Data vs. Feeling
Early on in my career I was working with an executive who was trying to get franchisees to purchase expensive grilling equipment. During a large meeting presentation, he wanted to share data that proved the hamburger cooked off the expensive grill was better and over time, there was a return on investment. If we shared massive amounts of data, it would be easy for franchisees to make a logical decision and purchase the grill.
He was absolutely right about the grill. The hamburgers cooked on it taste amazing. His approach was flawed because we rarely make decisions based on logic, especially when it comes to money. Most decisions are made on emotion.
I asked him about know, feel and do:
What do you want your audience to know?
How do you want them to feel?
What do you want them to do?
He immediately gravitated to the feel and said, “I want them to feel like this is the hamburger they fell in love with when they first joined the business.”
“That’s where we start,” I replied.
We devoted the first section of his presentation romancing the hamburger. Even though he presented at 9:30 am in the morning, people were starving for a hot and juicy hamburger by ten minutes in. We then dove into how the grill worked, the data behind it and the ROI. Our last step was encouraging them to check out the grill in a breakout room after his presentation. Franchisees flocked to the room to investigate and eventually thousands of the grill were installed in restaurants around the globe.
Use Brains, Heart and Courage
The biggest misnomer some communicators have is they believe their ultimate goal is to inform. Maybe this is true in the world of news but in business our goals should be to motivate, persuade or create belief in something. When I work with my clients on a communication plan, I always ask them what they want their audiences to know, feel and do. Brains. Heart. Courage. This gives the recipient an experience with the communication and is much more memorable.
Know (Brains)
Informing our audiences is a key part of communication. We want our readers and viewers to walk away feeling smarter or knowing a bit of information. In today’s world, it’s important to be precise and memorable. Too much information can overwhelm them and then nothing is absorbed.
Feel (Heart)
This is where you can make your biggest impact on your audience. It’s possible that the only memory your reader or viewer will have of your communication is a positive or negative feeling. They may believe your brand cares about the consumer or is funny on Twitter. Similarly, an employee could feel better about a company’s direction simply by the tone of an executive’s email. Before you start any communication (that includes your emails and conversations with your coworkers) ask yourself, “How do I want to make people feel?”
Do (Courage)
Take action. That’s what all marketers want to do and is the difference between Journalism and Marketing Communications. Consider an emotional twist. Don’t just get them to take action. Ask, persuade or motivate your audiences to do something. When you encourage your audience to take action rather than tell them to, you make a deeper human connection and have a better chance of getting results.
The Final Thought
When we put brains, heart and courage into each of communications then we turn potential customers into consumers. We get employees engaged. Our message breaks through and sticks.
Wal Ozello, The Wizard and President of Emerald City Agency, is a life-long storyteller with more than twenty-five years of experience in Communications and Marketing. His expertise is informing and motivating both internal and external audiences to believe and act. Need to speak with The Wizard? Email him: oz@emeraldcityagency.com