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"Boss, isn't that the 15th time you told me to play it again?"
“You sound like a broken record”
Music to my ears.
Why am I so happy to hear this?
That means they heard me say it once before. Or even twice before. Or maybe, 14 times before.
They HEARD me.
Having fully immersed myself into the digital world, and all its distractions and multitasking, just to know that your teammates have heard something you said, and better yet, remember that you said it, is quite the accomplishment these days.
But that’s only step one – the remembering part. What a leader really needs is comprehension. And then, a resulting action that is a reflection of the proper “absorption” of the message.
How can that be done, and done well? By repeating things, repeatedly.
By repeating things, repeatedly.
Not everything – but a LOT of things.
My rule of thumb, which in my workplace I call “Terry’s Rule”, is that anything I really need folks to remember and understand I need to repeat around 15 times, on average, depending on how important the message is.
The trick, or science, to doing this is not so much saying the same thing over and over again, but packaging it in different ways, and in different forms.
And, most certainly, taking advantage of those same digital tools that make it so hard to communicate a message in the first place.
Because just hearing a message multiple times isn’t enough. It needs to be on your internal web site, and on posters on your walls, on screen savers, on coffee mugs – and even in your e-mail signatures.
Can this be overkill? Of course. But what I tend to see in a lot of places is a real reluctance to go as far as they should for this very fear. What leaders need to keep in mind in their messaging are concepts that are very similar to marketers and their messaging.
That is, just because you put something out there doesn’t mean everyone is even going to see it, or hear it.
That’s why we need to repeat things, repeatedly.
Think about it – how many times do you look at your internal web site, or company bulletin board, or actually pay close attention at staff or team meetings? There’s certainly an “open rate” involved, to use a marketing term.
And even if it’s heard (or read) the first time, or even the second time, how can you be sure if the message has really sunk in? Of course, one way is to ask – but how much time do we have to do that?
Just repeat things, repeatedly.
Don’t be afraid to hear those words.
“Oh no, there he goes again”
“He’s talking about that AGAIN”
Just repeat things, repeatedly.
Of course, if someone happens to finally walk up to you and exclaim, “Hey Terry, you can stop – you had me at hello”, let’s just say you probably hit your limit.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Music to my ears! Thanks for recognizing and sharing this important idea.
One of the most frustrating things for me to hear from a leader is, “I already told them, I don’t want to repeat myself.”
I like how you also mention different communciation formats and mediums – it’s not just a matter of parroting the same corporate jargon.
It’s been helpful for me to think in terms of three key areas: Clarity, Consistency, and Frequency.
Thanks!
I sometimes frustrate folks because time after time I repeatedly say the same things over and over again in a repetitive sort of way that seems to be similar each time. But at least I’m not redundant, right?
Seriously, though, I agree. We would do well to be more willing to repeat our messaging more often.
Brainwashing is effective marketing.
When I begin to feel as if I am repeating myself, I remind myself of a quote I once heard “If you think you are communicating too much, you’re probably communicating about right.”
Terry, I am forever the butt of office/business cracks about how much I explain things and how many words come out of my mouth. No one can ever accuse me of being ambiguous, because to hear others tell it, Scott explains this to death. Right to death! So in a world that doesn’t reward this ‘right amount of communication,’ but rather mocks it if even packaged in a ‘fun’ wrapper, I must admit to feeling a little more than a little self-aware when I start making with the banter. So yes, I too think that I am communicating to the proper degree, I also try hard to stay aware of the facial and verbal cues of my audience, so that when I sense they’ve left the station, I can adapt my game. Afterall, I don’t want to communicate to a degree that drives them away do I? Thank you for a terrific read. ~ Scott
I’d add, “and repeated in your actions.” If you really need employees to do something or behave in a particular way are you, first, demonstrating that behavior yourself and, second, recognizing and appreciating employees when they do — consistently, regularly and frequently?
To believe that everyone will glom onto your most recent glorious post immediately as you tweet about it is unrealistic. Bloggers should not be afraid to repeat announcements about posts. I think bloggers are so afraid of appearing overly self-promoting. Then they bemoan the lack of blog traffic.
Whether it’s being a leader, advertising, or your blog, repeating your message through multiple touchpoints reinforces your brand and influence.
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