Counterintuitive Communication
Posted on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 by Frank Roche
Everyone who’s taken a high school journalism class knows that you lead with the most important information first. (”If it bleeds, it leads” is a common mantra.) You just tell that facts. And if you were diligent in your English classes, you write in elegant, complete sentences. (For instance, you never start a sentence with “and.”) Well, forget what you learned.
JT sent me this ad for the Mini Cooper, which is called the Counter Counterfeit Commission. It uses counterintuitive communication to makes its point. That approach could be applied to a number of HR initiatives. Here are a few ideas:
- Teamwork Is So Last Millennium — Let’s All Be Individual Contributors
- Enough About the Company — It’s All About Me
- How to Be an Accomplished Suck Up — Make Pay-for-Performance Obsolete
- You Don’t Have to Be Engaged, You Just Have to Say You Are
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Coming in Late…or Not At All
It takes guts. It’s risky. But counterintuitive communication works. On second thought, just keep doing what you’re doing because that works so well. Q.E.D.
Erin
Sep 5th, 2007
Hi Frank,
After Priscilla Palmer’s self development list Jenny and I have decided to try to help build the self development community. So we are holding a little contest. I would like to invite you, and anyone else interested, to find out more details at Win a $25 Gift Certificate
Robyn
Sep 5th, 2007
Sure catches my attention momentarily, Frank.