
To People That Want to Command Attention But Can’t Get Started
You can work on your Stage Communications skills.
You see, without attention, you can’t be an effective marketer. Or really effective at anything.
You may have the best product in the world, the best idea, the best service…but if you don’t have people’s attention, it doesn’t matter.
With trillions of channels out there, we are most certainly living in an Attention Economy, the likes of which we have never seen before.
It’s why studying the history of how attention is bought and sold can be really valuable for you.
It’s also why studying…and practicing…what you can do when you have the opportunity to earn attention is a critical skill for any marketer.
Which brings me to a fascinating conversation I had on Monday.
I met Fernando Johan, a lifelong student and modern day craftsman of Stage Communications.
In short “stage communications” is the combination of art and science of how you ensure you get your message across.
He’s written a beautiful piece on the idea of the “Epic,” which is something that all of us are on, but only some of us can tell.
I asked him for the Twitter/140 character version of “Best Practices for Stage Communication” and here’s what he said.
- There’s no recipe. If you try and follow his or mine or vice versa, it won’t work. You need to use your own style, but be prepared to iterate constantly.
- Pick ONE message. We all struggle with this. BEFORE you engage in a conversation, think long and hard about what you want people to know and remember. They won’t remember more than one thing. Do your prep work.
- Authenticity. If you like telling jokes, tell them. If you don’t, don’t force yourself. People think they have to match the situation too much and it hurts them because others intuit that they are holding something back. This hurts your ability to make an impact.
- Use media to support your story. Not vice versa. Pictures, props, tools, whiteboards, etc. These can be powerful augmentation devices, but they shouldn’t be crutches. You’re the main actor, they are the supporting actor. Keep that in mind.
- Structure your story. Think about the flow. How will it build to a crescendo? It reminded me of the classic Arc of Story paradigm. Most people don’t think about how to create the hero and the challenge. It’s worth the effort.
No matter whether you are a full-time marketer or storyteller, you engage in Stage Communications pretty much every day. If your success depends on getting and keeping the attention of others…and motivating them to action in some form, building these habits can make a big difference.
