We are all experts at something, and we all have something to say. Recently I was listening, for a change, and actually learnt something. Well, I was reminded of something.
When you talk, speak in the language of your audience. Wool people talk in textile terminology, which is fine if you talk to a weaver, but really dumb when you talk to a retailer.
When an IT consultant talks in jargon, do we trust her or wonder if we are going to be ripped off? When a mechanic sucks air through his teeth and talks about machine parts we prepare ourselves for a shock.
I was listening to Jim Hanna of Starbucks recently and he could not emphasize enough how talking Business language to business people had made the difference in the internal battle to sell sustainability within Starbucks.
Talking about saving trees does not make an accountant happy, but talking about making more profit by improving staff retention, reducing energy costs and streamlining value chains – that’s gets the bean counters on board and the HR department and the store designers…
Language is too important to trust to the linguists. Lets keep it simple and build some trust.
image stolen form random internet site – sorry
Filed under: business, Ethical, innovation, langauge, marketing, media, social media, Strategy, Sustainability, textiles, Wool, wool industry Tagged: business, communication, customer enchantment, integrity, language, marketing, say what?, starbucks, strategy, textiles, trust, wool
