The great American poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou summed-up the idea of effective messaging perfectly when she said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Messaging is about magical stories that paint a picture of exceptionality in our minds. It’s sort of like the movie “Big,” starring Tom Hanks. After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy version of Hanks wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult. Hanks ends up working for FAO Schwarz, in Manhattan, the oldest toy store in the U.S. There is a scene where one of the toy designers is making a pitch for a new toy that is a building that transforms into a robot. Hanks politely raises his hand as if he were in middle school (which is reality he was) and says, “I don’t get it! It transforms from a building into a robot. So, what’s fun about that?” Hank’s character was able to put himself in the shoes of a child playing with the toy, because he could relate. He knew how they felt because he was one of them.

That is the key to effective messaging. You must know your audience, and then relationally focus on what resonates with them. The most ineffective messaging is that of just promoting your goods and services without any consideration for the people on the receiving end. Effective messaging requires doing your homework. It’s amazing how often we see leaders and managers who haven’t taken the time to diligently understand what’s important to their team members, clients, and partners. Doing so requires a heightened sense of awareness and a keen interest in others. Author Norman Vincent Peale of the mega hit, “The Power of Positive Thinking” said, “To be successful is to be helpful, caring and constructive, to make everything and everyone one you touch a little better.” 

At globalstar, we are committed to being the best at what we do. This begins with our allegiance to people. It’s as simple as that... I’m proud of the fact that we are resolute in putting people first. This is an inside out experience where we begin with our team members, who in turn treat our valued clients and partners with the appreciation and respect they deserve. This way of operating isn’t something that just happens. It takes a day in, and day out commitment to being exceptional. 

Many of us remember the days before there were smartphones and the Internet. Where the majority of communication was face-to-face. Now, most of it is digital, via emails, texts, and programs like Zoom and Teams. I don’t have a problem with this newer technology advancing in the world at all. As long as we make sure to balance the real world with the virtual world.

Whenever I hear people refer to influencers or when observing those who seem obsessed with their personal branding, I can’t help but remember the Y2K bubble and how there were these darling companies who were in-vogue at the time. Where you had all these vaporous companies with insane valuations based on potential and speculation. What’s crazy is that most of these companies never made a penny and lost their shareholders millions. Where are these companies now? We all know. The bubble burst and poof they were gone! 

When I think about messaging in today’s world, I go back to my comment about the real world vs. the virtual world. Essentially, finding a way to message a combination of what has been referred to as the New World Order with the simplicity of Brick and Morter. Almost like combining Wall Street with Main Street, allowing businesses to combine the timeless wisdom of the past with the technological advancements of today. 

So, how do we thread this needle? I think of it as an inside out proposition. Where the timeless wisdom is what you use to solidify your internal messaging program as the basis for executing using the latest and greatest technology intracompany wide. It’s certainly a balancing act and assuredly the exception to pull off, but it can be done. Also, if you lean too heavily in one direction or another whether it be real world or virtual, you will likely miss the mark. If you are looking for sustainability, then building your messaging on a balanced foundation is a must.

Once you achieve this, you are then ready to roll out your messaging program because everyone intracompany-wide is on the same page. They know the greater message, whatever that may be, and then focus on the goal at hand. Most companies fall flat in their messaging because they’re all over the road, it’s sort of a free-for-all. How many times have you seen an ad or a commercial and wondered what the product is, who the company is, what they do, and what point they are trying to make? 

An inside out approach begins with a leadership’s commitment to the mission at hand. Plus, it’s never about the leaders themselves. It’s about the people and company they represent. Timeless messaging is determined by a cohesive effort on all fronts. When you think about how often each person within an organization touches the outside world, it only makes sense that this army of messengers comes armed with a holistic message that is in alignment with the company’s strategy. 

Of course, there are those who would probably think of me as old school and that the virtual world is the real world. To each their own, but I have a feeling if we were to flip things over beginning with people using virtual reality instead of our current evolutionary flow that we would likely come full circle, inversely ending up face-to-face communication again. Basically, don’t feel like you must recreate the wheel when forming a messaging campaign.