Truth Archive - The Art of Communicating

The moment truth hits you

If you asked every member of your team, “what do you think is our strategy?” how many different answers would you get?

Well, wait a second. What if I asked you?

Could you give a concise answer?

And that’s a bitter pill to swallow for many businesses … when they realize that, well, honestly, we don’t even have a simple way of explaining how we make a difference!

We can’t tell the essence of our strategy in plain and simple English.

But I tend to think that that’s actually good news.

Because it likely means that it’s not the strategy itself that’s the problem.

It’s the words you use to describe it.

And the moment you see that, you can look for better words.

You can find words that align your team on that shared path.

Refusing to make an impact

Every so often, I meet a bright mind who excels in their field but almost refuses to make a broader impact.

They tell me that their field is complex and simpler words just wouldn’t do it justice.

Or that the nature of marketing is deceptive and they wouldn’t want to engage in this dishonest game.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking argument is a perceived lack of public speaking skills.

Don’t get me wrong. Yes, the world is complex. Yes, marketing can seem like trickery. And yes, speaking isn’t everyone’s favorite activity.

But first of all, these are challenges, not barriers. More importantly, I think there’s a different perspective:

→ Simple words are not meant to dumb complex ideas down but to make them accessible. That is possible (and necessary).

→ Marketing is not deceptive, marketers are. Your marketing can be authentic (and should).

→ Speaking is a skill that can be developed. Every great speaker started as a bad speaker. With every speech they dared to give, they got better.

Here’s the thing:
If you don’t speak up to tell your story, the stage is open for others to take.

Most of them don’t care nearly as much as you do. Why should they get the attention? I’d much rather listen to your story! I very much prefer truthful stories, told from the heart by someone who deeply cares.

Speak up

I want to live in a world in which those who have an important story to tell find the words that motivate them to speak up with confidence

Words that resonate strongly and inspire action.

Words that are honest and compelling.

Words they truly believe in about the things they deeply care about.

There are more than enough careerists who couldn’t care less about the stories they tell as long as these stories get them the deal, the promotion, the vote, …

They are the ones who have no issue with speaking up, even if they don’t believe in what they say.

We shouldn’t leave the field to them.

I want to live in a world where those who do care for their story, tell their story – and in a way that gives them a chance of being heard.

That’s why I do what I do.

Don’t confuse your vision with your marketing

A lesson for entrepreneurs from one of tech’s biggest failures in recent years.

It’s well known that tech brands like to paint sweeping narratives of transformation, promising us devices that will reshape our lives and disrupt industries.

They love larger-than-life stories and lofty promises to captivate our imaginations with visions of groundbreaking innovation.

Such as Humane’s ai pin which was marketed as the product to finally free us all from the slavery of our phones, a personal assistant that looks like it’s coming directly out of a Star Trek movie with features that definitely sound SciFi.

But reviews were brutal.
Their product didn’t deliver.
Worse, it failed at basic tasks.

Apparently, Humane wanted too much.
They certainly promised too much.

Perhaps, they had confused their vision with their marketing.

Vision is crucial, but it needs to align with current capabilities.

The vision might be what motivates the team.
It informs the choices you make.

But it’s not the reality.
At least, not yet.

You shouldn’t make promises that sound as if it were.

I think it’s a safe bet that reviewers were merciless at least in part due to their oversized promises.

Had they marketed it more grounded in reality, for example as a first step towards that vision, perhaps even with more limited functionality (but which actually works as expected), reviewers might have reacted very differently.

They might have rooted for the newcomer.
Followed along their journey.
Cheered for the little successes along the way.

But Humane chose the grandiose, larger-than-life story.

I think they confused vision with marketing.

Feels right

Some narratives just 
won’t go away.
Why?

The data is clear.
Yet people believe the lie.
But why?

Because it feels right.
That’s why.

—

People aren’t good at feeling data.

That’s why it’s hard to compete on facts with a story that resonates on an emotional level.

If something feels right, we’re pretty good at coming up with good reasons for why it is right. If something just is right but feels wrong, that’s much harder.

Have you had that experience?
How did you deal with it?

Finding the right words matters so much

Great storytelling fuels influence.
Which is good, bad, and ugly … some thoughts on how to deal with bullshitters:

If you manage to tell a story that resonates well with many people, you can make a huge impact.

The good is that this power is available to everyone.

The bad is that “everyone” includes the bullshitters.

The ugly is that bullshitters often wield storytelling as a tool to manipulate or mislead, rather than to enlighten or entertain. They shamelessly ignore the truth. It’s just not a concept that matters to them.

The only question that matters to a bullshitter is:
Does the story work to their advantage?
When it works it’s just fine. True or not.

Now, this is important to understand: They are not exactly lying. In order to lie, they would need to care for the truth. Which they don’t. They are simply not interested in the truth. They are only interested in achieving their goals.

Here’s where people get it wrong: They assume that bullshitters would be similar to themselves. That deep inside even a bullshitter would care for the truth. That they just need to be convinced of the facts.

But that’s not how bullshitters roll.

They don’t care about the truth.
Therefore, they don’t care about facts.
Therefore, they can’t be convinced by facts, no matter how hard you try.

