Management
Don't Let Sound Bites Obscure Meaningful Communications in Your Company
It's business, not show business
There is something magical about the well-crafted sound bite. It encapsulates an idea or creates an image and burns it into our memories. Politicians, the news media, advertising firms, and the entertainment industry use sound bites to make sure that we carry their messages with us -- consciously or unconsciously. And if the sound bite is good enough, we rarely question its validity. After all, it sounds so good that it must be true. Unfortunately, some companies adopt a sound bite style for internal communications that might be effective for Oprah, but that can ultimately lead to undesirable business results.
People with positional power can be a risky source of one-liners
Sound bites work so well in getting attention that business executives often resort to using them to "communicate" with employees. Sometimes the use of a short, memorable message can be very effective in getting people rallied around a valid business idea. However, more often than not, sound bites can have the unintentional effect of masking important information. And when someone with respect and positional power in an organization says something, it is less likely to be questioned. Just think TV advertising on steroids.
Sound bites lead to more sound bites
The style of communication in a company is usually set by its leaders. So if a CEO relies on sound bites to get his message across, he will soon find that his staff follows his example. That's when the fun begins. Now the CEO is getting information through well-placed sound bites, instead of more substantive dialogue. Since sound bites can be used to create powerful images of employees, clients, business prospects, etc., it's not unusual for the CEO to draw conclusions based on perceptions that are not entirely supported by facts. Needless to say, unless the CEO can get past the sound bites, his view of the world may be somewhat distorted.
Encourage questioning of assumptions to get at the heart of the story
You can get the positive benefit of sound bites and foster meaningful communications in your company at the same time. But you need to create an atmosphere that is conducive to questioning and discussion. You want people to remember your message, but you also want them to understand what's behind it. A sound bite can often mean different things to different people. If your goal is to create change and boost the growth of your business, then your people need to be able to reach behind the sound bites and feel comfortable that they understand and support the real message. Once that happens, you will see your team and your business flourish.
There is something magical about the well-crafted sound bite. It encapsulates an idea or creates an image and burns it into our memories. Politicians, the news media, advertising firms, and the entertainment industry use sound bites to make sure that we carry their messages with us -- consciously or unconsciously. And if the sound bite is good enough, we rarely question its validity. After all, it sounds so good that it must be true. Unfortunately, some companies adopt a sound bite style for internal communications that might be effective for Oprah, but that can ultimately lead to undesirable business results.
People with positional power can be a risky source of one-liners
Sound bites work so well in getting attention that business executives often resort to using them to "communicate" with employees. Sometimes the use of a short, memorable message can be very effective in getting people rallied around a valid business idea. However, more often than not, sound bites can have the unintentional effect of masking important information. And when someone with respect and positional power in an organization says something, it is less likely to be questioned. Just think TV advertising on steroids.
Sound bites lead to more sound bites
The style of communication in a company is usually set by its leaders. So if a CEO relies on sound bites to get his message across, he will soon find that his staff follows his example. That's when the fun begins. Now the CEO is getting information through well-placed sound bites, instead of more substantive dialogue. Since sound bites can be used to create powerful images of employees, clients, business prospects, etc., it's not unusual for the CEO to draw conclusions based on perceptions that are not entirely supported by facts. Needless to say, unless the CEO can get past the sound bites, his view of the world may be somewhat distorted.
Encourage questioning of assumptions to get at the heart of the story
You can get the positive benefit of sound bites and foster meaningful communications in your company at the same time. But you need to create an atmosphere that is conducive to questioning and discussion. You want people to remember your message, but you also want them to understand what's behind it. A sound bite can often mean different things to different people. If your goal is to create change and boost the growth of your business, then your people need to be able to reach behind the sound bites and feel comfortable that they understand and support the real message. Once that happens, you will see your team and your business flourish.