Examples of Good Corporate Communication Do Exist

In several previous blogs, we’ve highlighted examples of poor communication. From poorly worded media statements of companies in crisis making horrible word choices to poorly phrased email statements to downright awful corporate announcements which highlighted insensitive, inconsiderate and thoughtless communication by corporate leadership – poor communication is everywhere. However, occasionally, I run across an example of corporate communication done right.

A couple weeks ago, I read about the acquisition of deal-a-day website Woot by the e-commerce giant Amazon. I knew nothing about the Woot brand, their corporate culture or the deals of the acquisition, but the letter to employees written by CEO Matt Rutledge was nothing short of brilliant. He utilizes Cicero’s model of successful communication utilizing three essential ingredients: charm – teach – move.

For the full text, click here.

Throughout the letter, Mr. Rutledge employs Cicero’s model, but let’s look at a few specific things he did right:

1. His style is consistent with the brand and the corporate culture. A quick look at What is Woot? page on the website shows the company is snarky, clever, self-deprecating and uses humor during their customer interactions. Mr. Rutledge’s letter to employees utilizes the same tone in the very first sentence – “I know I say this every time I find a picture of an adorable kitten, but please set aside 20 minutes to carefully read this entire email.” His tone and clever delivery continue throughout the letter until the very last line – “Also, there will be six muffins waiting in the company break room, courtesy of the nice folks at Amazon.com. Welcome to the family!”

2. He directly addresses with employees how this change will impact them. He writes, “We plan to continue to run Woot the way we have always run Woot – with a wall of ideas and a dartboard. From a practical point of view, it will be as if we are simply adding one person to the organizational hierarchy, except that one person will just happen to be a billion-dollar company.”

3. He embraces what he knows will be employees’ “top 5 burning questions” (which really turn out to be only four questions). Nonetheless, the format is clear, concise and demonstrates he knows his employees and what their concerns will be. He outlines that company data forums, staffing, leadership and culture will remain unchanged, therefore quieting restlessness among the ranks about how these changes will impact them and their jobs.

4. He is likeable – his funny, self-deprecating style puts people at ease. He knows this news is big for the company and its employees, but he utilizes language to make the changes relatable to his audience. “This is definitely an emotional day for me. The feelings I’m experiencing are similar to what I felt in college on graduation day: excitement about getting a check from my folks combined with nausea from a hellacious bender the night before.”

While this style of writing would not work for every person, company or audience, the communication lesson is clear. As a communicator, your goal should be to provide your audience with content that grabs and keeps their attention. Integrating your personality, perfecting your tone and utilizing the corporate culture provide a positive experience for the audience and move them to action.

Word Choices Matter

Mark Twain once wrote, “The difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug.” Unfortunately, Mr. Twain’s words apparently did not make it to the eyes or ears of Carl-Henric Svanberg, the current Chairman of BP. On June 16th, Mr. Svanberg upset residents of the Gulf Coast when he told reporters, “I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care, but that is not the case with BP. We care about the small people.”

Granted, Mr. Svanberg’s first language is not English, so criticism of his “small people” comment might be unwarranted, but nevertheless, what is important for Mr. Svanberg and all corporate executives to understand, is that word choices matter. In fact, a recent study published in Health Communication, a scientific journal on healthcare communications, shows how the use of subtle word choices can influence and persuade the behavior of an individual without changing the meaning of the message.

If BP wants to survive the backlash of their numerous PR gaffes, they need to start becoming more sensitive with the choice of words they use to convey their messages. With their stock prices down nearly 50% in the last two months, they better hope it is not too late.

Communication Pet Peeves

Guest blog by Eliza Shepherd

Growing up, my dad instituted a “don’t use the word ‘like’” rule: every time my sister or I used the word “like” we had to go to bed 15 minutes early. This should be easy, right? Wrong. Day one of dad’s new rule, I was in bed at least three hours early! My dad did me a huge favor by bringing my bad communication habit to my attention. Without his feedback, I wouldn’t have realized my communication faux pas.

A blog by Matthew Hutson on Psychology Today reminded me of my dad’s lesson in “Effective Communication 101.” The blog pointed out that in an interview during her brief bid for New York Senator, Caroline Kennedy said “you know” 12 times in the first 49 seconds. I’m guessing she was surprised to hear that fact.

