I’m a loud mouth. I love to talk. And, even more so, I love to tell stories. Love it or hate it, it’s who I am.
But always talking has a down side. It means the people who you are talking to cumulatively listen less.
It may seem counter intuitive, but for every message you send (to the same audience) you are decreasing the probability that your message will get heard.
The speed at which your audience ‘tunes out’ is inversely proportional to the relevance of your message to the audience.
If relevance is high then the impact on your audience ‘tuning out’ will be lower. Conversely, if relevance is low then your audience will tune out faster.
This sounds dire. What’s a marketer to do?
1. Talk Less
Recognize that for each message you are sending you are killing your ability to be heard. So, ensure that you don’t waste this precious resource. Talk less and your audience will be there for when you really need them.
2. Be Relevant
The boy who cried wolf couldn’t save his flock because he had sent to many irrelevant messages. Before you hit send ask yourself, ‘does my audience really care about this?’
3. Listen
Listening is a way to increase your ability to be heard. The more your listen to your audience the more they are going to be willing to listen to you.
Any other suggestions?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Perhaps this falls under “listen”, but I would also add “ask questions”. Personally, I have found the best way to engage conversation is by inquiring about other's interests or asking for feedback. Thoughts?
I really like the quote from Stephen Covey, “Seek first to understand and then be understood.”
I remember when I got sales call from a company selling virtual tours. All he did was tell me what their company could do for me. He didn't once ask me what my needs were.
I may have been more inclined to listen to him had he stopped, asked questions and listened to me.
Really good post Mike.
That's a great quote from Covey; many thanks for sharing. Listening is soooo key.
I agree, asking questions is a great way to engage. But, I think it's important to truly care about the answers…