On communication

At first I thought about listing some good sites about copywriting here.

Then it occurred to me, I’ve never been asked for links like that by any of my clients. So why should you be interested? (Anyway, just google “copywriting resources” and you’ll find lots of them.)

No, from day one of Enegren Text Ltd, I’ve been asked a completely different question - much smarter and more demanding than a question for a simple web link.

Regardless if I’ve sat down for a confidential 1-on-1 session with a CEO, discussed communications with a journalist or tried to explain the importance of good communication to a group of small business owners, they all seem to raise the same question:

“How do I communicate better?”

Without going into the highest note, I would say that question is as fundamental as “What is the meaning of life?”.

Think about it. Those of us who pay even the tiniest attention to how we package our message, how we approach our fellow human beings, usually succeed in our communication. And all forms of communication are part of our entire life cycle. Some naughty kids in kindergarten got away with anything; they talked their way out of trouble.

From those teenage years we (the guys) remember the chaps who baldly smooth talked the most beautiful girl while the rest of us just stood there like idiots. And the most beautiful girl, if she could communicate well, got away with a new boyfriend every month - without being labelled a couch. They all could package their message convincingly. They got respect and sympathy just by talking! How unfair isn’t life?

Well, not unfair at all. Because everyone has the same chance, regardless of wealth or looks. It just takes some training.

Let’s return to the present. In a world where relationships are getting far more important than simple products (they’ve always been. The buzz around relationships is just getting louder at the moment), it is obvious that corporations and all the people in those organisations are asking that basic question: How do I communicate better?

The answer to that question has been formulated already a long time ago in Rome and other forums where orators and thinkers have come together. But there are so many excellent answers that basically formulate the same insights. My humble take at answering that question is tied to the my own new client situation. A company or a CEO has for some reason come to the conclusion that the company has a communication problem. The wake-up call usually comes when they get smashed on the head by that big, gigantic, Customer Baseball Bat.

And, my oh my, it hurts. It hurts sooo. The company believed it had done everything right and still the customers hate them. The customers write blogs, they send hate mail, they tell all their friends and it just won’t stop. It won't fade away.

At least not until you fix the problem.

So let’s fix the problem.

See if I below address some of the problems you or your company face:

The problem: Customers complain about poor service. Or they complain over pre-written, robot like, answers to their own mails to you.

Yes, when a company outsources their customer service they usually find themselves in an incredible mess. Bank of Aland is a good example of how to do this right:

They could have outsourced their Contact Center but they did not. Instead they have used that team as a relationship builder. Customers with any kind of problem would call them up, get help from people who actually cared and personally would follow up and check that everything was OK. Believe me, I saw the Thank you!-notes customers sent them later. It was touching. And so simple, just showing concern and engagement. And have the required knowledge, of course.

How to fix the problem: Keep your customer service close to the heart of the company. And if you are a CEO, spend at least 5 hours every week in the heat, listen to the calls, talk to the heroines and heroes of your company. They are worth every cent you pay them. They are the backbone and front of you company (I sure hope this is so obvious to you that you’re thinking of not reading any further.)

The problem: Customers complain that your product is not working.

Now, first put your hand on your heart and answer this question: Are the customers right?

If the answer is Yes, be honest. If you know that your product X is of poor quality, ditch it as fast as you can, compensate your customers and reward all those who have been active in telling you that you have a problem. But do not, and I repeat, do not try to hide behind Corporate Bullshit. You heard me. Don’t get smart, don’t try to tell your customers that they haven’t been patient or that they just don’t get it. The price you pay for that is much higher than being honest and sincere.

Oh, there the magic word popped up: Honest. Let me hold on to it for a couple of sentences. Some five years ago I had the incredible honour of meeting legendary Swedish copywriter Jan Cederquist. He became my mentor as well a dear friend. I would from time to time visit his home outside Stockholm and just talk. Talk about the important things in life. Aspects of human communication. Among the many, many important lessons he taught me is one that is compressed in this quote by another, unknown, master:

“If everything else fails. Try telling the truth.”

I have it framed on my office wall. Every morning I start the day by looking at it (I kid you not), only after that I look at my dear wife Mikaela. And being reminded of that quote every morning is as important morning after morning, week after week. Because the easy way is so tempting, telling half-truths is so easy, just twisting the truth a teeny-weenie would make everything so easy.

Don’t fool yourself.

Have you seen Al Pacino in the brilliant film Scent of A Woman? His last speech in front of the Baird School students? Anyone? Anyone? Well, that scene is Hollywood’s and Al Pacino’s gift to all students of rhetorics so check it out here. In one sequence mister Pacino says the magic words that too many of us can recognise:

“Now I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard.”

Yes, telling the truth is hard. But being caught lying is harder. And you will be. And if you represent a company it will most likely be more expensive being caught with a lie. The History of Failed Corporate Leaders is crammed with liars who today say “Why couldn’t I have just told the truth?” Well, no point going into that.

Still, there are so many ways of telling the truth. And that leads us to your next potential problem.

