Make it Simple

I was recently in Austin, TX to help do a presentation on the book "Switch".  The book details how to go about making changes when you deal with your rational and your emotion sides.

Imagine being in the room with a group of sales folks who all have the book on the table in front of them.  Their manager handed it out at the start of their offsite, and stated that my colleague and I would go over it.

Lessons in dealing with the management "Book of the Month"

1. Realize that almost no one will actually read the book.  They will stuff it in their luggage and place it on the shelf behind their desks when they get back to work.
2. Create a one-page summary of the book that details the important points and talks to HOW to do what the book proposes.
3. When speaking about the main points of the book ditch the jargon from the book and use very simple language.
4. Most Important - Have each person select one thing they want to take from the book and use daily.  Have their manager collect this data, and provide you with a copy.  Then make a plan with the manager to check back with each person after two weeks, 30,60 and 90 days to see how things are going.  This is called "going public" and provides the manager the opportunity to encourage, motivate and praise the employee as they accomplish their goal.

Key Learnings from my Austin experience

1. How do you help each participant understand that you are talking specifically to them?  This is a question for the ages.  What I recognized, yet again, is that each person doesn't think they need what most books provide.  We use movie clips, stories, a ton of interaction along with a lot of "How do I do this" information.  The challenge is that most people think that everyone in the room needs the information but them.  I am still trying to find out how to connect with each individual and help them see that they can use the information in their lives.
2. You can never be simple enough.  The Switch books does a very good job of keeping the jargon to a minimum, but I realized that even this minimum was too much.  Shaping the path, scripting the critical moves, and tweaking the environment seem clear, however I watched people disengage as we walked through these items.  Plain words and clear examples rule the day.
3. Without follow up the class fails.  We had a sales conference earlier in the year with a great speaker.  He had five points that could help change our lives.  We asked the room what those five points were.  Four and a half months after the conference, the room could only come up with the first point.  When we asked how many people had changed something in their lives due to the information from the speaker, and the vote was ZERO.  No one had changed a thing.

I am not depressed by the above experience.  I think that it is going to be a real accomplishment when I crack the code and help everyone in my classes, hear, feel and use the information that is provided.

The 50 Worst Inventions - Tons of Great Material

Time released  "The Fifty Worst Inventions", and it is a tremendous list.  The second worst invention New Coke is the focus today.

When I mention New Coke what memories pop into your head?

• New taste that was preferable to Pepsi.
• Big marketing campaign
• People were stockpiling the "old" Coke.
• After a short time New Coke was thrown out and old Coke returned.

The Background

• In the early 80's Coke sales were flat, and Pepsi was gaining.
• The "Pepsi Challenge" showed most cola drinkers preferred Pepsi's taste
• Coke's market share had gone from 60% down to 24% in 1983
• The company reformulated the taste of Coke - Corn Syrup was added and Artificial sweeteners were taken out.  The resulting taste was preferred over both "old" Coke and Pepsi.
• Leadership rolled out the new flavor on April 23, 1985
• Leadership reintroduced the old flavor on July 11, 1985
• ""There is a twist to this story which will please every humanist and will probably keep Harvard professors puzzled for years," said Keough at a press conference. "The simple fact is that all the time and money and skill poured into consumer research on the new Coca-Cola could not measure or reveal the deep and abiding emotional attachment to original Coca-Cola felt by so many people."

How Do I Use This?

• Use this when you need to teach a leadership lesson.  I could see you starting with this story if you are trying to teach the importance of listening, humility, and/or change.
• As soon as you say "New Coke" your audience will really perk up and their memories of this event will flood their mind.  It will be important to acknowledge this and give them a bit of time to "see" these memories before you try and teach something.
• When you move into the leadership or management lessons make sure that you really understand the details of the story.  You could get sidetracked quickly by the feelings of the event.  I have included some reference material at the end of the post.
• Don't linger long on the story - take about 90 seconds to tell the story, 30 seconds for people to relive the moment and then start teaching about how leadership handled the furor.

Reference Material

• Quick Version of the Situation: New Coke
• Expanded Research with Numerous Reference Resources: "Wapedia"

Source: Mikkelson, Barabra. "snopes.com: New Coke Origin." snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages. Version 0. Snopes, n.d. Web. 2 June 2010. .

Wisdom

Even seemingly negative articles can be instructive - As soon as I saw New Coke on the list I knew I have a great story.

Linking the Familiar to the Unfamiliar

That's Interesting
I ran across a great story in the June 7th Issue of Forbes Magazine. It is entitled, "The Science of Super Thin, Ultra Warm" 

This is a great story that you could use to link something an audience knows to something that they don't know, or would be amazed to see.

Telling stories like the above help you grab your audience.  Once you have their attention, you can inform, persuade, or motivate.

I learned a secret tip from John Maxwell a long time ago.  Read widely, clip daily, and you will never be at a loss for stories.