We have various guides and templates in the office. Guides for writing blogs, articles, and tip guides. We have a brand guide for color, font, format, and logo use. What we don’t have is a consolidated list, in one place, of all our business mantras–the phrases, statements, aha’s, rules, etc.–that “guide” us as we create and deliver content, messages, and great business stories to you in our keynote programs and workshops; in our services; in our training; and in our coaching.
These business mantras serve as our mini roadmaps. Thus, the background image is of highway and a curvy highway at that. The curves represent the unknowns.
These are our top 50. Think about this list and how it can help prompt new and fresh approaches to communication inside and outside your organization.
Here are the Communication Mantras 2011 at The Chief Storyteller®. Think about this list and how they can improve your individual performance and organizational performance as they relate to your recruiting and on-boarding, all-hands-meetings/town halls, public speaking, website, conference presentations, relationship building, storytelling (individual and organization), training and workforce development, marketing and positioning, customer service, sales/outreach/development, social media, and so much more.
Personal Storytelling Mantras
1. People are at the heart of every great story
2. Use humor if you want to (New Yorker Cartoons)
3. Write in your authentic voice
4. Write and speak conversationally
5. Write emails as if they will be read on a smart phone
6. Stories are how people remember you.
7. Tell more personal stories with clear workplace messages
Brand & Organizational Storytelling
8. Promise a better tomorrow. We call this your Better Tomorrow Message™
9. Be memorable
10. Know your elevator speech / elevator pitch / mission statement (core business story)
11. Ensure your core business story is unified throughout all communication materials
12. Your brand story is everything
13. Success stories are key to differentiation
14. Deliver on the expected experience
Building Relationships
15. It’s all about them
16. Relationships matter
17. Business stories are the engine of relationships and relationships are the engine of continued success
18. Credibility is more important than expertise in the beginning of relationships
19. Send hand-written thank you notes, especially job hunters
20. Active listening is key to building great relationships
21. Treat everyone like a CEOTM
22. Stop listening to your Mother. Talk to strangers at networking events
23. It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you
24. Treat every client like your best client
25. Be a deliberate networker
26. Be a people bridge and make referrals
27. People crave connection
28. Be a mentor
29. First Impressions Make Lasting Impressions: offer a warm smile, firm handshake, and good eye contact
Marketing & Communication
30. Write to the 10th-grade level
31. Content is king
32. (Good) blog and article content matters the most
33. Ensure your audiences ask only “Interest Questions”
34. Content first. Design second
35. Always have a second person read your content before publishing
36. Design your website for your target audiences (not your staff)
37. Audiences are hungry for original thought-provoking content
38. Get yourself known (e.g., LinkedIn questions and answers, post to SlideShare, and Tweet good information)
39. Speak in headlines
40. Blogs are for sharing, educating, and inspiring…not selling
41. Inspire Action: facts do not persuade and inspire, people do
Personal & Professional Development
42. But is the worst word in the English language (and many other languages)
43. Words really, really, really matter.
44. Change is a choice
45. Be a whole body communicator
46. Have positive self-talk conversations.
47. Avoid fillers through more practice (e.g., um, ah, like, you know)
48. Be a deliberate communicator
49. Be a student everyday
50. Create your own success momentum
Business Mantras Over the Years
2011 (this post), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Photography Source: Unsplash
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