Leaders Light The Path

PODCAST EPISODE

Apple’s use of words

A profound lesson from Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, about how they choose the words they use.

Read more thoughts on the art of communicating week-daily at https://michaelgerharz.com/blog

Transcript
Michael:

Welcome back to “Irresistible Communication”.

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Two minutes, one insight

on how to find better

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words

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.

Michael: Apple famously stays away from much of the tech industry jargon.

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For example until their last keynote

Apple had never used the term AI in any

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of their keynotes, despite their products

heavily relying on AI technology, such as

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for crush detection or text autocomplete.

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In an interview after the

keynote CEO Tim Cook was asked

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why Apple took this approach.

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Here's Cook's answer.

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We always talk about

the benefit to the user.

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And so the benefit to the user is

crash detection and fall detection.

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Not the technology behind the feature.

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That statement should be painted on

the wall of every marketing department.

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It's not about the technology

behind the features.

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It's about what that technology

enables for the user.

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Users don't care about

your technical brilliance.

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They care about the brilliance of

your solution to their problem.

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Your words should reflect that.

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Technical jargon puts you and your

technical brilliance at the center.

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It means you need to persuade the customer

heavily of why that's worth their money.

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Apple doesn't have to persuade.

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They choose to resonate instead.

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They choose words that put the

user and the solutions to their

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problems and desires at the center.

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So, what does your

technical brilliance enable?

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Keep lighting the path and

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