Virgin America creates a watchable safety video

You know those airline safety videos you watch carefully every time you take off on a flight? No, we don't watch them either!

To counter this problem, Virgin America created a safety video with a difference: It's entertaining! Watch it yourself and see:



This clever twist on the standard safety video taps into people's natural inclination to watch something interesting. Virgin asked the question, "How can we make this something people want to watch?"

How can you do the same thing in your message management? Even if you think it's interesting, your message might be boring, mundane, prosaic or humdrum to your audience? How can you make it interesting - even entertaining - for them?

Do Presidential Candidates Now Have to be on Facebook?

Less than two years ago, Facebook was an unknown little Web site for Harvard students. Now it's become so well-known and well-used that some people are questioning whether U.S. presidential candidates need well-constructed Facebook profiles!

Whether or not you agree with the writer's point of view, there's no doubt that positioning and public relations have changed in today's world. If you're not using today's technology to deliver your messages - and more importantly, if you're not using it well - you'll be talked about, but for all the wrong reasons.

Creating a sales video in PowerPoint

The technology to create a promotional video might seem expensive and out of reach of the average business. But you've probably got the technology already - and it's called PowerPoint.

PowerPoint expert Dave Paradi describes how to create a sales video using PowerPoint. You won't learn about the design of the message in Dave's article, but he does talk about the process of planning, producing and packaging your PowerPoint presentation in a form that's easy to distribute.

Stand out from the crowd on-line

We've recently conducted an interview with Colin Pearce for one of his audio programs. We were talking about getting business on-line, and in particular how to stand out from the crowd. In other words, if there are tens of thousands of businesses like yours on the Web, how do you make yours stand out from the rest?

The answer is: You don't! You're not competing with every other book shop, every other travel agent, every other financial planner, or whatever other industry you're in. They are not all fighting over the same customers and clients. Instead, know your particular niche - whether it's a niche by geography, demographics or motivation - and do your best to attract them.

This is crucial for effective message management. Don't aim for "everybody" - you'll reach nobody.

Reckoning With Risk, by Gerd Gigerenzer

The test for breast cancer is extremely reliable. It correctly detects breast cancer in 90% of cases when the cancer does exist, and only mistakenly reports it in 9% of cases when the cancer doesn't exist. The incidence of breast cancer in women is 1 in 100. Suppose you (or, for men, a woman close to you) take a test for breast cancer, and unfortunately it returns a positive result (i.e. it detects the cancer). What is the probability that you do have breast cancer? Would you be surprised to know it's just 10%? Not 90%, 99% or some other high number?

Another example: DNA testing on a murder weapon matches your DNA, and a forensic expert says there's only a 1 in 100,000 chance of that happening. Are you doomed? Would you be surprised to know that in a city of, say, 2 million people, this means you're 95% likely to be NOT guilty, based on that DNA evidence alone?

Do these examples surprise and confuse you? If so, take heart: They surprise and confuse most people - laypeople and experts (doctors and lawyers) alike. Unfortunately, this can have disastrous - sometimes tragic - consequences in law, medicine and other fields.

This is the sort of confusion that occurs when experts don't know how to present complex information in a clear way. It's a pity, especially when there are ways to present this simply - without being simplistic. Gigerenzer shows you how.

Getting Through to the Technical Buyer

When you're delivering a message in a sales presentation, the person receiving the message might not be the only person who you have to convince. Solution: Get in front of the "economic buyer" - the guy/gal who signs the cheques.

Easy, right? Wrong.

It's not always easy to get to that person directly. More importantly, it might not be enough to convince that person alone. They might have final authority on spending the money, but they'll take advice from others about the purchasing decision.

In addition to the economic buyer, you might face the user buyer (who'll actually use the product) and the technical buyer (who decides how the product will fit into the organisation's structure).

The technical buyer might in fact be the person you most have to convince. Online marketing company Enquiro Research has released a free report, Marketing to a B2B Technical Buyer, which gives detailed ideas and guidelines for marketing to this species.

This is one of the best free research reports you'll ever read. Visit their site and download it now.

Mattel's CEO sends mixed messages

Last year, toy manufacturer Mattel recalled two products because of safety concerns. Mattel's CEO Robert Eckert apologised in person. But was it sincere? See for yourself in Holly Buchanan's article, and consider how you would feel as a concerned parent.

