Tom Asacker

Feelings first

"We are not thinking machines that feel; rather, we are feeling machines that think." - Antonio Damasio

My youngest daughter is a communication major at college. A few weeks ago we had a phone conversation about some follow-up letters she was writing for potential interships. I listened quietly as she recited her professional and carefully crafted correspondence.

"Does that sound right?" she asked. "How about that?"

You know what? She hit all of the right notes. Unfortunately, communication is not about hitting the right notes. It's about hitting the right emotional chords.

As we age, our rational and egocentric adult minds become more and more obsessed with how we're perceived instead of how others feel. We want everything to appear just right, to convey our intelligence and competence.

This is especially the case in the serious work of business, where our superrational colleagues are surprised by marketplace success stories which appeal to people's feelings first and foremost.

Technique doesn't win hearts and minds. Intent does.

When I left the world of consulting a little over ten years ago to focus on writing and edutainment, my communication major daughter was then a wide-eyed, egoless being of light.

Here's an email she wrote to me when I was away giving a speech in Reno, Nevada (yeah, I kept it). An email that's a perfect example of "expressive communication" (See Chapter 1 of Opportunity Screams):

Hey Daddy I miss you a real lot you are in Rino right now and for some reason I miss you more than usual so i right this with all the love in my heart!!!!!!!!

*Love you soo much*   

*andie*

 
P. S. i thought you would like this smiley i found it shows you that even though i miss you i am doind what you like me to do smile!!!!!!!

What a mess, right? Fragmentary sentences. Spelling errors. Problems with structure and punctuation. And, in this case, absolutely irrelevant. What was relevant, what came through loud and clear, was the intent - the communicated feelings and the implied relationship.

There are other components of her email that make it a compelling piece of communication: it's conversational; it begins by revealing an inner feeling; it mentions the positive feelings she experiences when she thinks of me; she uses her own, authentic voice; she adds details (the smiley face) to convey what she remembers about our time together. All of which are driven by her intentions, which help to make her feelings ring true.

The same applies to all of your communication. Whether it's a sales talk, a speech, a direct mail piece, an email, or a presentation to your Board, simply being grammatical and logical in one's communication is woefully inadequate today. You must do something different to win hearts and commitment in this age of disillusionment and distrust. Something many have lost focus of during these fearful, transactional times.

You must slow down. You must focus on others and their feelings. You must genuinely care.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and to those dear to you.

You can't optimize your way to success

I was skimming a recent AdAge article titled, The New Normal for CMOs: 10 Changes That Will Continue to Affect the Top Marketing Job Going Into 2011, when I was struck by what's glaringly obvious yet strangely missing from the author's angle. In fact, I've noticed this BIG assumption over and over again, with SMBs, independent professionals, NPOs, and even global brands.

You know what it is. I'll prove it to you by asking a simple question: Does the world, does your community, do you need another restaurant, insurance provider, convenience store, radio station, credit card, or auto dealership? I doubt it. On the other hand, would you like a more exciting, transparent, cooperative (look it up) and relevant one of each. No doubt.

So why isn't it the CMO's job to drive that initiative? Why are CMOs relegated to communicating the organization's ho hum "value proposition" or optimizing dollars spent on this and that? And if it's not the CMOs job, then whose job is it?

I've got news for you: You can not communicate or optimize your way to success (although many sure are trying desperately hard to do so). Marketplace success is achieved by using your unique skills and enthusiasm to add value and happiness to the lives of others.

Which makes me extremely curious: What's holding back most CMOs? Why the obsession with tactics, and the apparent disregard for strategic thinking and action? Why does culture take a back seat to communication?

As Tom Peters frequently points out, "If not you, who? If not now, when?"

P.S. Isn't it ironic? The category heading for that AdAge article is "CMO Strategy."

"Please don't write another book."

That sentiment was conveyed to me over a year ago by an overwhelmed executive of a Fortune 50 company after he asked what I was "up to" and took in my reply, "Working on a new book."

"Please don't write another business book," he implored. "There are way too many. We simply don't have time to read and digest them."

By "we," I took him to mean busy entrepreneurs and executives of all stripes. He then said something, tongue-in-cheek, that helped inform my latest work:

"Do a movie instead."

He was joking but I thought long and hard about his remark, a perspective that was grounded in the reality of our times. And so . . . I changed.

"If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare." — Mark Twain

I went back to my manuscript and ripped out everything that failed to add insight and meaning, and then . . . I cut it down again.

"It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book." — Friedrich Nietzsche

I couldn't say what I needed to say in ten sentences, but I did bring it in under 150 pages. It was tough. It took a long time.

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." — Marcus Tullius Cicero

Also, informed by my audience's insight, I removed words and added "movies" (videos to be more precise). At the end of each short chapter is a series of questions to ask yourself about your idea. Within those questions are highlighted keywords. Type a highlighted keyword into the search box at www.opportunityscreams.com, and it will launch a short video on the topic at hand.

"The more you say, the less people remember. The fewer the words, the greater the profit." — François Fénelon

I want you to remember the model, to embrace this new way of looking at your idea in relationship to the mindsets and feelings of your audience.

Rather than writing a thick book, I sensed you'd prefer a thin one with the option to dive into more engaging and valuable content when the opportunity best suits you and your team.

Ideas come from insights. Insights come from one's audience. Will you know for sure if your audience will embrace your new ideas prior to launching them? Absolutely not.

Launch them anyway.

How to peel a banana

I had a fun and interesting discussion with media strategist, and all around nice guy, Mark Ramsey earlier this week about my new book, Opportunity Screams.

Mark recorded our chat, which touched on everything from the Gap's new logo design and why successful people "feel" the future, to the best way to peel a banana and why everyone does it the wrong way. 

I also sang a little Dylan. :)

Tom Asacker Interview