Share it, don’t SHOUT it

Why histrionics will hurt you

I recently attended a conference with a wide range of speakers and topics. It was interesting comparing the speaking styles of several of them. Two in particular seem to have taken their approach directly from the worst kind of TV evangelists. They periodically raised their voice in increments, as if trying to speak over the audience’s groundswell of applause and shouts of acclamation. The only thing was that the crowd was largely silent.

Perhaps the listeners were feeling brow-beaten into submission. Or maybe, like me, they were mostly turned off by the histrionics, and their thoughts drifted elsewhere. Which would be a pity, as the speakers probably had a good message to share.

Conversely, two of the most popular speakers rarely raised their voices at all. They were deft users of story-telling to bring inspiration and pointed challenge. They let their words do the convincing, with nary a thrust fist or bent abdomen in sight.

Shouty advertisements often top the list of the most-hated TV promotions, yet companies regularly trip down this route. Often those that do so are offering ‘specials’ at ‘never-to-be-repeated prices’ which they and you both understand will most definitely be rerun in the near future, and just as annoyingly as before.

Why do they do it? One reason is that, love it or hate it, it is instantly recognisable. They want you, when you hear their brand name, to be able to associate them with ‘special prices’. We love a bargain, so despite our grumbling at being shouted at, our feet will often follow our nose for a good deal – even if we strongly suspect we’re being sold a ruse.

However the risk these businesses run is that, after a while, at the first blast of their over-excited babble we will just switch the sound off, go to the toilet, or otherwise occupy ourselves. We’ll tune out.

More clever companies spend a great deal of money creating stories that sell an ideal, not necessarily a product. Their message is more subtle, but the power of it is enduring. We are more likely to share these stories over the lunchroom table than any shouted slogans. The message is kept alive and spread to others.

So, what can we learn from this? Think about it. Who enjoys being shouted at? If you have important news or ideas to share, make sure you are engaging your audience, not enraging them.  A simple tale, well-told, will last the distance and take more people with it than any screeching will ever achieve.

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