The Problem
The other day I was cruising around some top quality bloggage when I happened across Kent Blumberg‘s place. Kent talks a lot about leadership principles, which is why I keep an eye on his blog.
Anyway he was talking about a great leadership idea that the Japanese use that’s having trouble catching on over here in the States. Kent’s theory that because the Japanese word for this principle sounds funny in English, the entire principle is being resisted, even though it is a good, sound idea.
I left a comment over there suggesting that “Maybe the goofy word thing is why some businesses are reluctant to embrace blogging. Probably sounds to them like some kind of medical condition.”
Kent’s Brilliant Reply
Kent agreed with me in the following comment there. In the process of responding to me Kent wrote two sentences that absolutely jumped off the screen at me. Here is what he said.
When I tell people I write about leadership, strategy and performance and have published over 150 articles on my website, they go, “Wow!” When I tell them I blog, they look for someone less weird to talk with.
Think about that for a moment.
Kent can say two different things that really mean exactly the same thing. But each of those different descriptions of what he does creates entirely different responses from the person he’s talking to.
The words we choose to use make a difference. They make a huge difference in our success.
Our words are genuinely powerful. They can build up or they can destroy. Or they can simply be so much noise, signifying nothing, as Shakespeare said.
Take It Away Now
Here’s what I am taking away from that little bit of brilliance Kent was kind enough to share.
Weak Communication Effort: I am a Business Blogging Consultant.
Stronger Message Sent: I help businesses improve their internet communications and have over 420 articles about business communications and success published on my own web sites (and various other places) that are read by hundreds of people every day.
Some things to think about when you are in a position to talk to someone unfamiliar with blogging about what you do.
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Niche – Even if you consider yourself just a hobby blogger you still are an expert on your area of focus. Look for a way to communicate that to folks.
Number of posts – To the overwhelming majority of non-bloggers web publishing is a great mystery. Letting them know how many articles you’ve published in your area of interest will help cement your expertise in their minds.
Number of visitors – Even if you are not a TechCrunch, Engadget, or a problogger.net you still have an audience. People are reading what you write. Sharing those numbers will cause most non-bloggers to raise an eyebrow.
Search Engine Rankings – When you Google your name, your blog title, or a subject keyword, do you rank highly? If you’ve been blogging a while are the tons of entries that point to you and your material? If so, share that with people.
When we learn to frame our message in terms others understand we will be more effective in our communication. And more effective communication will make us more successful.