Most of us are unaware of our verbal (and nonverbal) communication habits, such as “like” and “you know.” To be effective communicators, we need to be aware of our speech patterns. Ask a friend, coworker, taxi driver, anyone for feedback on your communication habits. Tape record or videotape yourself speaking. Feedback plays an essential role in communicating effectively. Keep yourself aware of a bad habit (for example: leave yourself Post-it notes on your desk, in your car, etc.) until you break it!

Next time you listen to a friend, spouse, or that crazy neighbor you can hear through the wall, try and find what their bad communication habits are. You may be surprised by what you hear! What do you notice? Because the faux pas are so common have we developed a tolerance for it? At what point does it become a pet peeve?

My Thoughts on Tiger Part 2 - What He Said

Unless you are enduring 45 days of in-patient therapy, you were undoubtedly exposed to an unlimited number of media stories and commentaries about Tiger’s statement over the weekend. Though the source of Tiger’s fame and fortune is his career as a professional golfer, his story has leapt from the pages of the sports section to the mainstream media. Every news outlet had an expert ready and willing to dissect Tiger’s statement and speculate about deeper meaning (myself included). Who was Tiger really speaking to? What was his goal in making this statement? Do you think it worked? What does it all mean?

Three themes became evident to me as I soaked up the analysis. First, there are those who would have thought the statement abhorrent regardless of what Tiger said or did because they cannot get past his objectionable behavior. This sentiment was largely represented through the “man on the street” interviews, and largely from women. Because they wouldn’t be persuaded by anything, we don’t need to discuss this group any further.

Next there are those who thought Tiger seemed sincere and that his statement was all-in-all a successful first step at rehabilitating his career and his public image. Lastly, a significant portion of the “experts” thought Tiger came off as cold and self-serving. I think both groups are right, and I think the difference in perception stems from Tiger, at times, sending inconsistent signals. What he was saying (verbal communication) often didn’t match what he was doing (nonverbal communication).

We’ll discuss the nonverbal communication tomorrow, but let’s look at the words written on the page Tiger was so carefully reading. The statement is better than average. In fact it is a good round…for an amateur. If only he had sent it in for a little editing, we could have tweaked here and there to make it excellent. For instance, when I got to the part where he brags about how his foundation work has benefited thousands of kids, my red pen would have been furiously at work. We didn’t need the self-serving statistics to get the point, and the placement of it within the speech was awkward. Speaking of awkward, who knew Tiger Woods collaborated with Buddha? Semi-interesting, I guess, but do we really care? And what, pray tell, do performance enhancing drugs have to do with the price of tea in China? All of the above were self-serving (not to mention bizarre) components of his statement that only served to distract the audience from his core apology message.

The people who found him sincere were most likely responding to the language he used. He was very successful at using powerful, emotional language that was appropriate for the situation. Atone, foolish, irresponsible, integrity, decency, character, bitterly, ordeal – each word meant to elicit emotion from the listener by convincing us that the speaker himself is emotionally tied to the statement.

Much has been made of the ten times Tiger used his wife’s name, Elin. While some speculate he was speaking directly TO her, I find it hard to believe that he said anything here that he hasn’t already said to her. After all, they have “started the process of discussing the damage” so I would bet he has started the process of apologizing…in private. It is more likely that his “Elin never hit me that night or any other night” statement was Elin speaking to us through Tiger. He clearly communicated his respect of Elin and her behavior by saying “Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.” For me, this was one of his stronger pieces of rhetoric in the statement because of its strong, concise language. Using these bold, emotional and relatable words clearly gained him bonus points with a portion of the audience. '

His intention was to apologize and, yes, to take a first step in the process of rehabilitating his image. As far as apologies go, he was successful (remember, I’m still talking about the statement itself, not his delivery of it). He took responsibility for his actions and several times referenced the hard work he had ahead to “atone” for his misdeeds. Without fail, Tiger offered this apology to every person or group that has an interest in him. This seemed sincere.

Sincere, yet cold. So those who thought he was sincere were responding to his verbal communication. Check back tomorrow for my review of his nonverbal communication and where the statement went terribly awry.

