Full Force and Effect
Full force and effect is a popular expression used by many in the communication profession. The phrase implies that a particular statement has the weight of fact because of who, how or when the idea is presented. The result of such pronouncements is to create truth.

What is being consciously and unconsciously evaluated is the credibility of the presenter. Do we believe them to be honest? If Lee Iacocca, former president and chief executive of the Chrysler Corporation, were to stand in front of the new Le Baron convertible and say, “This car is what America is all about,” many people will believe the person, the product and the ideals being packaged. However, just as many people will be skeptical of his pronouncements because they understand that his goal is to sell cars. This is not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.

The essential credibility of anyone touting the virtues of a corporation, a product or an idea is constantly and continually being adjusted on a seesaw of believability and skepticism. Identifying and presenting individuals to articulate a particular point of view does not require that they be without a personal agenda — only that the agenda be acknowledged up front. Just because Iacocca wants to sell cars doesn’t mean that what he says is not true.

While a few corporate officers have become successful spokespersons, their credibility is based on themselves and not necessarily on the qualities of their products. When the end user of the product is permitted to testify to the performance of a product, they almost always receive the benefit of the doubt from audiences who sympathize with the presenter.

Selecting the most appropriate third-party voices can go a long way toward focusing attention on the virtues of a product rather than those of its presenter. The advertising campaign for Apple computers employs former and current PC users who have converted to Mac platform products because they are “easier and more fun to use.” These are real people, telling their own stories, in their own words. They are sincere and believable. Mac users are validated and even those committed to the PC-based computer platform are challenged to consider the ideas being presented.

Half-truths and out-and-out lies always will be part of the marketplace. Desperate organizations with inferior products or compromised agendas eventually will fail because promises must be supported by performance if there is any hope of a second sale.

If you are in a position to shape the promises of a product or an organization, it would be to your long-term benefit to present simple truths. State these truths in unambiguous language so they can be understood and owned. Use individuals and images that do not distract from your promises, but support them.

Success in business communication is about making a connection. Reaching both the heart and the mind of your audience is the goal.

Out of the Horse’s Mouth
Essex Two, along with Reynolds Communications, has produced the Bell+Howell annual report for the last seven years. The 1999 report begins to reposition the Bell+Howell Company from the manufacturer of mail-handling machines with a group of software products to its next transformation. The report focuses on markets across internal divisions and brands. The report also helped prepare the diverse annual report communities of Bell+Howell for restructuring the company into software and hardware groups to better serve their overlapping markets and customers.

The 2000 report marked the evolution of the Bell+Howell Company into the ProQuest Company with the sale of some groups and expansion of others. Markets are the key focus of the report. Customer satisfaction and dependency also were stressed.

The 2001 report completes the metamorphosis using dramatic testimonials from product end users with additional support of clear product and market advantage descriptions. Senior officers reinforced the message with enthusiasm and candor.

For more about please visit www.SX2.com/new5.html

One Plus One Equals Four.
When professor R.J. Peterson asserts that one plus one equals four, he is speaking in physics terms about the idea of coherence. This is the magnifying effect of one factor on another, amplifying and strengthening the group. Each piece of the total system reinforces the other parts of the system to form an integrated whole that is much more powerful then the sum of the parts.

The cumulative effect of consistently presented messages and images can deliver a powerful communication statement by the force and focus of its own momentum.

Books worthy of your time:
Good to Great, by Jim Collins from Harper

Next month:
How Much is an Idea Worth?