Cutting Through the Noise
Cutting Through the Noise
Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.
– Steve Jobs
Clarity and authenticity, as in speaking the truth plainly, are the two most essential qualities in both internal and external communications.
Today, with the explosion of social media, misinformation and disinformation are rampant and necessitate strategies for cutting through the noise.
Communication professionals and leaders can heed the expertise of Steve Jobs, who was a vocal advocate for simple and clear, as well as the disinformation experts.
In Post-Truth and On Disinformation, Lee McIntyre writes:
“…simply telling the truth can have a powerful effect. The truth can be an effective weapon against disinformation, but it has to be told – loudly and repeatedly – by its allies. Truth too needs amplification.”
“The repetition of true facts does eventually have an effect.”
To penetrate the noise, consider re-purposing your content, saying the important things multiple times and multiple venues.
Especially in the age of “attention deficit,” communicating an important message once, likely won’t do the job.
Notice how much time you give blogs, articles, videos, and podcasts throughout the day. For how many seconds does each item keep your attention before you move on to the next one?
Keep in mind that people speed-read all day long so make it easy for them to do so with headers, bulleted lists, and boldface type to highlight salient points.
Know that people will read (or speed-read) your medium and long-form posts, articles, and newsletters if they tell them what they need to know. Example: if you’re a Co-op Board President you will speed-read the newsletters of the engineers and compliance experts who tell you what you need to know to avoid fines, and you will hire the ones who provide the most helpful information.
Don’t shy away from the longer, more substantive thought leadership that shows people you’re the expert they need. Make sure it reaches the right audience, the prospects who would benefit from your services.
Be mindful of the frequency and quality of your communications. There’s a lot to be said for less frequent, higher quality communications.
Get the data on user engagement through electronic mechanisms: How many people are opening your newsletter and reading the articles? What’s the activity on your website?
You can also seek feedback through polls and surveys, and establish formal and informal Editorial Advisory Boards. People will tell you what they need to know and what’s helpful to them. Also, how, when, and in what format they prefer to receive information.