Lather. Rinse. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat…
You can never tell - or show - people enough times what you do.
One of my favorite YouTubers is Rick Beato, whose genius and enthusiastic reviews of music and musicians always makes me smile - even though I am a musical dunce.
(For those of you who don’t know about Rick, hop over to YouTube and find his channel full of videos. Start with this review of Chicago’s classic song, Make Me Smile.)
This week, Rick released a video (link below) about his shock to discover that so many of his mega-thousands of his subscribers never actually “got the point” about something absolutely foundational and obvious. Check it out:
WHAT?!? A bunch of subscribers did not know that Rick is a kick-a** guitar player?
Like Rick, at first I was shocked. Then, with a chuckle, I wasn’t. How could people miss something so obvious??
Because it’s never safe to assume that people have received, understood, and remembered the message.
My decades of experience in sales, marketing, and networking have convinced me that we humans, with our overloaded and distracted minds, have a nearly infinite capacity to misunderstand, and an incredibly finite capacity to derive the key point and remember it.
I’ve had the humbling experience of sitting down with people (one-on-one) who have been on my mailing list for years, people who have rubbed shoulders with me many times in a rather tight industry niche. And after exhaustively explaining who I am and what I do a million times in every public format imaginable, they ask: “So, Steve, what is it exactly that you do?”
And I’m supposed to be the freaking King of Clarity!!!!
Have you ever driven past a spot for years, and then suddenly you notice a house hiding back behind a couple bushes that you never “saw” all that time? Happens to me all the time. We miss stuff.
Now, I’ve watched Rick Beato’s videos for years. I saw and heard enough to understand that he is a skilled guitarist. But, as he gave a few samples of his chops in this most recent video, I realized….he actually hardly ever REALLY played during his videos! I had hardly ever SEEN his virtuoso talent!
And so, people didn’t “get” that he’s an awesome musician on the guitar, even with the obvious visual backdrop of multiple guitars in his studio.
Lesson: we need to see and hear the point. Often. Or, in our minds, it may not exist, as obvious as it seems.
Here are the takeaways:
Always have, and regularly REPEAT, a simple, distilled lead message that people can grasp immediately.
Don’t just say the thing you do, or imply it. Do it. Show it. Repeat it.
Assume that people will not process information and/or “get” the point - because you are a very small part of their universe and there are so many other competing messages.
Application:
I’m Steve Woodruff, the King of Clarity. I can help any professional develop a clear, memorable message in an hour (or less).
I’m Steve Woodruff, the King of Clarity. I can help any team or company develop a clear, memorable message quickly and affordably.
Also…
…if you’re looking for a skilled consultant to help you and your team win with clear communication, contact me.
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“There's so much noise out there with our messaging, and Steve has an incredible talent to help identify those key statements that define our purpose and our work. He graciously helped me create two statements ("memory darts") that have already brought so much clarity as to how I communicate as a speaker and author. I'm also greatly enjoying his book, ‘The Point.’" -Alicia Michelle, Author/Podcaster/Coach