One of my colleagues is Sydney-based technology marketing guru Eric Phu. Helping me prepare for a presentation, Eric showed me this video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXAcwriid0]
The video parodies what happens when too many people have a say in a communication idea, before it even reaches the intended audience. The result is cluttered and diluted communication. After watching the video, I asked Eric what his take out from it was. Without hesitating, he said:
“It’s not what you put in, it’s what the consumer takes out that’s important.”
That’s gold. If you’re in a communication career, you probably know what it’s like to undergo frustrating review and approval processes. It’s common for content experts to push their views into communication arenas, and for communicators to capitulate. We do so often in the interests of keeping the peace, but often because we lack the skills to push back tactfully and convincingly.
Ann Wylie, in her great e-newsletter, Revving Up Readership, offers sound advice about how to streamline and improve approvals processes. She suggests for example, specifying more clearly (i.e. limiting) exactly the type of approval you’re looking for.
So, in the end, whose opinion counts? That’s right, the audience.
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