HR Communication Lesson: Think in Pictures
Posted on Thursday, August 2, 2007 by Frank Roche
Here’s a little HR communication lesson: People think in pictures in their heads. Here are 4 quick rules:
- Know your audience. Words are nice: pictures are better. When you write your words, write them to evoke pictures. Talk to them. Say “you.” Speak in your real voice, not your “work voice.” And if you get the chance, use pictures.
- Think feedback. Communicating is more than a memo. It’s more than a mention. It’s a feeling; something that can be remembered and discussed. After all, no real communication happens until there’s an exchange of ideas.
- Design the words you write. Make them jump off the page. Make your words pop, and then “give ‘em eye rest,” as Mike Sansone of ConverStations says. And if you really get the chance, write in pictures.
- Challenge yourself to not use a single word. Imagine if you could “write” without writing. Think about what you want employees to remember. Ask yourself what you remember more, words or pictures, passing thoughts or experiences?
Here’s a fun little exercise about communicating using images. Yes, it’s true, people think in pictures in their heads. Which evokes more of a memory: A picture of the Mona Lisa, or the 10,000 words it would take to describe it? (That image at the top of the page? It’s my Visual DNA.)
