I recently had a parent-teacher conference about my youngest daughter, Noa, with her kindergarten teacher who’s a rock star. We were talking about how Noa’s very capable overall, and is a child who does things when she’s ready, and on her terms. “Her terms” is the key phrase, which Steve and I wholeheartedly support.
Read MoreIt’s been said that if you don’t toot your own horn, then you can’t complain when there’s no music. A bit blunt perhaps, but very true, and applicable today more than ever in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
On the surface, CSR is comprised of the efforts and initiatives a company takes to assess and hold responsibility for its impact on the environment and social wellbeing at large.
Read MoreTags: Storytelling, Communication Skills
Leadership: 6 Clues It’s Time to Adopt a Strategic Messaging Platform
Posted by David Grossman on Wed,Mar 21, 2018
To be best-in-class we must think about standard operating procedures. That’s one of the commonalities we see with our clients who are taking a lead globally in the communications arena.
In advertising and communications, effective frequency is the number of times a person must be exposed to a message before a response is made. Theories have ranged from three to twenty times, leading to countless spirited discussions amongst academics and practitioners alike looking to identify the magic number.
Whatever the answer, and it varies by person, the fact remains that recipients of a message can only retain a limited amount of information per exposure and it often takes someone hearing a message multiple times to transition that person from awareness to understanding, and finally, to action.
Read More5 Ways to Ensure Your Messages Get Through to Employees
Posted by David Grossman on Wed,Oct 18, 2017
There are countless ways to ensure that a message hits home the way you intended. Here are 5 must-do strategies to cut through the clutter and turn messages into meaning:
Tags: Communication Skills, Leadership Effectiveness & Planning, Storytelling
It’s Time To Do a Better Job Telling Your Company Story – Guest Blogger Meg McSherry Breslin
Posted by David Grossman on Mon,Oct 16, 2017
Company “profiles” are everywhere today – on corporate websites, in job postings, and on social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. With one click of the “About Us” link, anyone, anywhere can hear your company story.
So why are so many stories and profiles so weak, so boring and uninspired?
If this is one of the best shots at telling a company story, why do countless organizations settle for a poorly written, poorly designed, dry-as-dust blurb?
Read MoreTags: Storytelling, Guest Bloggers
Disclose Yourself to Others – Courageous Communicator Quest Challenge 3
Posted by David Grossman on Wed,Jul 26, 2017
Making progress! Coming out of last week’s Challenge, did anything you learned about yourself surprise you, or shock you even? Did you get a new perspective? How did that resonate with you?
This next Challenge in the Knowing Yourself phase is about helping others get to know you, too. Disclosing yourself to others also requires you to leave your comfort zone, yet the benefits that come along with disclosure are abundant including building trust, credibility, relationships and connections.
Read MoreTags: Leadership Communication, Storytelling, Communicator Quest Challenge
Don’t Tell Stories Without a Purpose
Sometimes leaders get so caught up with grabbing an audience’s attention that they miss the point. For instance, a personal anecdote is great but only if it connects to what you’re trying to communicate. In other words: It doesn’t really matter if your son won the state high school basketball tournament unless his game-winning shot says something about what your company team needs to do every day.
Read MoreTags: Storytelling
Stories are an integral part to communicating effectively with your employees. A great story goes a long way, because it’s memorable and helps create an emotional connection with the listener. What we feel impacts what we do, so stories can be a great way to move employees to action.
So why not prepare some stories of your own. When you do, here are a few things to think about.
While it’s great to see leaders embrace stories, it’s so important to realize that simply storytelling—without the goal of teaching employees what they need to do in their work—defeats your purpose.
Use Stories to Connect Employees to Strategy
I’ve had several moments with clients when the power of storytelling really hits home with their teams. One recent experience stands out. It was one of those times when a light bulb clearly went on.
Read MoreTags: Storytelling