
How much do you self-reflect? As an organization and as an individual? At The Chief Storyteller®, we firmly believe both are necessary for growth and success. What can we do differently or do better.
Part of this reflection is to look at our Top 50 Communication Mantras 2019. We’ve published this list since 2011 (see below for links to the other years).
Roads are a great metaphor for life, especially a curvy one. Whatever road you are on, there will be twists and turns. We want to be prepared.
Look at the list below. What resonates? What might you change/revise as it relates to both your organization and yourself?
Areas to consider include town hall meetings and all-hands-meetings and town hall meetings, website, talent development/workforce development and training, social media sites (e.g., LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), customer service, conference presentations and public speaking, organization storytelling and individual storytelling, sales/outreach/development, marketing and positioning, recruiting and on-boarding, and so much more.
Personal Storytelling Mantras
- People are at the heart of every great story
- Stories are how people remember you
- Use humor if you want to (New Yorker Cartoons)
- Write in your voice, your authentic voice
- Write and speak conversationally
- Write emails as if they will be read on a mobile device
- Tell (more) personal stories in business
- Ensure your personal stories have a clear business message (your Better Tomorrow MessageTM)
- Stories are the currency of business
Brand & Organizational Storytelling
- Feelings fuel action
- Promise a better tomorrow. We call this your Better Tomorrow Message™
- Know your elevator pitch / mission statement – it’s part of your culture / your organization’s DNA
- Unify your elevator pitch / mission statement throughout all communication materials
- Your brand story is everything
- Success stories / Past Performance are key to differentiation
- Deliver on the expected experience, what you say in your Promise a Better TomorrowTM (see #10)
Relationships
- Treat everyone like a CEOTM
- It’s all about them
- Business stories are the engine of relationships and relationships are the engine of continued success
- Credibility is more important than expertise in the beginning of relationships
- Active listening is key to building great relationships
- Stop listening to your Mother. Talk to strangers at networking events
- It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you (think LinkedIn)
- Treat every client like your best client
- Be a deliberate networker
- Be a mentor
- Be genuine (people crave genuine connection)
Marketing & Communication
- Write to the 10th-grade level
- Ensure your audiences ask only “Interest Questions“
- Content first. Design second
- Inspire Action: facts don’t persuade and inspire, people do
- Audiences are hungry for original, thought-provoking content
- Think like a Thought Leader. Get yourself known (e.g., LinkedIn updates, SlideShare posts, and Tweet good information)
- Speak in headlines
- Maintain a detailed Ideal Target Profile/Persona for your key target audiences
Social Media Communication
- Treat everyone respectfully
- Remember and assume…anything posted on social media is forever
- Social communities are built on personal and business stories
- Content is king
- (Good) blog and article content matters more than lots of content
Personal & Professional Development
- Be a student every day
- But is the worst word in the English language (and many other languages)
- Words really, really, really matter
- Have positive self-talk conversations
- Change is a choice
- Create your own success momentum
- Be a whole body communicator
- Avoid fillers (um, ah, like, you know)
- Be a deliberate communicator
Mantras Over the Years
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 (this post)
Photography Source: The road is the Stelvio Pass. It is a mountain pass in northern Italy bordering Switzerland. Source: Picjumbo
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