The Articulate CEO

Not A Hero - Lest We Forget

 

The ANZAC Day march was over - the old Digger had done his best.
His body ached from marching - it was time to sit and rest. 
He made his way to a park bench and sat with lowered head.
A young boy passing saw him - approached and politely said,
"Please sir do you mind if I ask you what the medals you wear are for?
Did you get them for being a hero, when fighting in a war?"

Startled, the old Digger moved over and beckoned the boy to sit.
Eagerly the lad accepted - he had not expected this!
"First of all I was not a hero," said the old Digger in solemn tone,
"But I served with many heroes, the ones that never came home.
So when you talk of heroes, it's important to understand,
The greatest of all heroes gave their lives defending this land.

"The medals are worn in their honour, as a symbol of respect.
All diggers wear them on ANZAC Day - it shows they don't forget."
The old digger then climbed to his feet and asked the boy to stand.
Carefully he removed the medals and placed them in his hand.
He told him he could keep them - to treasure throughout his life,
A legacy of a kind - left behind - paid for in sacrifice.

Overwhelmed the young boy was speechless - he couldn’t find words to say.
It was there the old Digger left him - going quietly on his way.
In the distance the young boy glimpsed him - saw him turn and wave goodbye.
Saddened he sat alone on the bench - tears welled in his eyes.
He never again saw him ever - but still remembers with pride,
When the old Digger told him of Heroes and a young boy sat and cried.

 

Clyde Hamilton

 

Lost In Translation - Dealing With A Multicultural Workforce

Communication is always tough but it's even tougher when your workers don't speak your language.  With an increasingly diversified workforce, organizations have to recognize that English as a second language is a potential problem. Many of our employees have very important skills, but they don't necessarily communicate in English well. Whatsmore, managing workers who don't speak English as their first language is tricky. Don't deal with it properly, and you risk problems ranging from poor customer service to diminished productivity to poor morale.

Many CEO's see themselves as an accessible, available, good communicator but that belief is often delusional when it comes to the language barrier. If you only speak English but half your workforce hail from China, Malaysia, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Iraq or Serbia then pretty much none of what you have relied on in the past for your communication is likely to work. 

If you have a multicultural workforce then it is important to find members of that workforce who can fulfill management posts. The truth is no matter how much you think talking more slowly and loudly helps it doesn't and you are going to need translators. It is not enough to understand the language you have to understand the cultural barriers that come with it. People from within your workforce are best placed to do that and can give you valuable feedback on how to approach communication issues.

The favoured Western communication method of large, open meetings is not a good idea with multicultural workforces either. If you ask if everyone understands the information, they will all nod out of politeness. If you ask for questions, you won't get any for fear of embarrassment given the differing levels of English practised within the room.

Instead, have meetings with small groups of workers who have similar English skills so that nobody feels intimidated about asking questions. Have your translators at every meeting, and ask those managers of yours to check in daily.

The result will be much more detailed feedback from your employees on everything from policy changes to individual career goals. Plus, the new language sensitivity will be a massive boost for company morale.

It's The Way I Tell 'em!

Just for fun here are the two Ronnies showing us all just how easy it is for communication to go wrong. Enjoy!

 

The Concept of Attention Economics

The story goes that in the 1920’s the great Ernest Hemingway sat around a table of fellow writers and bet them that he could write a story in just six words. Laughing at his audacity they hastened to take his bet. Hemingway quickly wrote six words on a napkin and passed it around the table. The words were: “For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn.”

Hemingway’s story was complete. It had a beginning, middle and an end. Needless to say, he won the bet.

Whether it happened or not we will never know but the Hemingway story makes an important point - you do not need pages of writing to tell a story.

But does it matter?

You can argue that brevity has always mattered and that getting and holding someones attention has always been vital to getting your message across. In the modern world, however, it is even more vital. The attention spans of people are becoming shorter and shorter as they have to juggle, sort and process the overabundance of information that characterises the modern world. Now, more than ever, if your message is too long and too hard, you will lose people.

In 1971 Herbert Simon, a professor from Carnegie Mellon University was one of the first to articulate the concept of attention economics when he wrote:

“…in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it”

Next time you write a message, whether it is for web content, marketing collateral or an email, remember that in order to gain someone’s interest, you first need to gain their attention. If they like what you have to say, they will trade their attention for your information. You may even be surprised by how much it can play on their minds...

'For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn.'