Say What They Can't Unhear

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Nov 5, 2024

Tamsen Webster, a seasoned message designer with 25 years in marketing, shares her expertise on effective communication. She discusses how personal lenses affect interpretations and reveals four listener categories: actives, ambivalence, indifference, and antagonists. Drawing on the Theranos scandal, Tamsen highlights the role of core beliefs in shaping perceptions. She emphasizes that to inspire change, messages should resonate with the audience's existing beliefs and be structured to facilitate layered transformations over time.

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ANECDOTE

Movie Night Revelation

Todd Henry and his wife interpreted a movie differently, highlighting the subjectivity of perception.
This emphasizes how personal lenses shape interpretations, even when experiencing the same thing.

ADVICE

Know Your Audience

Consider four listener types: actives, ambivalent, indifferent, and antagonists when crafting messages.
Tailor your message to each group, focusing on the ambivalent as they can sway either way.

INSIGHT

The Deeper Why

Go beyond explaining 'why' an action leads to an outcome; explain 'why' that specific action or way.
Address the deeper reasons behind your approach, not just the surface-level justification.

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In today's episode, we dive deep into the intriguing world of perception and communication. It all begins with a story about how a seemingly simple movie night turned into a revelation about differing perspectives. We explore how our interpretations of the same events can vary widely, reflecting our own stories and lenses.

Joining us is Tamsen Webster, a message designer with 25 years of experience in marketing and messaging. She shares insights from her new book Say What They Can't Unhear, unveiling why some messages stick while others fail to resonate. Tamsen introduces us to the four primary categories of listeners: actives, ambivalence, indifference, and antagonists. Each category requires a unique approach when crafting messages for effective communication.

Tamsen explains the critical importance of understanding the deeper 'why' behind our messages to reach our audience's core beliefs and values. We discuss how influential stories and beliefs can shape perceptions, often leading us to believe in something despite contradicting evidence, as illustrated by the Theranos scandal.

We learn that to inspire change and build buy-in, we need to structure our messages around elements our audience already agrees with, support their deeper beliefs, and be patient as change happens in layers.

Key Learnings:

Our personal lenses and stories shape how we interpret and perceive messages.
There are four primary audience categories: actives, ambivalence, indifference, and antagonists.
Understanding the deeper 'why' behind your message is crucial for effective communication.
Our underlying stories and beliefs significantly influence our perceptions and can be manipulated.
Change happens in layers, requiring patience and alignment with deeper principles and values.

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