Number 42: Rules That Will Kill Ya.
October 15, 2012
Rosa Parks with MLK in background
I worked with a contemporary, edgy company full of bright young technogeeks who had no idea how to use this tool and failed desperately to connect with their audiences because they used PPT in lieu of reports or documents “because that’s what we do.” I call them slideuments. They show slides no one can read, fill the space with everything but the kitchen sink, using buckets of copy when one visual would tell the story. The group I worked with fought me over their preferred method of PowerPoint until I could illustrate to them the effect of making changes so the tool would actually enhance their messages and they could still work within the expectations of their company.
I have run into “that’s how we do it” blocks ever since I can remember. We get these rules embroiled in our brains. Here are a few classics and my take on them:
We never stand up to make presentations. Everybody stays seated.
This likely started because people feel nervous standing up presenting so they opt for what seems easiest. There are at least five good reasons you should stand when you present:
1. People at the table or in the room will be able to see you. I have sat at many boardroom tables without being able to see the speaker and feeling frustrated by the lack of connection.
2. You present with more energy if you stand. Staying seated takes away from your ability to move or breathe.
3. You can make eye contact with most everyone if they are seated and you are standing.
4. You can emphasize points by walking up to your presentation or by using a prop.
5. You will have more command and control and the ability to see if people are nodding in agreement or want to ask a question.
We don’t prepare or rehearse as it would take away from the spontaneity of the situation or the authenticity of the message.
Phooey. Again, I swear people do not prepare or want to test out what they are going to say because it makes them uncomfortable. I have had this block put in front of me for years when it comes to training people for media interviews. Everybody hates role-playing but I can assure you it will be much better to make a mistake within the confines of a friendly safe room rather than on the 6 o’clock news. If your message is important, it is worth a dry run to try it out on a few people before doing the real thing. Preparation will free you to be spontaneous.
We write/say/do it this way because that is the way it has always been written/said/done.
Just about every time I’ve asked “why?” on a job, this has been at least part of the answer. When did we stop asking why? In one of my early jobs I was in charge of massive mailings to solicit money from people. There was a standard way the letter was to be written which was dull and boring, in my opinion. I wanted to add a photograph and catchy headline. You would have thought I was putting nude pictures on the correspondence from my boss’s reaction. Eventually we moved on to more creative, interesting requests and increased donations substantially but not without a lot of fret and worry on his part. Why did we have to be boring just because we were a charitable organization?
Some policies are there for good reason and we need to have parameters to help things run smoothly but so many rules have lost their reason for being and need to be scrapped. Communication methods and norms change swiftly and we need to be agile enough to change with them. Think back to dress codes of the 70’s and how utterly ridiculous them seem today. For those of you not around at that time, I worked in a company that would not allow women to wear pants or sleeveless dresses and I was considered risqué for donning platform shoes.
So please ask the "why" question. Do your communications rules still make sense? If not, what is the risk of changing them? Anytime you hear somebody say, “That is the way we have always done it,” stop and say, “That is not a good enough reason. Let’s take a fresh look at it.”
Anyone out there have antiquated rules about communications in your organization or even in your family? Or, how about good rules? I know an elderly gent who has a rule in his house that before 6 pm, you can talk about your ailments, but after 6, the cocktail hour you can only discuss topics of the heart, mind and soul. Great rule for our aging boomer population. Got more? Please share.
We don’t prepare or rehearse as it would take away from the spontaneity of the situation or the authenticity of the message.
Phooey. Again, I swear people do not prepare or want to test out what they are going to say because it makes them uncomfortable. I have had this block put in front of me for years when it comes to training people for media interviews. Everybody hates role-playing but I can assure you it will be much better to make a mistake within the confines of a friendly safe room rather than on the 6 o’clock news. If your message is important, it is worth a dry run to try it out on a few people before doing the real thing. Preparation will free you to be spontaneous.
We write/say/do it this way because that is the way it has always been written/said/done.
Just about every time I’ve asked “why?” on a job, this has been at least part of the answer. When did we stop asking why? In one of my early jobs I was in charge of massive mailings to solicit money from people. There was a standard way the letter was to be written which was dull and boring, in my opinion. I wanted to add a photograph and catchy headline. You would have thought I was putting nude pictures on the correspondence from my boss’s reaction. Eventually we moved on to more creative, interesting requests and increased donations substantially but not without a lot of fret and worry on his part. Why did we have to be boring just because we were a charitable organization?
Some policies are there for good reason and we need to have parameters to help things run smoothly but so many rules have lost their reason for being and need to be scrapped. Communication methods and norms change swiftly and we need to be agile enough to change with them. Think back to dress codes of the 70’s and how utterly ridiculous them seem today. For those of you not around at that time, I worked in a company that would not allow women to wear pants or sleeveless dresses and I was considered risqué for donning platform shoes.
So please ask the "why" question. Do your communications rules still make sense? If not, what is the risk of changing them? Anytime you hear somebody say, “That is the way we have always done it,” stop and say, “That is not a good enough reason. Let’s take a fresh look at it.”
Anyone out there have antiquated rules about communications in your organization or even in your family? Or, how about good rules? I know an elderly gent who has a rule in his house that before 6 pm, you can talk about your ailments, but after 6, the cocktail hour you can only discuss topics of the heart, mind and soul. Great rule for our aging boomer population. Got more? Please share.
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5 comments
First Law of Good Communications, which seems to be "antiquated" more often than not, is, as my lovely and equally effective and successful father-in-law (may he rest in peace!) would say...
ReplyDelete"God gave you two ears and one mouth...that should give you an indication as to how much they should be used"!
There's an idea that if you're communicating with slightly older (say 65+) demographic, that you have to use print because "they're not into computers". It's wrong, and it's been wrong for a while, but when will it actually be understood by organizations to BE wrong?
ReplyDeleteLeigh, so true. Just ask my 89 year old Mom who emails me every day and is planning to do a blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reminder to avoid "this is how we always do it". That's almost never a good reason. A communications rule in our house is "No yelling". If you want someone's attention, go to where they are. It shows respect. The same thinknig would apply to a workplace.
ReplyDeleteKaren - now, that's a good rule!
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