My Thoughts on the State of the Union Address

Many blogs have already posted their comments on the State of the Union and I don’t want to rehash what’s already been said. I will leave it to the political pundits to critique the specific details of the President’s plan. However, I want to point out a couple pieces of the speech which I found interesting from a communication and persuasion perspective.

The Greeting
One thing I noticed right at the beginning is when President Obama greeted everyone. He said “welcome” to everybody, but did not look into the camera when he said “welcome to my fellow Americans.” The audience is left with a disconnect between his verbal and nonverbal communication. The lack of eye contact results in the audience at home not being as engaged in the message and with his approval numbers at record low, this address is as much about winning over the American public as it is about reporting to Congress.


Because I Said So
"Democracy in a nation of three hundred million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is."

This is a fabulous quote, or at least it starts out that way. He provides us with a visual image we may not have come to in our own heads, one that makes us more accepting of the idea that change takes time. However, his version of 'because I said so' not only gave us some insight into his parenting strategies but was a killjoy to the positive moment he had just created for himself. He might have instead ended by using the social proof technique to influence his audience. An example of how long it took to legislate some desirable American law would have reminded the American public that he is working towards the same kind of good and it has taken a long time for others as well.


A Suggestion for the Future
And finally, let's make a trade. Let’s eliminate the opposition’s rebuttal statement, which is a ridiculously divisive two party tactic that serves no productive purpose whatsoever. In turn, the party in power will give up clapping and standing during the speech which is at best distracting and at worst a cheap attempt at telling the public what the good parts are.

To Like Me is to Hire Me

Hi Readers - Thanks for visiting again. Another great guest blog this week from a fellow ZMFer Kristin Fitzgerald. Share your comments below ... I look forward to hearing from you. Until next time, Theresa


As we discussed several weeks ago, likeability is as (if not more) important than expertise and knowledge. Now you need to know what impacts likeability. Still to come, we will get to what you can do to improve your likeability level.

Here are a few of the factors associated with likeability:

• Physical Attractiveness – You are attracted to others according to their physical features. While everyone has a different barometer for what they find attractive, popular culture overwhelms us with ideas of how one should look. When you walk into a room for a meeting, what do you notice first about those you are meeting with? If you are being honest, you’ll admit you were likely paying attention to how they look and what they are wearing rather than the dialogue exchanged. These nonverbal artifacts are the cornerstones of the first meeting and the judgment you make about an individual, what you say comes much later. You have the most control over physical characteristics, which may be why you are held to a higher standard.

• Similarity – People are drawn to others who are “like you,” which is why the similarity factor is one of the most dominant factors of likeability. Being likeable means establishing camaraderie with the other party by asking questions or seeking additional information about them. Physical perfection can have its drawbacks for promoting likeability. If someone is threatened by your physicality, it may prevent further discussion or establishing a relationship. Similar experiences can help promote forming a bond to those around you. Truly likeable people expend additional energy to ensure they find a common element.
  
  The concept of mirroring also comes into play when we talk about similarity. You may not have a great deal in common with your audience, but through mirroring, you can bridge the gap between you and them. During the campaign, Obama was masterful at mirroring his nonverbal and verbal behaviors to his audience. Whether matching speech patterns to southern residents during a speech in Alabama or crossing his legs like the ladies of The View, Obama’s behavior allows audiences to feel more “at home” and differences dissipate.

• Complimenting – Take the time to notice someone’s extra effort and your acknowledgement will go a long way toward making yourself more likeable. If your boss recognizes your work, don’t you find him/her more likeable? While flattery won’t necessarily get you everywhere, it will get you on the road to being more likeable.

• Cooperation – This seems like common sense to me. If you enjoy the company of those you like. Compatibility is the key here. By working together and focusing on creating a more team-oriented atmosphere, those around you will find you more likeable and you will often see better results. Without cooperation, nothing gets accomplished – team projects stall, disagreements occur and resentment builds.

Do you agree with these factors? Which do you think is most important? Stay tuned for what you can do to make yourself more likeable.