Bullshitters care about whether it works. Nothing else matters to them. Again: They couldn’t care less about whether they are right or wrong.

If a story resonates, they will tell it.
If a made-up story resonates better,
they will switch to that story.

You shouldn’t treat them as similar to you. They are not. Unlike yourself, they have no sympathy for the truth.

The only thing that can make make them stop what they’re doing is when their story stops working.

And that, essentially, means that you need to tell better stories.

You need to find a way to tell the truth in a way that resonates stronger than the bullshitter’s made-up story.

That, I think, is the only way.

And it’s why – in times like ours – finding the right words matters so much.

Telling stories is something that bullshitters really excel at. You need to become better at it.

For example …
 … when bullshitters are extraordinarily good at making their audience feel heard, you need to become even better at understanding people’s struggles and desires.

… when bullshitters promise the blue from the skies, you need to become even better at finding words that resonate strongly but that are grounded in the truth.

In other words, we need to shift our focus away from trying to convince the bullshitter (which is never going to work) and onto the people we want to resonate with.

The more empathy we have for them, the better our stories can become.

The better our stories become, the better they can spread.

The better they spread, the bigger their impact.

That flavor of impact starts with empathy, honesty, and the will to find the right words.

If you care for the truth and want it to have impact, you need to care for finding true stories that resonate strongly.

What’s your strategy of dealing with bullshit?

A more “you” way

We’re living in a time where the best choice of words might not be trusted due to the overuse of them where they shouldn’t be used.

What used to be a “nice try” is nothing short of “revolutionary” and
a “setback” turns into a full-blown “crisis”.
An outcome that’s “unexpected” must be a “miracle”,
any “fun” event is “epic” at least, and
a minor “development” is a “breakthrough”.

Of course, literally anything is potentially “life-changing”.

We just don’t trust in the original meaning of these words anymore.
You say “revolutionary”? I say “meh”!
If I care to pay attention at all, that is …

Click-bait, bullshit, and sensationalist marketing have ruined an astonishingly large part of our language.

But, well, it’s the game we’re in. There’s not much use in complaining.

The better reaction is to find better words. Words that are relevant and truly you. Words that can’t easily be copied or pulled out of context because they’re deeply personal and heartfelt. Words that are so specific to your idea that they loose their impact when pulled out of context.

Make no mistake, though. Bullshitters and click-baiters will always find ways to take advantage of language. Misuse of words will always happen.

But you can make it a little harder for them.

The more personal, the more specific your words are, the more they will be connected to your story, not theirs.

Essentially, it’s about a shift from the generic to the authentic. When it’s an authentic story, the impact of your words doesn’t depend on how sensational the words are but on how relatable the story is.

When people can relate because it’s genuinely – and uniquely – your story, that makes for more meaningful conversations. People will listen more attentively and engage more deeply.

As is so often the case, when everyone zig-zags staying consistent can make an incredible difference. In this case, when others chase the most sensational language, you use words you truly believe in about the things you deeply care about.

These words, spoken softly with simple but heartfelt words might sound louder than you think.

PS: Thanks David, for the inspiration to this post!

Truth shaping – the dark side of marketing

The dark side of marketing is what I call “truth shaping”.

It leads marketers to exaggerate the pros and hide the cons in order to shape a truth that fits into the marketing story.

Essentially, the dark side of marketing leads businesses to spend huge resources on inventing promises that sound irresistible for products that aren’t.

Which inevitably leads to frustration when the product doesn’t meet the buyer’s expectations. That, in turn, leads the dark side to make even bolder promises which leads to more frustration … which leads to … a vicious cycle …

Great marketers understand that it’s the other way around and that a virtuous cycle is possible.

The best products are those that customers love even more when they know the complete truth. Those that are not irresistible because the promise sounds irresistible but because it is irresistible.

Those that have been built with the customer in mind and that solve a specific problem they have.

These products might not be perfect. But that’s not the same as irresistible.

It basically reverses the shaping. Rather than build a product and then shape the truth so that the irresistible promise can somehow fit the product, you start with an irresistible promise and shape the product to fit into the promise.

If it eventually does, you’ll need to merely tell me a true story about your product in plain English.

The biggest confidence hack

The biggest confidence hack?

Find the words you truly believe in about the things you deeply believe in.

Lack of confidence mostly means lack of trust in one (or both) of these. If you don’t trust

in your words being the right words (in that moment and to that audience) or
in the thing being the right thing (in that moment and for that audience)
that’s a big roadblock for showing up with confidence. Your body senses the insecurity and will surface it in your body language and tone of voice.

The body language hacks from the last workshop don’t really help, either. Acting in contradiction to what your body wants to do is hard, even for professional actors (which is why they don’t usually do it but have developed different strategies).

It’s a different game when you first build trust in your words and the things you make. Then, everything you’ll do to boost your confidence won’t be in contradiction with what your body wants to do, anymore, but in alignment.

The key is amplifying rather than correcting your body language.

Find the words you truly believe in about the things you deeply believe in. And then amplify what your body wants to do.

Would they still buy?

This week, I’m asking one simple but important question each day for you to ponder (on your own or with your team):

If you told your customers the full truth about your product, would they still buy? What do you need to change so that you can tell the full truth?

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