Talking about things that matter
Ten ways to hopefully make your communication a bit better
This is going to be a bit of a different post. 🤷
I began my career in communications by talking to teenagers. Specifically, I ran youth programming out of a local church for a decade; which gave me a unique space to hone my ability to talk about big topics to an audience with a fairly limited and easily distracted attention span.1 I learned how to use metaphor and story and to appreciate the relationship between ideas and action. It was also where I began to explore different methods of communication, using tools like email newsletters, social media, print, slides, blogging, websites, and basically any wild idea I could think of.2
From there I moved into more serious communications roles with more complex audiences and higher stakes deliverables; but the foundational thing that has always interested me is the challenge of sharing the things that matter the most.
So this is what I wanted to think about with you today, the relationship between activism and communications. However, I wanted to make this as practical as possible so I decided to just lean right into that and do something I don’t think I’ve ever done before. So, here goes nothing…
Ten suggestions for communicating big things:
Respect the platform (and your audience). This is something a friend of mine said once and it stuck with me. If you happen to find yourself fortunate or privileged enough to have a platform and an audience who has given you their attention — don’t take it for granted. No one is obligated to listen to you.
Go for clear over clever. The number one goal of communication is making sure the audience understands what you’re trying to say. Don’t let your attempts at humour or creativity get in the way of clarity. On that note…
Design is not art. The intention of good design (visual or otherwise) is to help a user perform a particular function. It might be helping someone get from point A to B or encouraging a specific response or ensuring accessibility, but design is in service to that goal. Art, on the other hand, is open to interpretation. It seeks creativity for its own sake. While good design can certainly be very creative, it keeps the user’s needs in the foreground.
Tell stories. Humans make sense of the world through stories, our brains are wired this way. Yes, facts matter — and you should have them ready for when you need them; but storytelling is the best way to make a connection with your audience. This is especially true for really big and important topics.
Focus on one thing. People who care often carry a burden of knowledge, they simply know too much. The trouble is, when given an opportunity to share, they often vomit all that knowledge onto the unsuspecting person who just graciously gave them their time (see point 1). I get it, it comes from passion, and I’ve been there many times. We see a limited window and so we try to get as much through it as we can before it closes. Unfortunately this can have the effect of turning that listener off of the topic entirely. If you care about something, take some time to figure out what the one thing is that you think everyone needs to know about it that would make them willing to take action. Speaking of…
Understand your ask. Once you’ve got them hooked, what do you want them to do? Give money, volunteer, read a book, vote? This is somewhat related to the third point, but have a single, clear ask. And I understand that there are many actions you might want someone to take, but understanding your audience means understanding what the right ask is for them at this specific time.
Be willing to break your own routine. Now, in somewhat contradiction of everything I just said, it’s okay to break your usual way of doing things and try something new (like me writing a listicle). As you build trust with an audience and find an opportunity to share with them on an ongoing basis, find some ways to surprise them. It’s a great way to break down some barriers and keep them engaged. One of my favourite communication tips I ever heard was, “you can do anything you want as long as you know where you’re going.”
Use tools, but don’t let them replace you. This is my little critique about AI, though it can apply more broadly. Hannah Arendt described the difference between tools and machines as tools are designed to compliment and assist in human work, whereas machines force humans to change their work habits and rhythms to serve them. There are so many wonderful tools that can assist you in communicating, but don’t let them replace your authentic voice or your passion.
Build community. This one’s just coming off my own experience, but I think the best communication builds community. Get to know your audience, find ways to engage them, and listen. Don’t just talk at them, speak with them. A good community can become a little incubator of creative problem-solving around the issue or cause you’re trying to address. Which, brings me to my last point.
Don’t get high off your own supply. This is something a mentor I had used to tell me. Actually, I believe he would say, “don’t smoke your own sh*t;” but I think the point is the same — keep your ego out of it. Communicating in this way is not about building a platform or an audience for your sake, it’s about bringing people together around a shared cause. Keep that the focus.
Hopefully that was helpful for some of you. I tried to keep it open enough to apply to a wide variety of communication methods. If you have any questions or maybe want to bounce some communication ideas around, feel free to give me a shout.
Thanks for reading to the end,
Ben Bartosik is a marketing manager for Evergreen Canada, a national non-profit transforming public spaces in our cities to build a healthier future for people and our planet. He is also a guest writer for the Whale and an advocate for the work of SCGC.
Weekly News Digest - “The Blowhole”
Normally this is where we put stories and things that we think you should keep your eye on; however instead I just want to use this spot to shout out the Coldest Night of the Year walk which is happening tonight.
If you’re not walking, maybe search for your community and see if there’s a group walking that you could support.
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Like what we talk about and want to engage with our coalition more? Check us out on social media or drop us a line if you’d like to volunteer: info@simcoecountygreenbelt.ca
Incidentally, this is also the space I became most radicalized towards things like justice and creating inclusive, welcoming community. My convictions ultimately led me out of that space but I want to acknowledge that many of them began there.
I remember putting QR codes on the backs of t-shirts once at a town festival in order to geolocate people to our booth.
Great points! Thanks, Ben.