The Likeability Factor

It’s a well-known effect and it happens everywhere, regularly. You surround yourself with those you like. Coming off the biggest election in history, political pundits everywhere were talking about the “likeability factor.” In fact, you may have heard in the New Hampshire primary debate, when Senator Clinton was asked, “What can you say to the voters of New Hampshire who…are hesitating on the likeability issue?” Rather than furthering a discussion on health care, the economy or the war in Iraq, the moderator chose to ask a question about likeability. Why?

According to Gallup’s “Personality Factor Poll,” it turns out that, in politics, the single best determination of electability is likeability (and height – but that is for another post entirely). Not knowledge, not experience, not the candidate’s position on a specific issue – likeability. The likeability factor is a topic that could and should be paralleled to the everyday world. If you are willing to elect the leader of a country based on whether you like them (or not), shouldn’t working for, with and around people you like, be equally as important. Many CEOs and senior management should be grateful they are not elected by their constituents as many would likely end up with Kerry or McCain, at the bottom on the likeability heap.

When a new client recently hired us to help them improve their communication style in the real estate world, the conversation quickly turned to likeability. In their words ‘our business is about being likeable. You get business because decision makers choose to work with those they like and people refer business to those they like.’

In simple terms, if you visit a restaurant and eat food you don’t like, do you return again? Likely – no. You’ll just eat dinner at the restaurant down the street and look for a better dining experience. Not surprisingly, research reveals that people respond positively to those they like. Some studies suggest that in more than 80% of buying situations, an individual’s likeability was responsible for the decision-maker’s determination of who earns their business.

Those who are likeable regularly smile, laugh, show authentic concern for others and utilize eye contact to help convey their message and research says they are rewarded for their efforts. Likeable people are more successful, get elected, promoted or rewarded more often, make more money and get better service from all service providers.

I want to hear from you. What is your most important factor when selecting your hairdresser, your doctor or your babysitter – the person’s likeability or their knowledge? Would you ever go to a hairdresser/barber or doctor if you didn’t like them? Have you ever hired someone you didn’t like? If so, what drove you to work with them rather than hiring someone equally qualified?


Kristin Fitzgerald has been a part of the communication consulting team at ZMF since 1999. In her ten years with ZMF, Kristin has worked in both the research and multimedia departments to provide persuasive techniques to improve communication. Kristin has worked closely with clients on the development of intranets, newsletters design and to provide flexible communication solutions oriented to their audience.

HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY – OR IS IT?

One time during a leadership retreat I berated the group for suggesting the word ‘hope’ be integrated in the message we were sending to our employees that year. I firmly asserted that ‘hope’ was not a strategy and that it inspired no one.

Enter Barack Obama.

President Obama may be the best straight out communicator, we the public, have seen in a long time. Much effort will be given to dissect his ability in this area and even more time will be spent comparing him to MLK, the Kennedys, Cicero and Ronald Reagan among others.

So what does my aversion to hope as a strategy have to do with Barack Obama’s rhetoric skills you ask? I HOPE that instead of revering him for his communication prowess that the young and old will strive to do something about their own skill set. I am buoyed by the masses waking up the morning after the inauguration with good intentions of volunteering, giving money and becoming community activists. However, those same people still need to get jobs, make friends, find/keep mates, raise children, influence coworkers, acquire bank loans and so on and so on and so on.

Barack Obama is smart, kind, devoted, driven, and a host of other positive adjectives that could describe countless other people in this country. Why does he stand out above so many others? Because he has the ability to demonstrate those qualities to the people around him. Because he can COMMUNICATE.

I HOPE that after stopping to feed the dogs at the no kill shelter, dropping off coats for the kids who can’t keep warm, feeding the homeless and marching for justice that people stop long enough to understand that if they do all that AND learn how to interact with others there would be no place they could not take their lives.

Example: I know a woman who is in her mid 50s. She is just like you and me except for one thing. Eight out of ten topics that are brought up in conversation end up with her talking about her and the rest of us trying to find a way out of the room before we scream ‘this is not about you’. Someone may be telling her about a person they are having trouble with at work or a recent diagnosis of a serious disease. To make her way into the conversation, instead of showing empathy or asking questions, she goes back to herself.

