Good news public affairs friends, PAOs are professional communication coaches. We coach our bosses and members of our organization to communicate effectively internally and externally. Often we are the ones who get to communicate on behalf of our organizations.
We communicate to connect. We connect to convey an idea or message. Seek connection and gain understanding, just like that.
Everyone has ticks and mannerisms. Literally everyone. To be honest, everyone does. It’s fine, the trick is to use them to your advantage or get rid of them.
Get rid of the ticks when they are distracting. Since your boss depends on you to help him communicate all you have to say is, “boss, you say literally a lot. And when you say it, it literally doesn’t make sense. You’re not in high school and it’s so freaking distracting I could literally shit. Let’s stop using it today.”
If it’s distracting from your message, just cut it out.
The graduate-level technique is to use this type of phrasing to connect with your audience. How good will it be if a 3 or 4 star uses a bit of informal language common to the audience? It can’t be so forced it’s unnatural. Being authentic while using informal, common language can be effective in connecting. The crowd will dig it.
This same idea goes with profanity and other such nonsense. Throw out a ‘shit’ or even a ‘fuck’ when appropriate to the audience. Never be offensive and always assume you’re being recorded but let the F bomb fly if the moment moves you, it’s natural and appropriate. Risky, I know.
This is about connection friends. This is about trust, This is about conveying an idea or message important to the security of our nation.
Now go and do likewise.
Photo by Maria Cavins