Was the message for parents (as Eckert claims) or for investors? If it was for parents, why did Mattel take out ads in the Wall Street Journal (as well as regular newspapers)? And why didn't they take out any ads after the first recall? Was it a sincere apology, or just a publicity stunt?

Be consistent with your messages. If you only care about your shareholders and investors, say so. It might sound heartless, but at least it doesn't sound slimy.

Great CEOs are corporate heroes using story to let us see the world through their eyes

That title is a quotation from Marshall Goldsmith's interview of Robert Dickman, who teaches executives how to communicate using stories. He summarises the five key elements of any story:

1. The PASSION with which it is told.
2. A HERO that leads us through the story and allows us to see it through his eyes.
3. An ANTAGONIST or obstacle that needs to be overcome.
4. A moment of AWARENESS that allows the hero, and us, to prevail.
5. And the TRANSFORMATION that naturally results.

If you're in a strategic leadership position, are you tapping into the power of stories to convey your messages?

Rachel Green's media tips for speakers

When delivering a message as an expert, it's important to be credible and authoritative. One of our colleagues, Rachel Green, has published a list of 10 media tips for professional speakers. Use this checklist before any media opportunity, to ensure you create the best impression.

It's easy to be believed when you're an "authority"

A Washington Times article points out that U.S. congressional committees are swayed by the opinions of experts, even when the experts' research is based on poor science or junk science. The power of authority is so strong that - even when it's built on dubious foundations - ordinary people believe your authority, not the facts.

This is not to say that you should deliberately mislead people, just because you're in a position of authority. Far from it. But do be aware that people view your authority as a shortcut to your credibility. So don't feel that you have to justify every little thing and every tiny detail. Your position gives you subconscious authority in your audience's mind. Don't abuse it, but don't overlook it either.

Peer Influence Used to Stop Anti-Social Behaviour

The University of Kentucky is taking a new approach to reduce the problem of violence against women on campus: Social proof.

Its The Violence Intervention and Prevention Center is no longer relying on traditional methods, such as one-time programming and awareness campaigns - which have been shown to be ineffective. Instead, they are focusing on teaching people how to take the initiative in group situations, and become more active in taking action, rather than relying on somebody else in the group to go first.

This is an application of the Social Proof principle: In a group situation, people naturally look to others for cues to take action. It takes a concerted effort to educate them to act differently.

Web 2.0 Overview

What is "Web 2.0", and what does it mean for delivering your messages on-line? In this brief presentation, Satyajeet Singh gives you an overview of the main concepts:

The key is that Web 2.0 is about community, collaboration and participation. You can no longer rely on strangers finding you and trusting you. Build trust and prove you're an expert before they visit your Web site.

How to report scientific research to a general audience

Dave Munger, co-author of the "Cognitive Daily" blog, published an excellent article about reporting scientific research to a general audience.

This article is a good example of how highly technical information can be presented to a general audience with clarity. His tips assist scientists to design a powerful message, by being really clear about what is to be presented.

His eleven tips are:

1. Find interesting research
2. Show why it's interesting first
3. Let the research speak for itself
4. Don't include details that are only relevant to scientists
5. Don't use scientific jargon
6. Tell a story
7. Visuals need the same treatment as words
8. Keep it concise
9. Cite your sources
10. Don't overstate your case
11. Have fun!

For example, Tip 5 highlights how you can increase the clarity of your article by eliminating unnecessary language that the audience doesn’t need to understand. He also has some interesting comments on how to deliver a technical message in a way that appeals to a general audience (eg; including stories, establishing authority by citing sources etc).

Although his article is written for an academic audience, it's highly relevant for anybody delivering a complex message. You'll find that all his guidelines apply just as well in a corporate, business or personal context.

The Intuition Myth

There's a popular conception that intuition, gut feel and "seat of the pants" thinking is a key factor in innovative business thinking. But in their special report, "The Power of Intuition - And Why It’s the Biggest Myth in Business Today", authors Kevin J. Clancy and Peter C. Krieg debunk this myth. They argue that it's rare for hunches alone to lead to success, and that the myth has grown because it's the rare successes that get the most publicity.

Download your copy of their report here.

Clancy and Krieg argue passionately for the importance of proof, not just guessing, in making decisions ("personal judgement and unimpeachable data", as they put it). The same applies to your message management. By all means, use your opinions, hunches, intuition and gut feeling in developing your ideas; but support them with a solid foundation of facts, data and research.