When I was in the hospital…
When I worked with him…
When my mom had cancer…

Forget for a moment the why. We will leave that to the psychologists. If she would just pick up a book one day or take a class on interpersonal communication or have herself videotaped, she would be able to change a bad habit that is preventing people from wanting to spend time with her. This is only one small example of hundreds of possible communication blunders.

I hope, I hope, I hope that anyone who is having a difficult time in life right now takes all the advice they are getting from all the other sources and then looks hard at the way they are communicating with their friends, kids, colleagues, clients, customers, employees. I am confident there are changes to be made.

I Can Charm - Can You?

Cicero wrote that every communication, no matter the purpose, has to have three components. It must Charm, Teach and Move. These ingredients to successful communication should be delivered in order, and every step is required.

First we must charm to get the attention of the listener. Only then will we be able to teach. And then, once the listener has new information, we will be able to move or persuade. According to Cicero all communication is meant to, in some manner, stir the listener into action. In essence, what Cicero advocates is that when you speak or put your pen to paper, you ought to have a purpose for the communication. I doubt he was big into potty training reports or recaps of century old baseball scores.

Let’s examine these communication steps one at time, starting as Cicero would have wanted us to, with CHARM. Charm can materialize in a variety of ways. Think traditional synonyms such as captivate, win over, fascinate. But consider also that charm is the act of gaining credibility or holding your listeners’ interest. A communicator can gain credibility from a remarkable introduction, a killer résumé, a naturally disarming personality, a shocking opening line or simply good humor. Maybe the audience is captivated because there exists a history or extraordinary reputation with the person doing the speaking or writing. Sometimes just seeing a person’s name in print elicits a memory of a positive experience with their work creating a sense of anticipation that fulfills the charm requirement.

As a communicator at home or the office, think of how you will charm, captivate or hold your audience’s attention. What tools or skills do you have to hold the attention of your teenager, spouse or boss? Remember not to charge right into your request or complaint without step one.

Interestingly, some of you never get to this point and others of you never get past it. You may not believe you need to be charming (or gain credibility) when you are in the role of boss, or buying groceries or coaching Little League or purchasing a dress. If so, write down the three best communicators who you know personally. And then assess each person’s method of charm. If you send these to me, we will analyze their techniques in future blogs.

Here are a few I can think of:

• Doctor—looks you right in the eye, touches your hand or arm gently, smiles as if he is really glad that you picked him as your doctor, takes a few extra minutes to warm up before he brings out the plastic models of your body parts.


• Lawyer—is demanding, confident, cocky but uses humor to make each person he comes in contact feel that he is approachable.


• Political Advisor—twinkles when she meets you, forces her energy out of her body and into yours before she even says your name.


• Old Friends—when you knock at their door, they greet you as if they had not seen you for months when it had been only a day or two. Loud “How are you?” and comments like “What a great surprise.”


• My Dad—makes the stranger or new person to the inner circle feel like you are one of the crowd by offering you a chair, food, drink, a story, giving you his full attention no matter who else is in the room.

• A Professor at UofC—when I come to her class to guest lecture every semester she does such an introduction that I am both proud and embarrassed. She accomplishes two things at once, she charms me into guaranteeing that I will do a good job for her and that I will come back next time and she creates credibility for me with the students so I can move to the teaching phase of communication more quickly.

So you are saying to yourself “that all sounds interesting, but nothing new.” I will buy that. Cicero’s writings are really old - around 50 B.C. to be exact. So, why do I still know so many who don’t feel obliged to CHARM? In part is it a lack of self-confidence. Insecure people are more likely to skip this step. Emotionally they are not strong enough to take a chance, which is what this step often requires. Some lack skills or ideas, others do not recognize that they are not bothering to engage their listener. And then, of course, there is the person we all know who feels that by the nature of who they are—the dad, the coach, the CEO, the owner, the client—that winning people over is not necessary to successful communication. They are simply incorrect and sooner or later they will either become frustrated because they think no one does what they want, listens to them or typically this person sooner or later believes they are surrounded by incompetence, disrespect or disinterest. Remember, the burden for successful communication weighs more heavily on the sender of the message than the receiver.

Next time we will talk about teach. That is unless something MOVES me to talk about something else.

See ya next week. And thanks for reading Zblog.

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