Comments on: You Have a Fat Man Living Inside You: Using One Memorable Phrase in Employee Communication

By: Say It Again Sam « 48Facets

Say It Again Sam « 48Facets — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:39:10 +0000

[...] I have a fat man living inside of me [...]

By: John Cerasani

John Cerasani — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:24:37 +0000

Great insight, I love it! Employee communications that people will actually read are easier said than done… Even the most creative will not be read by at least a small portion of the employees.

By: Frank Roche

Frank Roche — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:04:55 +0000

Caring. That, Bill, is gold. When you care, communication is real.

By: Bill Strahan

Bill Strahan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:11:45 +0000

Could not agree more.

P.S. it is easier to turn the killer phrase when you really care about what you are saying.

By: Frank Roche

Frank Roche — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:38:02 +0000

My favorite business book, Chris. We always keep that in mind at our shop.

By: Chris Ferdinandi - Renegade HR

Chris Ferdinandi - Renegade HR — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:26:56 +0000

Frank, that phrase has a healthy handful of the “sticky” elements identified in the book Made to Stick.

It’s unexpected – grabs their attention. It’s concrete. The imagery leaves no room for misinterpretation.

“Remember to eat nutritious food” is ambiguous – what’s your definition of nutritious? “There’s a fat man living inside you” is concrete.

It’s also a loaded phrase – filled with emotion. And it’s simple – not hard to remember a phrase that straightforward.

4 out of 6 on the sticky scale. Not bad at all, Frank!