Last year I shared my Top 50 Communication Mantras. As I plan for 2012, I always look to my list to light a small fire of inspiration. As you look through this list, see what applies to your life or what you want to apply. Write your own list of business mantras, expertise, rules, etc. Whatever you do, make a list (short or long) of your goals and aspirations. Every so often read, revise, and contemplate…
Here are the Communication Mantras 2012 at The Chief Storyteller®. Think about this list and how it can help prompt new and fresh approaches to your individual storytelling, organization storytelling, branding, customer service, building relationships, training, professional development, recruiting and on-boarding, public speaking, all-hands meetings/town halls, website, 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
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 every day
50. Create your own success momentum
Mantras Over the Years
2011, 2012 (this post), 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Photography Source: Pexels
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