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Excerpts from Chapter 15. Burners: Explain, Simplify,
Reinforce Points
(In a
previous chapter we agreed that the term metaphor would mean any comparison
that conjures up a visual in your listener's mind, including
analogies.)
When Sallie
Krawcheck accepted a job of CEO at Smith Barney, following a series of
conflict-of-interest problems at the company, many doubted she could restore
customer credibility. Krawcheck assured shareholders she was up to the
task. "The public," she explained, "is like a jilted lover. It's
going to take some time to win them back."
Her
metaphor worked on many levels. Without using the term "betrayed,"
Krawcheck nonetheless articulated how Smith Barney clients felt in the wake of
recent revelations. Instant forgiveness, as with an ex-lover, was not
likely. Additionally, however, her jilted-lover metaphor shows that she
is acknowledging the company's responsibility as jilter, the one who ruined the
relationship -- surely the first step toward reconciliation. Finally, the
utter frankness of her comparison leads us to believe that whatever subterfuge
and evasion preceded her arrival as CEO is history. Krawcheck fully
embraces the challenge of rebuilding trust.
In short,
with her incisive analogy, this CEO deftly avoided a potentially labored
explanation -- one which might have cast further doubt on her abilities -- and
instantly quelled investor anxiety.
For it
is with words as with sunbeams -- the more they are condensed, the deeper they
burn
More Words, More Confusion
In any pitch or presentation, no matter what you're selling or
advocating, explanations are inevitable. Perhaps you must explain how you
differ from the competition; perhaps not everyone is familiar with the service
or product you provide. Or perhaps you've got a breakthrough process or
technology that's quite complex. Conversely, maybe the action you're
suggestion to your audience is so obvious and straightforward you need to
explain why they haven't thought of it before. Sometimes, you need to
explain a fine difference between two apparently similar things. Or -- and this
is where Sally Krawcheck found herself -- you need to explain how you're going
to fix something that's broken, that perhaps you broke.
So you
explain. You go into great detail. You offer up everything you
know, you use the right terminology, you explain the terminology, you leave no
stone unturned. It takes time, but you're in earnest.
Any yet, It
seems, the more you talk, the less people listen. Or they listen but they
don't understand. Or they understand so completely they tune you
out. The more they drift, the more earnestly you explain... and the
further they drift.
Explanations needn't involve a lot of words.
Explanations that simply train-car adjectives or string together descriptions
("it's back-loaded collateralized emerging-market structured debt") compound
the listener's confusion or boredom. Explanations that go on and on about
how a screw-up occurred don't minimize the mistake; they draw attention to
it. The less said, the better -- provided each word you choose triggers
in your listener's mind a host of relevant and revelatory
associations.
He who speaks well fights well.
--proverb
That's
where metaphor and analogy come in: With an apt comparison, you can familiarize
the unknown, simplify the complex, reveal new twists in the straightforward,
and refine hard-to-see differences. You can dig yourself out of a hole;
you can mold perception before it sets against you. The well-chosen
metaphor focuses understanding instead of allowing it to diffuse. The
perfect analogy crystallizes meaning in a visual, intuitive, emotionally
poignant way that pierces through resistance to lodge permanently in your
listener's brain.
Define a Problem
People in the dot-com world tend to have short attention spans. The
ability to explain something succinctly is expected. Online media
consultant Doug Weaver recognized that when he nailed the depressed dot-com
advertising problem as it existed in early 2003.
So this
is what it is right now. Even as the online advertising industry
continues to make really smart moves, as we develop capabilities that are
reshaping marketing as we know it, we're constantly reminded of our most
notable -- and visible --shortcoming: the advertising environment. It's a
bit like the story of Cyrano de Bergerac: the guy speaks amazing verse, but
can't catch a break because of that gargantuan shnozz.
Drive it Home.
What
you are proposing may not require an analogous explanation; what you're
explaining may not be difficult to understand once you've laid out your
data. But the more obvious your argument, the more imperative it becomes
to imbed it deep in the consciousness of your listener with a pointed
comparison.
Alan Weiss,
founder of Summit Consulting Group, is in the business of providing management
consulting services to senior executives in Fortune 500 companies. When
it comes to cutting costs during an economic downturn, he argues persuasively
against reducing training budgets, one of the first items usually slashed in
tough times, with this metaphor: "No sports team, after a mediocre season says,
'let's cut back on our coaching staff, our training, and our exercise
facilities to save money--that should help us for next year.'" Hard to
argue that!
Minimize an Attack
Fending off barbs by an annoying competitor who is spreading what you believe
are untruths about your performance, what would you say to neutralize the
attacks? If you were the White House feeling some heat from Michael
Moore's anti-Bush movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" and wanted to minimize its importance
as well as avoid getting dragged into discussion about it, you attempted to
minimize both Moore and the film by saying "The eagle doesn't talk to a
fly."
Soften the Blow
Some
explanations must not only provide an answer but also change an attitude.
Krawcheck had to diffuse anger and calm shareholder jitters about her answer
about rebuilding her firm's reputation. CEOs and political leaders are
forever having to wrap their message in diplomacy, as they're the ones hired or
elected to fix the really thorny problems. The best communicators among
them know that the metaphor is:
- the best
way to mold public opinion before it has hardened against them and
- the
easiest way to disarm an audience ready to attack.
Former
President Bill Clinton is an acknowledged master communicator. After his
talk at the 2004 World Business Forum in NYC on Global Affairs, a member of the
audience of 4,000 asked "In light of current events (the Iraq war), how can the
US regain favor in the eyes of the world?" Though not a political event,
the forum was probably better attended by Republicans than Democrats.
Clinton thought for a moment then answered, "Like my Mama always said, 'If you
want to have a friend, you have to be a friend.'" That set
the tone; just the word Mama disarmed the Bush/Iraq policy-backers in the
audience. Clinton then went on to outline specific strategies the US
could take to regain its stature worldwide. And, as I looked around Radio
City Music Hall where the event was held, even the Republicans were listening
because he'd forced them to drop their guard first.
Summary
- When it
comes to explanations, quality of expression beats quantity of
words.
- Comparisons to the known and loved make the unknown
familiar and desirable.
- Simple
analogy can make the highly technical easy to grasp.
- The
obvious can be made memorable; subtle distinctions can be made obvious.
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