The message that sticks

Every communication you send contains both an explicit message and an implicit one.

Whether you're training a staff member, reporting to your board, or appealing to your donors.

The explicit message is usually something like:

• Here's our standard procedure.

• Here's a summary of our status, strengths, and weaknesses.

• Here's how your donation helps.

But along with that comes an implict message.

How you handle questions and surprises.
Your reaction to push-back and challenges.
Your choice of analogies, incentives, and priorities.
Your underlying emotional state.

What can be surprising is this:

Long after the explicit message is forgotten, the implicit message sticks -- and pretty deeply, too.

Of course, if you're not careful, you can send a lot of implicit signals that contradict the good things you’re trying to say.

But if you're paying attention, you can communicate a lot of good things implicitly:

• I'm hopeful, and with good reason.

• I care about your interests.

• I think you're valuable, capable, and good.

• I actually believe the things that I’m saying.

Do that often enough, and you'll be building the culture you want to see.

Because culture isn't built only by what you say.

It's built by what people learn while you're saying it.

All the best,

A.