Antoni Lee’s blog

In our workshops, we identify the qualities participants want to convey to their audience. These qualities overlay, support and have the potential to EXTEND corporate and product brands. We get into the mechanics of how to achieve certain qualities.  Often such qualities are more esoteric, visceral and human than the typical corporate requirements.

Having and sticking to an agenda in media interviews requires skill. Poor performers grab control tools, but use them without subtlety and in a way that is unreasonable. Audiences quickly see through  such performances and often find them annoying. Great communicators have an agenda and show the public why that agenda matters.

Aristotle’s Art of Rhetoric remains a useful source of guidance on the framework of persuasion. Others, for example Professor Robert Cialdini, have added further useful guidance on the topic of persuasion. I’ve simplified and summarised Aristotle’s comments in this snippet.

Stay tuned for more…

Leaving aside the all-too-common worker idiocy…

1. Aaron Kwittken (see below) was wrong to call it social media terrorism. Social media sabotage seems more accurate: the miscreants were lacing pizza with snot, not arsenic or anthrax.

2. Does the current Domino’s situation constitute a crisis or an issue?

Crisis suggests a level of intensity and significance that’s not often warranted by circumstance. A crisis can put a company out of business. During a crisis, it’s not business as usual. Crises are turning points leading to fundamental, unprecedented action and change, followed hopefully by recovery. (On these levels, this could have been a crisis.)

Moreover, the word crisis wreaks of mayhem, attracting drama, adrenaline, extremity. These side-effects are  annoying and distracting. If they can be kept to a minimum, at least inside the organisation, management can get on with the job of fixing things.

So-called crises are sometimes merely issues (topics in debate) or incidents (isolated events).  Yes, people will call a thing what they will and crisis is no place for euphemism (see Sylvio Berlusconi on “camping weekend”). Correct diagnosis, then keeping the talks short and using the right words can soothe anxiety of staff, customers and others.

From the outside, a local Domino’s incident needed the speed and readiness of a crisis and the geographical treatment of an international issue. If Domino’s continue from here to show empathy, right action and transparency, they will recover.

Further Domino’s coverage and analysis

CNBC news video on the Domino’s story, including comments from communication consultants Robert Dilenschneider and Aaron Kwittken.

This Wall Street Journal blog offers a more granular review of how Domino’s mishandled then recovered the communication.

Aussie CEO’s too-long video response.

On overstating

Overstating is common in marketing and comedy–and it’s a communication trap. On a personal level, when we overstate, others eventually lessen their attention and belief in us and our message. On a corporate or organisational level, overstating can draw legal, regulatory or market ire if it crosses into the territory of false claims and dishonesty.

Robert Louis Stevenson said that when we know all a person’s adjectives, we have all his or her treasures.

In a media interview, speech or presentation, when a person overuses a word we accept that it’s out of habit and we bear with it. Perhaps he or she loves the word, ‘awesome,’ or ‘absolutely,’ and peppers the conversation with one of those words. When it goes on and on, we tune its meaning out. Overusing a word or phrase dilutes its power.

In another category of favourites, some words sound good when spoken. Words like absquatulate, crepuscular and sesquipedalian tumble nicely out of the mouth. Unfortunately when they land on people’s ears, the results may not be what we anticipated.

I’m all for music in language, but unless you’re William Faulkner, using obscure or overly long words can be a bad idea:

1. It can look like showing off.
2. It can embarrass people when they don’t know what one of your words means.
3. It makes of a fool of the speaker or writer who rushes in and misuses words.
4. It can be a long-winded, woolly, unnecessary substitute for a short, clear word.

Some rules of thumb:

1. Use words that express rather than impress.
2. Don’t use a word just because it sounds good. Use words in palette and context.
3. Use adjectives for specificity, not emphasis.
4. Don’t overuse a word or phrase. Repetition works best when it’s intentional and well-placed.

Many writers have useful things to say on this topic, including George Orwell, Mark Twain, William Zinsser and Sol Stein.