repetition Archive - This Moment Counts

A simple test for clarity

Have you ever explained your idea, and halfway through you hear yourself saying it again… and then once more, just to be sure?

Even the smartest people fall into this trap. They repeat their idea three different ways, hoping it will finally land. But why?

It’s certainly not because they aren’t clear thinkers.

When I dig deeper with my clients this usually happens when they don’t yet trust their words. (And sometimes, not even the idea itself.)

In fact, I find this to be a surprisingly reliable test:
When someone explains their idea, do they keep repeating it in different versions?

If so, it’s very likely they don’t fully trust their own words yet.

Sometimes that just means they should have practiced more and polished the little glitches.

But sometimes, the idea or the words need more work.

Of course, the most useful version of this test is on yourself.

That’s why finding better words often means less words.
Because you trust your words to deliver the message without the repetition.

Keep lighting the path!

Repeat it

Repetition gets a bad rap.

But last time I checked,
nobody got tired of hearing ‘I love you.’

Is there a message your audience would love to hear more often? Something they deeply resonate with?

Keep lighting the path!

The refrain

Think about “We Will Rock You” by Queen.

Got it?

Ok! By now, you’re probably hearing the refrain in your mind.

It’s unforgettable, isn’t it? Which is the thing about hits. Almost every hit has an unforgettable refrain.

That line that’s simple, strong, and repeated over and over again.

Start to sing that line and everyone around will quickly join in.

It captures the whole song in just a few words.

The verses, on the other hand, fill in the details. (For example, in the case of “We Will Rock You” life as a child, a young adult, and an old man.)

Now compare that to communication where we often end up with only verses. When we announce the new initiative or report results, we give context, details, and explanations. All important things, sure, but who remembers that?

What’s missing is the refrain. In most business communication, there is no refrain – that line that captures the essence: clear, strong, memorable … and repeated until it clicks like a hit!

When you communicate an idea, do you have a refrain? Something that anchors all the details? Clear, memorable, easy to share and sing along?

Or is it more like stitched-together verses?

Finding your refrain might be the difference between a message that’s heard once and one that becomes unforgettable.

The (in)frequency trap

You’ve said it a thousand times.
But people still tell you they didn’t get the memo.

Well, you might have fallen into the (in)frequency trap.
Frequent to you, but infrequent to almost everyone else.

Take my book, for example. To me, it feels like I speak about nothing else. I’ve certainly spoken about it more than a thousand times. And yet, I often meet people who are surprised to learn that I’ve written a new book.

On second sight, it makes sense. Actually, until last week I had posted about the book twice. Only twice.

But my mind circles around it all the time for almost a year.
I have conversations around the book all the time.
With my production team.
With my launch team.
With my friends.
With colleagues.
With podcast hosts.
With journalists.
With clients.

I’ve spoken about it much more than a thousand times.

But that doesn’t mean that anyone in my audience (and most of the people I mentioned above) has heard me speak about it more than a handful of times.

It might be the same in your team.

You think the message is clear.
You think you’ve mentioned it a thousand times.
(And you actually did mention it a thousand times.)

But it was in 1:1s. Each time to a different person.
In the board room meeting. Again different people.
During the strategy retreat. Perhaps some overlap
At the conference. Completely different audience.
In the zoom call. First meet-and-greet with a new person.
At home. No overlap to the above.
To your partners. Perhaps a partial overlap.
In the sales meetings. Again, a different audience.

In most of these situations, most of your team wasn’t present.
Actually, almost no-one (except for yourself) has heard you mention it more than a handful of times.

That’s the (in)frequency trap.

Your mind is circling around your big idea all the time.
But not that of your team.

It’s an often overlooked angle on repetition.
You need to repeat your message so that everyone gets a chance to hear it.
And embrace it.
And recall it.

Even if you’re tired of it.
Even if it almost feels embarrassing to you.
It’s not. It’s necessary.

Have you fallen into that trap?

Repetition leads to mastery

The boring truths are often the most helpful truths. Such as this one:
Repetition leads to mastery.

As boring as it sounds, it’s true. And helpful.

For communication just as much as elsewhere.

If you see a brilliant speaker, it’s likely that this is their thousandth speech, not their first, and they were getting better with each repetition.

If you hear an inspiring message, it’s likely that it has been focused and refined a hundred times from what might have started as a confusing mess.

If you hear a compelling story, it’s likely that it has been tweaked, focused and restructured another hundred times from what might have started as a boring, overloaded, unfunny anecdote.

All of which is a rather long way of saying please don’t shy away from repetition.

Even if it feels boring to you. Even if you’re tired of repeating a message.
That’s often when it starts getting good.

Repetition leads to mastery.

It’s, I think, what separates the pro from the amateur.

