I don’t know you; I don’t care.
This past weekend I attended a memorial service for a man I’d never met. He was the (still beloved) ex-husband of a dear friend of mine. So, to support her, I got all gussied up on a Saturday and drove downtown.
So, there I sit, on a hard chair, in a dimly lit, too warm room and we’re going into (oh, dear lord) hour two of the service. Now, don’t get me wrong - the man seemed to have touched a lot of lives, deserved accolades, and it was lovely that there were so many people who wanted to say something. And, two hours is nothing compared to the infinity of death. But, I didn’t even know the guy, so - yes - I was getting antsy and thinking snarky thoughts about some of the speakers (”Geez, you said that already - five times! We got it already!”)
And then my friend gets up as the last speaker. In just a couple of minutes I’m sobbing over a man I never knew. From fidgety boredom to heart-deep emotion in no time flat. Why? Combination of beautiful words (Dylan Thomas poem), the speaker’s emotion and the personal connection with my friend. Before that it was all just so much talk by people I don’t know about somebody I didn’t know.
And therein lies in the challenge of human communications (and marketing.) Affecting people takes more than words (no matter how beautiful) or talk (no matter how eloquent.) And, it’s difficult for anybody to get truly worked up over something as mundane as - say - a toaster (even the toaster product manager.) Further, we have to keep it in perspective - this marketing stuff (usually) isn’t life or death, so we should go real easy on the hyperbole.
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April 10th, 2006 at 4:46 pm
You got me thinking about a posting I need to write, Mary - you have a way of doing that. Words can deflect and often do. Or words can connect people and create…
April 10th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
To pick up on Michael’s comment, words can connect people and when they do, the meaning is what is remembered. The other speakers may have said something similar to what your friend did, but her delivery, her context with you framed the words with something special. Not easy to do. Not easy to replicate in a world full of nonsensical words and much hyperbole all competing for our attention.
And therein lies our challenge, catching their attention to create a meaningful connection.
April 11th, 2006 at 7:11 am
Yes, words have tremendous power - but they have to be used in the proper context and actually stand for something. I still get a lump in my throat just reading the Gettysburg Address or “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” The words represent something much bigger than me.
Winston Churchill didn’t have a good speaking voice - and yet listening to his old radio speeches from WWII - well, there goes that lump again. The power. The passion. The leadership.
One last note - the man who spoke before Lincoln was a renowned orator and spoke for over 3 hours. And, I’m sure he said many of the same things that Mr. Lincoln did. But, nobody remembers the orator. They remember Lincoln.
April 12th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
I think the power of words is also getting greatly enhanced by the speaker and the setting. You mentioned the perfect example at the funeral you visited.
I can think of a few historical speeches that automatically give me Goosebumps whenever I hear (and see) them for example
Kennedy announcing to send a man on the moon
or
The mayor of Berlin (Ernst Reuter) replying to the Russian blockade (and the airlift of the allies).
In these examples the setting is even more powerful than the words.
As for marketing: I very much favor the lighthearted and funny side of marketing. It automatically blocks us from taking things to serious.
To sum it up: I love great speeches – as long as the don’t come from Budweiser or McDonalds.