Creating Messages that Stick

Communicating complicated messages to fragmented audiences isn’t an easy task. According to the article “Crafting a Message that Sticks: An interview with Chip Heath”, understanding how to create memorable messages allows the audience to visualize the end result which accomplishes long-term success. Chip Heath, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, has extensively studied why some communication strategies thrive while others fail.

Inspiring Employees

Some leaders are able to create messages that inspire thousands of employees, while other leaders struggle to make an impact. Often times, employees hear a presentation but aren’t inspired to make changes in their daily routines. Leaders may invest weeks or even months preparing these presentations without any significant results – because the message wasn’t “sticky” enough. Managers who change their communication approach can invoke that light bulb moment in audience members which inspires the desired action.

For example, the McKinsey Review discusses how John F. Kennedy proposed to send a man to the moon in 1961. This concept motivated thousands of people across the private and public sector. The idea stuck because it was surprising, bold and people could picture the outcome.

Prioritizing Messages

When creating a successful message, it’s important to understand that every message isn’t worth laboring over. For instance, the status update of your organization is important but doesn’t require a lot of work. Messages that impact the vision and future of your company, however, require an investment that will leave employees with a message that isn’t forgotten weeks and even months later.

Creating a Successful Message

Leaders may become so enthusiastic about their message that they present too much information to employees. When creating a message that sticks, Heath recommends keeping it simple. He doesn’t recommend dumbing down the message, but rather identifying the core issues and presenting these in a simplified way. This helps employees to stay focused and understand simple concepts instead of being bombarded with too much information.

Heath explains the result of creating sticky messages is employees who understand the actions needed to make an impact. Employees will come up with innovative strategies to accomplish the task at hand because they will have a clear understanding of the desired outcome. One example would be a company who is communicating a message of “maximizing shareholder value. The company needs to create a message that will stick with employees during their daily tasks.

Avoiding the “Knowledge Curse”

According to the McKinsey Review, when a leader doesn’t have success with communication, he may be suffering from “the curse of knowledge.” Psychologists have found when people know a lot of information about a concept, it’s very difficult to imagine not knowing anything. Consider an executive who has been working for a company for 30 years. He has come to understand what “maximizing shareholder value” means. This statement, however, may seem abstract to a new employee with little company experience. Making the concept simple and creating a visual of the outcome will help employees relate the message to daily tasks.

Creating Examples

An idea or concept sticks better when the leader paints a picture of the end result. A good story makes the presentation more portable. This allows the leader to adapt the presentation to a variety of audiences such as employees and board members. Since each audience has a different agenda, a good story will allow the leader to quickly customize the presentation without making as many changes.

Fine Tuning the Presentation

If you want to make your message stick, you need to spend more time making the presentation more concrete. Stay away from vague or abstract concepts and convert those ideas into strong statements and examples. Instead of saying you want to offer “exceptional customer value”, the leader might discuss a concrete example such as how customers get free gift wrapping with every purchase. This makes the statement less abstract and allows the audience to visualize the desired outcome.

When a leader finalizes a presentation, he should ask himself a few questions about the message. Test the message to make sure it isn’t too complex and check if you included enough stories. The leader should also make sure the message carries creditability and emotional impact. This will make it more memorable. Once these changes have been made, the message should be stronger and have more “sticking power.”

The Value of Employee Focus Groups

For messages that are extremely important, consider holding an employee focus group. This group should include employees from across the organization to provide honest feedback. Getting this feedback before rolling out the message to the entire organization will make your message even better.

Resource:

Lenny T. Mendonca and Matt Miller. “Crafting a Message that Sticks: An Interview with Chip Heath.” The McKinsey Quarterly, November 2007.


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Mark Jordan is the Managing Principal of VERCOR, an investment bank that creates liquidity for middle market business owners. He is the author of “Driving Business Value in an Uncertain Economy”, “Selling Your Business the Easy Way”, “Enhancing Your Business Value…The Climb to the Top” and co-author of “The Business Sale…A Business Owner’s Most Perilous Expedition.” For more information, contact him at 770.399.9512 or click here to email Mark.