I just listened to your latest podcast and what a great reminder. Not just the standard, “know your audience” but also a throw back to Marshal McLuhan’s “The message is the medium”.

So often we forget these tenets in our communication – regardless of the content. How often could leadership have been more effective if the leader had first stopped to consider their audience and how they will receive the message? People have wide variations. The effective communicator / leader takes those variations into account and adjusts their message to maximize its receptivity.

-Karl

To your point near the end of the episode #24 on utilizing language that your audience will understand, not only is your use of language vs. jargon important for getting your message across to the audience, but also for the audience to be able to continue to communicate with their networks.

There was a PR person from Zap Electric cars on CBC this morning discussing the federal gov’t decision to license electric as off-road utility vehicles (grounds keeping, maintenance etc) - http://tinyurl.com/648hq9. The spokesperson was trying to get the message across that these vehicles are also great for quick runs to the grocery story or the office, if only the gov’t would allow it. Unfortunately, she didn’t say that phrase once.

She was using jargon such as “multi person urban roadways” and “optimal battery capacity to facilitate urban setting transport” instead of just getting to the meat of the issue and saying “Look, these electric trucks we’re making are great for a run to the corner store on a normal street and we’re getting the the point where they can go 50 km/h like a normal car. We need you to help us lobby the various provincial and federal agencies to get these things on the road”

Not only that, but by using jargon, she minimized that ease at which someone could start up say a Facebook group, or mention it on their podcast, because first, they’d have to deciphers the message she was spewing in order for any audience to make sense of it.

I’ll look for an audio clip tomorrow on the CBC site and post it here if I find it - it’s pretty hilarious.

Have a great day,

B