Bill Graham, Graham Corporate Communications, offered the following comments and suggestions at a recent seminar he led at a membership and marketing conference that I attended.
He also happens to be a faculty member at the Institute for Organization Management program.
His opening statement - communications is not speaking, writing, debating, meeting - those are activities. Communication is a result - did I get an idea in your head?
Communication is not a two way street. It’s one way!
Communication is not a two way street. It’s one way!
"Wow" messages have/are:
- New information: What’s new?
- Emotionally connected: Who cares?
- Actionable: What now?
Memorable messages - what are your six words that you use to make a memorable message?
Repeatable messages:
- If they remember what you said, they may join.
- If they repeat what you said; they are recruiting for you.
Memorable vs Repeatable - memorable is good, repeatable is better...think buy vs market for you, join/recruit.
Elements of a repeatable message:
- Sensory - help them, see, hear, taste, touch or smell
- Profound - memorable, desirable
- Engaging - tease, awaken, surprise
- Emotional - make them care
- Data-driven - use verifiably human info
- Story-based: testimonials, examples
How to create a story in 5 Steps
- Set up the high-stakes situation
- Know what the main character wants
- Make your audience care
- Have a life-changing “wow” moment
- Explain value: How does it help?
At the end of the day, are your people remembering your messages and better yet, are they repeating your message?
Good luck in creating your memorable and repeatable messages!
