The title of this is probably funny to people who know me considering it comes from someone who likes to talk, A LOT. The concept of “less is more” also might come across as an ironic recommendation from someone who’s spent a quarter of a century working in public relations.
But what I’ve learned through countless crises, issues, leaks and fumbles is that the rule of “less is more” is applicable, nine times out of 10, when it comes to our communications – no matter what we are communicating about.
As an independent agency specializing in PR + Marketing for clients in a variety of industries (i.e., Food + Beverage, Lifestyle, Homecare, Real Estate, Start-ups + Emerging Brands just to name a few) our H5 team knows first-hand how important it is to communicate in a clear and concise manner, helping us to deliver the best counsel and recommendations. Here are a few helpful reminders when you should consider the “less Is more” approach:
Crisis/Issues Management
You should always approach contentious situations with discipline and restraint. The more we say, the more we talk – the more defensive the response can appear. Not to mention, what we say may also raise additional questions, most likely about information that isn’t ready to be disclosed, or we aren’t ready to talk about publicly.
It’s a common reaction of people to want to over explain or over communicate in a crisis to assert non-guilt or convince the audience of an otherwise bad perception of a person, company or situation. However, this reaction can do more harm than good.
Having a clear, concise, straightforward and simple statement to provide to invested audiences will address the larger issue or question and provide the necessary response.
New Ideas/Concept Pitching
People don’t normally have the time or patience to sit and listen to a long explanation about anything, let alone a new idea trying to get sold in. Think about answering the question: “How is this idea going to address the objective and provide ROI?” If you think about it with this perspective, I bet you can boil down the idea to one or two sentences.
Providing an abundance of information around a thought starter concept without having the ability to plan or think it out clearly with the tactical elements can sometimes be confusing or sound complex. As a result, this can lose a client or team’s confidence or interest.
Have you ever watched an episode of Shark Tank? In this fast-paced format, individuals sharing their ideas with the sharks pitch their ideas with a few easy-to-understand statements, addressing the problem they are solving and why it’s a good idea overall.
Media Relations
When it comes to engaging with the media, keep it tight and to the point without a lot of fluff. Just like any audience, media are pressed for time, get way too much email and need to know in two sentences what the story is and why they and their audiences should care. Be direct. Think... what is the story we are trying to tell and then tell it in as few words as possible.
So, in summary, when we start thinking about our communications with the lens “less is more” it can help us as professional communicators become more clear, direct and straightforward storytellers. Allowing our desired audience to better understand, process and respond to our counsel, ideas, perspective, and feedback.
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