“The things we fear most in organizations – fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances – are the primary sources of creativity.” - Margaret J. Wheatley

“Are you kidding me?”  That was my first response when someone asked if I’d “heard any good liners” recently.   We’re so worried about finding a clever way to say the same old thing we don’t stop to consider the message – just the words.  It’s another classic example of doing things right instead of doing the right thing.  The “right thing” in this case is to establish your messaging, and then look for different and unique ways to communicate that message.  Strategy first, tactics second.

But most of us don’t concentrate on the message, we concentrate on the words.  We wind up saying the same thing over and over because we’re copying instead of creating.  Yes, I understand creating takes longer, and none of us have a lot of spare time, but the difference could be an industry that grows, or one that continues to decline.

The best example of what we should do is in politics.  They establish the message, and then bang away at it in several different ways.  Their focus is on the big picture, not the little picture.  They begin their message development by talking to the voters, to find out what they really care about, instead of talking to other politicians.  We, on the other hand, talk to each other and not the listeners.  We’re still using the bullhorn approach, and went it doesn’t work we yell louder, and when that doesn’t work we wonder why the listeners are such idiots.Yes, I’ve seen it happen.

If you were to put the focus of your messaging on something emotionally meaningful to the listener, do you think you’d do better than borrowing a liner from someone?