The amateur is quickly tired from their message.
They focus on the new and exciting (to them).
And occasionally, it’s a gem that gets others excited, too.
They are quick to move on to the next gem.

Pros approach this differently.
They have an urge to dig deeper, beyond the new.
To keep refining, beyond the obvious.
To perfect the message. Master the craft.
And repeatedly, they create gems that get people excited.

Perhaps more importantly: They keep repeating even after they did nail it.
They zero in on the gem they’ve created.
They give it a chance of earning a spot in their audience’s hearts.

Still, they stick with it.
Refine the delivery.
Adapt it to changing times.
Refresh it.
Remix it.
Play it live.

With each repetition, the story gets better, the message gets stronger.
With each repetition, they become a better communicator.

Repetition leads to mastery.

Imagine what it could do for your communication!

The White Album

Yesterday, I’ve listened to the The White Album from The Beatles.

Again.

At some point I’ve lost count of how often I’ve listened to the song Blackbird on that album. And yet, whenever it pops up in a playlist or on radio, I turn up the volume.

I’m not tired, let alone bored by the song. I smile. It brings me joy. Each time.

One of the reasons is, of course, that it’s such a beautiful song (and I like to play it myself).

But another – strong – reason is that, well, I’ve heard it so often.

When you hear a song only once, it seldom gets a chance to be allowed into your greatest hits of all time. That requires repetition. And more repetition. Until it becomes a greatest hit.

Now, how about the songs you sing for your business? Your messages? Your key stories? How often do you tell those?

Are you always trying to create the next song? Or do you give some of your gems a shot at the hot rotation? Do you give your audience a chance to allow one of your songs into their all time greatest hits?

That requires repetition.

And more repetition.

I’d argue that – if it’s a profound message – then much like with musical songs, your audience is unlikely to get tired of those. It’s much more likely that it brings a smile on their face as it reminds them of something that’s meaningful in their life (that part, of course, is a pre-requisite).

I never get tired of repeating that line to my clients, by the way.

A Myth is a myth is a … truth?

“Only 7% of communication relies on the actual words that are spoken.”

This is the Mehrabian myth. It’s a widespread piece of “conventional wisdom” that gets repeated over and over again.

Which doesn’t make it true.

In fact, it’s wrong (at least in the common representation cited above).

Why then do so many people believe the myth?

Part of the reason is that it gets repeated. Over. And over. Again. Unfortunately, repetition increases the perceived truth of an information. It turns out that people are more likely to believe a statement when they hear it repeatedly. And that’s regardless of whether they’re dumb or super smart. Even smart and critical thinkers are more likely to believe a statement when they hear it repeatedly.

Let me repeat this: Even smart and critical thinkers are more likely to believe a statement when they hear it repeatedly.

Of course … advertisers love this. Propagandists, too. That’s why they keep repeating their statements over and over again (and over and over and over and over …). They intuitively understand that drip by drip it’ll increase the likelihood that people believe it (within certain limits, of course).

Which doesn’t make their statements any more true.

It’s important to keep that in mind when reading a message repeated frequently: No, a repetition doesn’t make it any more true.

The Mehrabian myth is still a myth.

“Smoke on the Water” and duplicate content

If Deep Purple ended a concert without having played “Smoke on the Water”, the fans would almost certainly be very angry with them.

Most content creators treat their greatest hit rather differently. They shy away from posting duplicate content and try to constantly produce fresh content.

A question worth asking is whether that’s also what your audience wants.

While “Smoke of the Water” is surely not the only reason fans come to a Deep Purple show, I bet that it is among the top reasons most fans come to the show, even almost 50 years after its publication.

The fans want to hear “Smoke on the Water”. They are ok with new tracks. But one of the top reasons why many love Deep Purple is their greatest hit.

Similar observations are true for most bands (with, of course, some notable exceptions, such as Phish).

Now, what about your content? Are your fans only looking for fresh tunes? Or would they prefer to hear their favorite tune more often?

What’s your “Smoke on the Water”? Feel free to share it in the comments!

Greatest Hits

What’s your favorite greatest hits album?
How often did you listen to your favorite track on that album?

Interesting, don’t you agree? We easily listen to our favorite tracks 100 times without getting bored.

A similar observation is true when we look at the charts. Radio stations easily play current hits on heavy rotation a dozen times per day. We hear them really often.

Which is part of the reason why they become popular. The frequency is crucial to their popularity.

Now, think about your own messaging. What’s your favorite message? How often have you repeated it this week? This month? The past year?

What a difference, right?

Could it be that while you are super tired of your greatest hit message, your fans are not? Could it even be that your fans appreciate you repeating their favorite tune over and over? Much the same way you appreciate hearing your favorite tune on the radio?

Posts in Tag: repetition