“Candor is a compliment; it implies equality. It’s how true friends talk.”
— Peggy Noonan
Have you ever called a very small business and had to navigate through a phone tree with many options?
“For sales, press 1. For service, press 2. For accounting, press 3.”
…when you know that no matter which button you press, the same person will pick up the phone.
That’s a business owner trying to make their business look like something it’s not.
Some people get so invested in being a Thought Leader that they think they have to talk above everyone, trying to come off like they’re the smartest person in the room.
Or name-dropping a book they recently bought (but probably actually haven’t read). Using a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.
Starting off a social media post with, “people are always asking me…” when in fact nobody is asking them anything.
Maybe you and I haven’t been as blatant and disingenuous about it, but we’ve all done that in some little way.
But guess what… your audience doesn’t want that.
You want to quickly build up a connection with your audience? Make them feel like you’re being honest with them. Tell them the way it really is.
Know why people get sad when a celebrity dies? Because even though the fan never met star, there is something in all of us that feels like they had more of a relationship with the star than they really did. Your audience wants to feel that with you. Give it to them through relatable communication.