“Remember… Communication is Never About…”

I read a story yesterday about Bill Clinton and how he outplayed George Bush in a 1992 debate.

During the debate, a woman asked the candidates how they would handle the economic crisis and how it affected lives.

Bush answered with logic and opinions.

Clinton answered with emotion…

…which in this case meshed perfectly with the questioner and much of the audience.

Love him or hate him, Bill Clinton knew how to read his audience and connect with a crowd on the campaign trail. He won that debate and the election.

Brendan Kane tells that story in his book “Hook Point – How to Stand Out in a 3-Second World.”

His conclusion: “(Clinton) connected with (the woman) on a deep and feeling-based level because he saw she was a feeling-based person… By using those words, he immediately gained the trust of the people in that group and made the woman (and those like her) feel understood and heard.”

Humans have a variety of communication styles. Our job is understand our audience’s style and match it.

“…Emotions, logic, and humor are the top three vocabularies in America.”

So says Kane who recommends we weave all three into our content.

“If your preferred vocabulary is logic, don’t tell a story using only this vocabulary,” Kane says.

And here’s the kicker:

“Remember that communication is never about you; it’s always about those you’re speaking to.”

Amen, Brendan Kane.

***

I am fired up about the conversation we’ll have next week at the Mastermind Book Club’s monthly meeting…

…when we’ll discuss “Hook Point” and all the ways it can help you stand out in this 3-second world.

Every month, Ted Prodromou and I choose a great book for Club members to read. We meet live on Zoom on the fourth Thursday (June 27 this month) at 2:30 p.m. EDT.

You can read the book in advance if you choose. But you don’t have to. Many people attend the meetings without reading the book, and they still walk away loving the conversation.

This conversation is going to be a great one. I can’t wait. I hope you can join us.

If you’ve already joined the club, you’ll receive email notices with the Zoom link.

If you’re not a member, click here to join (it’s free). We’ll send you the Zoom link before the meeting.