Reporters might end an article when they’ve run out of information, but composers don’t end symphonies when they’ve run out of notes.
How much attention are you paying to the way you end your engagements? What is fresh in your audience members’ minds as you walk away?
Like any good PAO, we’re involved in our command’s engagement strategy as communication pros. Here’s what we saw: the standard distinguished visitor engagement kicked off with a greeting from the senior officer, and maybe a quick introductory office call. Your unit may do something similar.
With the important content front loaded, we found that the final moments of these engagements sucked. The least important discussions would happen last, and then the visitor—an important decision maker and stakeholder—would roll out, often late and unceremoniously.
The organization would spend all day setting the ball, then forget to spike it.
So, let’s try to spike the ball. Try planning for those final moments, rather than simply letting them happen. Put your commander’s office call at the end of the schedule, to review the visit’s content, reinforce key messages and set the stage for a follow-up. Or, if the visitor spent time with a few different groups over the course of a day, plan a short final discussion with reps from each group to tie together one overarching theme.
You know this isn’t just about visitors.
I worked with a senior civilian PAO who sat quietly in on meetings between reporters and staff subject matter experts. He gave the participants space to learn and discuss. Near the end of the meeting, he’d lean in and deliver one line, carefully crafted to capture the big picture in a newsworthy way. Consistently, his one line was the article’s headline. I guess it resonated, and the reporter would walk away with it on their mind.
When my team briefs the commander and organization, we consider ways to set and spike our message in a way that resonates. For instance, one team member will discuss what’s in the news, then pass the mic over to another team member (often the PAO) to double down on what the news means for our resources, authorities or support. Sometimes, when the commander or another staff member talks about the news before we get a chance, I trust my team to act off their “set” by spiking the audience with one level deeper, relevant insight. Other times, I’ll “set” the message by introducing a topic, then cue a leader in the room to double down with command emphasis.
When we communicate, we want the audience walking away with one thing on their mind. Make it the last thing you say, say it well, confirm understanding, then drop the mic.
(Photo by Trevor Cokley, DVIDS)
