The Science and Art of Speaking and Writing That Works!
MAKING CONTENT POP AND IMPACT
When mom accidentally sees their teenage boy naked, the whole house can fall apart for days. In the acclaimed movie, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” the mom, played by Jennifer Garner unwittingly sees the teenager naked as he’s getting ready for school. As teen-boys do, he naturally freaks out, ruining breakfast and throwing the whole family into a frenzy as they get ready to start their day. In the car, the boys, dad, the sister, everyone is losing their mind and still shouting over the incident like it’s the end of the world. Finally, Mom screams, “Shut up, I’ve seen every penis in this car!”
What Ms. Garner did there was an attention grabber. As you have likely heard, communication is 93% non-verbal (55% body language/38% tone) and only 7% the actual content. In fact, there are studies that take this even deeper into the actual hertz (frequency- cycles per second), timber, and volume of the voice, appearance of the speaker, and appearance presentation and how that works to reach on MRI to reach the relevant parts of the human brain and impact it in a way that makes decisions favorable to the outcomes to which the speaker (or writer) is looking to achieve.
In addition to the impact of the way something is presented is the structure or context of the story your tell. As an example, researchers from the University of Vermont and the University of Adelaide looked at 1,737 pieces of fiction and found “rags to riches” or “comeback” stories such as Cinderella, Cinderalla-Man, and Rocky are the most popular. Thus, consider following that as a template for your presentation.
ELM: CREATING AN ENGAGED…AND THEN A COMMITTED AUDIENCE
The Elaboration-Likelihood Model (ELM): There has been quite a lot of research and many scholarly articles written on campaigning to generate a movement around your message.
ELM is a well-studied way for your messaging, marketing, and ideas to reach the public short term and engage them long-term.
ELM considers two types of audiences:
Type 1: People who are moved by superficial information and fail to evaluate the content.
Type 2: People who are truly mindful of the message and consider the details.
Educational messages delivered in person, on a website, in books, brochures, or through social media are most impactful when the producer knows if those in receipt of the information are Type 1: going to only superficially and unconsciously consider it or Type 2: take a captive, focused approach.
The concept of ELM details the behavior of both Peripheral and Central audience.
Type 1. Peripheral Type:
The peripheral audience is focused on the periphery; the superficial, easy-to-process data and the features of a message, rather than its deeper meaning. In this case, they are primarily on auto pilot and not thinking through it. Consequently, they may just take the data at face value simply because the source is considered an expert, is well known, or is a trusted leader in the space. Peripherally focused individuals rely on cues that tip to popularity, like how many followers, views, or likes on social media something has, or the conventional acceptability of the information because it is the way it has always been done, rather than giving it much thought.
Type 2. Central Type:
The central audience is that which intentionally thinks through and evaluates the content of a message. They do not make a quick, gut, or blink decision, but rather utilize their training and experiences to determine whether or not the persuasive message is compelling and whether or not they should change their perspective based on the given information.
This issue is incredibly relevant in promotion and persuasive messaging. It is mission-critical that promoters determine whether or not those they are attempting to reach are apt to make a decision based simply on rules of thumb or if they are going to thoughtfully comb through the information in an effort to learn and draw a logical, well thought-out conclusion.
How this Works for You:
Type 1. Peripheral:
Use this type of superficial, celebrity or expert endorsed branding in your blogs, social media posts, pamphlets, videos, or anything else that will appeal to an audience just looking for a quick read or view.
It has been found in community funding campaigns that business owners respond better to hyperbole and the success the organization is having in raising funds than to actual facts and data. The power of corporate and celebrity endorsement and the overstating of the impact has become an actual cause of concern.
Type 2. Central:
For people that are analytical and experienced in their field, they will want data.
For example, because I am in health care, I am least swayed by the peripheral route. While expert endorsement can influence me in areas of finances, spirituality, relationships, and personal growth, I have been studying, researching, teaching, and writing in the areas of anatomy and physiology, health care, and lifestyle for 25 years. As a result, I deeply analyze the content and it needs to be scientific, well researched, and proven in a clinical setting for me to become influenced. The only peripheral cue I will respond to is whether or not the information comes from a credible source.
A celebrity or corporate endorsement would have the opposite impact on me as I am looking for experts with a higher level of scientific background and would be suspicious as to what steps were skipped or where money was invested improperly in bringing in that type of corporate branding. There is research that has shown that when it comes to health care, in particular, the quality of the information and the credibility of the source has the most influence on recipients.
Binge on This, Nourish with That:
Understanding what qualifies as peripheral, or central, and when to use it.
Peripheral:
In essence, this is social proof. Like 200 likes on a Facebook post, the post has been proven scientifically to have greater acceptance as does anything that appears popular and accepted, or provides goodwill to the community or, better yet, the world, and is affiliated with celebrities or the well-known. It is also the information that discloses the extremes of consequence, good or bad, to someone’s choices, decisions, or indecision. The more quotes from experts and actual celebrities, or perceived credible endorsements and testimonies you can get, the more powerful the peripheral impact. For example, my work with Olympic and professional sports goes further online (in a bio, or in an introduction) than the fact that I have three degrees and provide a proven, scientific approach to my products and services.
Central:
This is the actual science, data, process, or functionality of chiropractic, the nervous system, research on lifestyle and adjustments, lengthy education, longer blogs, videos, and articles. It is the legitimate information providing real proof versus social proof that something is viable and effective.
Here’s the key to use: Peripheral moves and Central keeps.
Peripheral moves:
If you’re attempting to create movement, binge on peripheral when creating—conversions, likes on Facebook, downloads, shares, purchases. It is also important in brief, passing situations like the short visit a customer makes to your place of business, social media, a blog, or email; you must focus on peripheral or make peripheral a substantive part of the material. A portion of the population is moved by central, but it’s the minority of really smart and inquiring or truly cynical people that are out there.
Central keeps:
Nourish people with data over time and when there are longer periods of time, like with a talk, a video, a piece of literature, an email nurture campaign, or a book, etc.
It’s the combination of both at the right time, and providing them both all of the time, that works to not only convert people to the mission, but keeps them there. Potential and current customers who get a heavy dose of both consistently and at the right time convert and they stay. If your corporate colors are turquoise or lavender, the goal is a turquoise or lavender world, and ELM can take you there.