The problem: You are telling the truth, but you still get smashed with that hard bat.

The solution: Change perspective.

Now, this is probably the most common day-to-day problem we all face. We are sincere, we tell the truth and still it goes wrong. Well, the message is right, the packaging is wrong.

Too often the truth is told strictly from your own perspective, flavoured with your own needs, values and morals. But what if that kit of triggers simply isn’t the same as your audience’s? Then you have to borrow their trigger kit and use it to wrap up your message.

It is called empathy. And that, my friend, equals sympathy.

When someone talks to you, addressing your concerns, you listen. When someone keeps on whining about their, their, their issues without making the connection to you and your life, you just shut them off. Or show them the finger.

That last part is especially important if you represent a company. Nowadays “showing the finger” just doesn’t mean your customers will dislike you and stop using your products or services. No, consumers are empowered; they are a million times stronger than you ever will be. And their budget is still a drop in the sea compared to yours. But a new consumer pattern has emerged and it is closely knitted to the Internet. That can be your blessing or your downfall. It’s your call.

Now, let’s talk about you.

I’ve met all kinds of CEO’s (sorry for coming back to them, but they just work very well as examples). Some are arrogant but still smart. Some are passive and uninterested in their personal communication. Some are ambitious but too egocentric for ever making a difference. And some are downright stupid. But the majority of all people I meet are genuinely interested in becoming better communicators. Those I’ve helped. Why?

Because it is so simple.

I mean it. I’m as lazy as the next guy. I couldn’t be bothered wasting my time trying to create a miracle that just will not happened. But acting as a humble helper when someone is determined to improve their communication skills, wow, it is a great experience.

Three of my customers share the same challenge. They want to have a personal tone in their corporate communication (all three companies are small or medium sized) but they can´t get their stuff together. One is simply too busy, another is dyslectic and the third was originally not interested at all, but the CEO was pushed by company stake holders to team up with an communication consultant. In all three cases we managed to get everything rolling in the right direction.

How did we do it? The very first step: Spend time together. I don't mind calling it Quality Time, because that's what it is.

As a consultant it is my bloody responsibility to be there, dig into the reality my customer faces, sometimes playing good cop, sometimes bad cop. But also have open discussions about personal fear, future career plans and so forth. All those small pieces of information will in the end of the day be helpful in crafting a sustainable corporate message (as an example: if the CEO in confidence tells me that he/she probably will leave the company in one years time, I can take that in consideration. The communication should in that case not build around that person too much. It is simple thinking ahead). And that’s why they pay me - to understand and package their message. To be their voice. When you have put in the time and done the ground work, the rest is pretty straight forward.

Here we arrive at an important crossroad: Time.

What is the biggest lie in modern time? The statement “I don’t have time”. My humble observation is the following: In a world where most of us are surrounded by different messages (digital and traditional) we protect ourselves by using the No Time-argument. The same people have time to answer text messages from loved ones; they have time for things they like to do - like reading this text. Time management is another issue, I believe too many organisations accept a chaotic like working environment where people are thrown into meetings whenever it suits a manager. That nonsense has to stop. It is a counter-productive management style and it is also a strong indicator that the organisation is led by incompetent wannabe-managers that should be sacked, their way of leading and communicating costs those organisations way too much money . Strong words, but you now they are true. (On this subject, please dive into Professor Bob Sutton's excellent book The No Asshole Rule).

Back to the No Time-argument. It has had serious consequences for the corporate citizen and those trying to help them. Let’s take copywriters as an example. How many of them do actually, really, dig into the product they are paid to describe? Way too few. “We were not given the time”, “Deadline was too tight”, “I know enough about that stuff”. Yeah, sure.

Now, I bring this up because developing your communication skills requires time. Spending time with co-workers and customers takes a lot of time and energy, talking with a consultant takes time. And if you’re not prepared to make that investment in your company or in your own career, you should be doing something else. Oh, and as time is money it will cost you some cash too.

What have I given you so far? Not much, I fear. Because I’m sure you know all of this. It is not rocket science. It is the foundation we stand upon as human beings.

I’m going to make up for this by recommending three books you might want to read. Yes, reading also requires time - take that time. Treat yourself to a Reading Hour every day and you will feel your brain producing more ideas you can handle (that is why you always should have a notebook close to you, to give those lovely ideas a place where they can feel cozy and comfy until you have… time for them.

The first book is Perfect Pitch by Jon Steel. Yes, it is a book about delivering the perfect sales pitch but is about so much more. Steel covers most aspects of human communications.

The second book is Words That Work by Frank Luntz. You might be one of those who hate Republican spin doctor Luntz, but leave politics out of this. His book is right on target when it comes to packaging messages. And it contains some juicy political gossip too.

The third book is You’re The Message by Roger Ailes. This book focuses on you and how you can improve your communication skills, very handy book. And Ailes serves a lot of fun and important lessons from his long career.

And that is it. Time for me to wrap up and go to bed. As for you, I hope you will succeed in all challenges you face.

Joakim Enegren