Media Training Question #74 - How Do I Get Heard?

Feb. 18, 2011 - PRLog -- I’ve had a litany of clients lately that are so diverse and varied that it got me to thinking about message.  All my clients have message they feel is worthy of some of your attention.  As everyone has a right to express themselves, and some feel that what they have to say deserves a wider audience then their circle of influence, they reach out to the media and into cyberspace to attract a wider audience.

The ways we communicate are as varied as my recent client list and as world events unfold, as issues become clearer, as news drives or maybe even forces our attention, I think about all the ways we communicate.  

Lady Gaga entering the Grammy’s in an egg is communication.  Protesters in the streets of Egypt are communicating.  Commercials are another way to communicate.  Government policies communicate something, like it or not.  Your actions are another way to deliver your point of view.  Of course words, either written or spoken are effective ways to communicate.  Everything we do communicates something, right?

When you yawn, that connotes something.  The way you look at someone as they are speaking to you tells us something.  Your body language speaks volumes about what you are conveying.  The way you sit, stand, lean, ogle, react, and respond all communicate something and something important as well.

In an age where information moves as quickly as it happens being an effective communicator is critical to getting the attention or desired reaction you want.  Facebook and Twitter, and many other forms of technology have made the immediate possible, but maybe not always responsible.  If your message is important then you better be sure you get it right the first time or chances are you will not be able to correct it in time.

Follow a popular Twitter feed and you know exactly what I mean.  I can post something and literally 30 seconds later it is 40 items removed from the top of the list.  Lost opportunity?  I can’t say for sure, but it certainly does prove that you should never rely on one form of anything to be your central communication system.

Post something to Facebook and depending on who your “Friends” are they may never see it based on how busy their Wall is, right?  Some of these forms of communicating insist that you be engaged almost full time.  Of course part of the problem is not everyone uses this technology the same way, even if it is for the same purpose.

As an example, I post something to my Blog and it immediately gets posted to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Delicious, Digg, Google, Yahoo and Stumble Upon.  And let’s assume what I posted in important information, for the sake of our example.  That same process also works for someone who posts to tell us that they are eating lunch at Joe’s Diner.  So what.  Does that dilute to delivery system?  Do we pay less attention to a post because they are not all created equal?  Hard to say as we don’t all use the technology in the same discriminating way.

I write all this to illustrate how important it is when you have a message that deserves attention that you make sure you have your communication channels in order, that the message is clearly thought out and coveys as best it can what it is you want to say and then you better be ready to respond quickly to how it is received.  Remember, in my world the slogan is: Every Word Matters, and it does.  Now, on top of making sure the message is right you have to make sure the delivery of that message is right as well.  A simple Press Release still has life in this world but the way it’s delivered has changed.

In a time that we even have ways to shorten a URL, which is crazy, you have to be mindful that you have less space and less time and less effectiveness than ever before to get your message out and to hope it has impact, but all is not lost, I assure you.

Timely message will always find their audience.  Well constructed and well crafted messages will always find an audience.  Passion and commitment to a message will always find an audience, and now more than ever being willing and able to continue to bring that message to your audiences in varied ways that will matter and have impact.

I have no fundamental problem with you posting that you are at the gym, or hanging out with friends.  I have no problem with you sharing family news or asking for prayers and support.  I think it’s awesome we have the ability to share and feel supported.  I think it’s great that even with all its anonymity the Internet has also creating loving and supportive communities, but that also means that those of you, and me for that matter, better be sure that when we do have something to share it matters because the same people who are eating at Joe’s Diner are now reading your message and even if they were not your intended target, they can end up being a part of your distribution system.  Who hasn’t shared a link to something just because you thought it was interesting even though it fundamentally had nothing at all to do with you, but you did it because you thought it was interesting and worth sharing?  We all have.

Something I wrote a few months back really caught the eye of someone in my network of people.  They in turn posted it to Twitter, of which they have a huge Twitter list.  In turn a few of those people who also had large lists and reposted and before I knew it I was inundated with mail and comments.  It was surreal but I was so thankful I wrote something that mattered to so many and that I had the foresight to write it honestly and sincerely.  It was an important lesson in Every Word Matters.

So as we continue to communicate, let’s be mindful of what our task is and who we intend to influence as it does matter greatly.  Information moves the way it moves and we actually have no control over it once we hit the post button.  Keep that in mind as much as you would when organizing a protest, getting carried into an awards show in an egg, or introducing legislation.  I love that we can communicate so quickly and effectively, but let’s try to do so responsibly because as quickly as something good can happen be mindful that the absolute opposite can happen as well.

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As the host of his own nationally syndicated radio programs for 15 years, Tony has interviewed over 25,000 guests and appeared as a guest on over 800 radio and national television shows. He founded of his own public relations firm and he went on to author two books and became a “go to” authority on a myriad of issues from weight loss to self empowerment; from politics to pop culture. His list of media training clients number over 2000, many of them well known celebrities and authors. He and enjoys of the challenge of helping people discover their voice.Tony is respected and well known for his honesty and willingness to do what it takes to get to a core message. He works tirelessly with his clients and advocates for his clients in finding the most passionate and profound tenets of their message and then giving them the tools to deliver that message. http://www.mediatraining.me