stories we tell. How? Through maintaining a discipline of communications training. Trust me, it’s a resolution that is easy to keep and could deliver better benefits than yet another gym membership.
Excuses, Excuses
There are lots of familiar excuses for avoiding exercise: I’m too tired. I don’t have time. Exercise is boring.
Excuses designed to avoid a communications training workshop are also painfully familiar. I know how to speak in public. I don’t have time. I’ve been trained before.These all conveniently ignore the reality that communications training is not a one-time event but a discipline—dare I say, an exercise regime—that keeps storytelling in top form. It’s wellness for your media campaign. Executives and spokespeople who constantly rehearse and refresh their communications skills build strength, endurance, motivation and confidence. A powerful delivery beats a flabby story every time.
Work Out Tip: When an executive or spokesperson claims they don’t have the time, ask them to take just one minute to express their ideal headline. That question can open the door to explore additional aspects of the planned story.
A Small Investment of Time with Big Payoff
Health experts say it doesn’t take much to see the benefits of exercise. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical daily exercise will make you healthier. In the same way, just a small investment in communications training will fuel your spokesperson and story for optimal achievement and high performance. You can choose an immersive half-day workout in a media studio or a quick “aerobic” session by phone or webcam just before an interview. No matter the regimen, experience shows that spokespeople who practice in advance think quicker in an interview, are nimbler in dealing with tough questions, and are better prepared to flex their most powerful verbiage.
Work Out Tip: If time is an issue, focus on helping the spokesperson to briefly articulate the story out loud. The very act of speaking the story engages the speaker in further refining the words and phrases.
Personal Trainers and High-Performance Storytelling
Personal trainers aren’t confined to the top gym franchises: Communications training is also best customized for different styles, preferences and goals. Perhaps you’re launching a snack or beverage, or you’re introducing a new financial product. Maybe you’ve got a team of executives who need to better articulate a company vision to employees, or a new CEO who’s looking to meet the media for the first time. Each option requires a different approach, so don’t forget to allocate some “sweat time” in advance of your campaign. Designate funding for communications training in your annual plan or ask for incremental budget whenever a client or spokesperson speaks to the public.
Work Out Tip: The best exercise programs are never off the shelf but are personalized to the health goals of individuals. Give your spokesperson a health assessment and consider the specific “muscles” your executive needs to flex to tell a truly dynamic and ownable story.
February is the perfect time for a new resolution. Consider resolving to leverage communications training to help deliver powerful, energetic stories that compete and win.
February 2020
Mar 13, 2018 | Executive Coaching, Executive Presence, Interview Preparation, Public Speaking
Great Expectations. Bookish Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Sherlock Holmes’s meticulous biographer, Dr. Watson. The resolute Jane Eyre.
A first-person narrator creates a sense of intimacy. We identify with the narrator and imagine ourselves in the story. You feel as if you are there, walking with the narrator. You see the world through their eyes. Thoughts, fears, opinions, and biases are palpable. Their perspective sticks with you. A first-person narrator sheds all anonymity and fully owns the story.
Yet, as I prepare corporate executives for media interviews and speaking engagements, I often sense a reluctance to get personal… to become the protagonist. There’s a certain anonymity in the corporate world – a feeling that you can wrap yourself in an impervious vest of corporate messages without having to offer anything of a personal nature. Once that protective vest is donned, the reflex is often to default to jargon – words like culture, authenticity, innovation, and bottom line. Big puffy words that have lost their meaning.
I once worked with a group of scientists who resisted my efforts to pull out a personal perspective. They said, “We’re not the story. Our data is the story.” I insisted they take a harder look. They were the protagonists in their story, whether they could see it or not. Would we have pasteurization without Louis Pasteur, the theory of radioactivity without Madame Curie, or frozen food without Clarence Birdseye? One scientist – who was doing pioneering work developing technology to support urban farms – finally admitted that his father had owned a small grocery. The act of providing food to the community was part of his DNA, and that additional perspective ignited his story.
When the protective vest gets strapped on, my comeback is to talk about the power of “I.” Corporate messages are the frame of a house, but what’s your I Statement? Why do you care about the story? What part do you play in making it happen? How can we see the excitement of your story through your eyes, and your I Statement?An I Statement is different from, “You,” or the royal “we.” When you say, “I” you own the story. You open a door to a more personal relationship with your audience. You become that compelling, unforgettable character at the center of the story.
My I Statementis simple and I share it often. I’ve been fascinated by stories since I was a child – from Shakespeare to science fiction. I majored in English Literature (no surprise, right?). I love the power of a story to convey the human experience and to bring people together. And, I’ve spent my career helping others bring their stories to life.
