[Framing of concepts is vital to successful leadership communication. Frames provide people with a quick and easy way to process information. They are cognitive shortcuts we use to help make sense of complex information, enabling us to interpret the world around us and represent that world to others. Through framing, complex phenomena can be organized into coherent, understandable categories. The most striking examples of modern-day framing were the different viewpoints expressed by Donald Trump ...
Read moreThis article has been quoted in the New York Times. Since formal channels of internal communication don't address all the socialization needs of employees, informal channels play a significant role in the daily life of employees. Employees will always engage in informal conversations. These are traditionally face-to-face or verbal conversations, but digital channels are increasingly used. Rumors often are one of the outcomes of such conversations. Rumors interpret unverified, unconfirmed information of uncertain origin ...
Read more
When you write a proposal to win approval from senior management or a client for a communication campaign, you will benefit from using this formula to persuade decision makers. It’s quite a simple, but effective way to make your writing more persuasive. The article is available to you in a special Kindle collection of 12 top articles on communication campaigns for only $11.99 including tax. Click here to buy.
Read moreWhat you say in a user experience matters. How you say it matters equally. Framing is a technique of focusing the attention of people within a field of meaning. It is a form of agenda-setting. Frames are story lines that make an issue relevant to a particular audience. Framing effects occur when a message frame alters someone’s opinion on an issue. Framing is not lying. It is putting a particular spin (a frame) on ...
Read more
When you are developing a large communication campaign, you need to form an overarching message as well as supporting messages and ‘proof points’ that offer backup and more detail. This article details how you can do this, listing helpful examples from real life. The article is available to you in a special Kindle collection of 12 top articles on communication campaigns for only $11.99 including tax. Click here to buy.
Read moreOne of the worst tasks in communication is to edit text contributed by a co-worker or client. The problem lies not in any difficulty in editing the words, but in dealing with people who don’t like their text changed. Whether it is a holiday article written for the staff newsletter, the draft text of a report or the body copy in a direct mail brochure, you change the words at your peril. Not so ...
Read moreHeadlines are the most important part of any written content. Advertising legend David Ogilvy pointed this out decades ago, and his words are still quoted. Ogilvy said in his classic book Confessions of an Advertising Man in 1963: "On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.” But Ogilvy’s often-quoted comment related only to advertising – and he died in 1999, before the internet really got going. ...
Read more"Are you telling stories again?", your parents probably said to you when you were young, suspecting you of not being totally truthful. But metaphorical stories and anecdotes as a form of communication in the adult world are powerful. Leadership is about communication, and one of the most effective ways to communicate is to use stories to illustrate key corporate themes. Why stories? Isn’t that rather simplistic and patronizing? Isn’t that talking down to educated ...
Read moreThe best way to write a headline is to first take the time and effort to learn about the subject so you gain enough perspective on the key elements of the content. This applies to press releases just as much to advertising and marketing material. Legendary copywriter and advertising guru, David Ogilvy, did exactly this, as he explained: I spend a long time studying the precedents. I look at every advertisement which has appeared ...
Read moreYou have probably heard this type of statement: “Effective personal communication is 55% body language, 38% tone of voice and only 7% content of the words you use.” However, these widely quoted figures (181,000 results from a Google search) are just an urban myth and represent a fundamental misinterpretation of limited experimental results. When you think about it, the words in personal communication logically should carry much more weight than a mere 7%. But ...
Read moreBad timing is the single biggest reason journalists reject media pitches. A total of 25% of journalists participating in the
Your organization’s employer brand is a major reason why new employees join rather than going to another employer. Astute employers
Effective teams are the key to the success of every organization. The right teams of professionals give organizations a higher
Join 5,000+ subscribers to our free newsletter, Cutting Edge PR Connections, and get awesome communication tips and articles delivered monthly direct to your inbox. PLUS a $10 voucher to my Amazon paperback books, which normally sell for $19.95 each.