The next time you do an interview, or present to an audience, think about your role as the first-person narrator, and take some time to craft your I Statement. Your I Statement will …
…Inject personality into your story…
…Give your storytelling a sense of Identity…
…Infuse your story with a sense ofImmediacy, and…
…Improve your relationship with your audience.
March 2018
Jul 9, 2013 | Interview Preparation, Storytelling
The word “storytelling” is all the rage in the communications world. We’ve abandoned the time-honored tradition of “messaging” and switched to swapping stories with each other. The notion is simple. The public has rejected artificial messaging. They crave authentic stories with descriptive language and personal anecdotes.
This evolution makes sense for many reasons, but comes with a dark side. As with many communications trends, the storytelling movement has become the new bandwagon we’re all jumping on. In fact, talk of “storytelling” is so prevalent, that it just might run the risk of quickly becoming overdone and overexposed.
The concept of storytelling can also be a tough sell for some executives. The phrase can sound so “elementary school,” so “Once upon a time…” It can be a challenge to convince a seasoned executive – schooled in the comfort of structured message delivery – to get in touch with his or her inner “Hans Christian Anderson.”
But in fact, that’s exactly what is needed. While “storytelling” is getting the buzz, it is “storytellers” who have defined the way we as a society share and assimilate information. Instead of talking warm and fuzzy “storytelling,” we need to move more communicators to “authorship.” Why do certain stories resonate? An author is the creative force that organizes and interprets events and gets us to experience the world from a different perspective. Looking at communicating through the lens of several world-renown authors, business leaders can learn a lot about the essential techniques for crafting stories that are shareable and memorable.
William Shakespeare – The world’s greatest playwright created characters that mirror the human experience. We are drawn into the stories of Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth because we recognize characteristics we see in ourselves. From tragic kings to the comic relief of the Fool, the Bard drew on a wide range of human traits, foibles and emotions to engage his audience. Like Shakespeare, communicators need to populate their stories with relatable characters we want to get to know.
Arthur Conan Doyle – The creator of detective Sherlock Holmes gave us perhaps the most iconic hero of modern fiction. It was Doyle’s attention to detail that helped define Holmes, from his clothing to his personal history to his idiosyncratic habits. These days, there is no patience for a generic “talking head.” The public demands that the spokesperson of the 21st century have a backstory. While it’s not necessary to overshare, as the hero of your story, you need to serve up a distinctive personality that stands out from the crowd.
John Grisham – From the courtroom to the law firm, the king of legal thrillers peppers his tales of intrigue with fascinating insider details. Your story is an opportunity to pull back the curtain. Don’t ignore the everyday details of your business that add texture and illuminate your work for the public.
July 2013
Mar 8, 2012 | Interview Preparation, Storytelling
This post was originally published on CNBC.com.
The very public resignation of a mid-level Goldman Sachs executive – which erupted on The New York Times Op Ed page Wednesday – has all the elements of a rippin’ good yarn.
Fans of both potboilers and highbrow drama need look no further than Page One to find the roles and techniques of classic storytelling, leveraged for generations by playwrights, novelists and filmmakers. The Goldman Sachs storyhas it all – a lone protagonist demanding accountability from a powerful entity, with a healthy dose of personal sacrifice, greed, bureaucracy, questionable ethics and dramatic revelations. Think Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Julia Robert’s Erin Brockovich or George Clooney’s Michael Clayton and you get the idea.
While we can’t begin to know the real details and motivation behind the Goldman Sachs story, it is clear that the major players have quickly fallen into defined roles in the daily drama the news media crafts each day. Complex narratives are distilled into broad concepts for easy audience consumption – black and white, good versus evil, guilty or innocent.
In reading the coverage, one can’t help but notice that the narrative offered by the individual employee is far more compelling than the corporate voice. It’s not surprising. More often than not, corporations will typically find themselves placed in the role of antagonist. The situation gets aggravated when the company defaults to “corporate speak” in press coverage. The audience automatically identifies with the individual and the emotional appeal of that deeply personal point-of-view. The corporation, by comparison, sounds cold and sterile. And, the classic roles of hero and villain are reinforced once again.
It’s too bad, because corporations are actually made up of individuals who believe in what they do and have a deep personal commitment to their work. But corporations need to realize that they are always speaking to an audience which seeks an emotional connection, be it in fiction, drama or the real-life media. A press statement does more to reinforce stereotypical storytelling archetypes than it does to advance the drama to a mutually satisfying conclusion. A deeply personal response does far more to captivate an audience.
If you find yourself cast in the next media drama de jour, which role would you like to play?
March 2012
