Helping Others See what You See
By Susan Flansburg
My camera is good. But I can rarely get it to see what I see.
Every morning on my predawn walk I see incredible clouds, delicately colored and diaphonous, feathered across the eastern sky.
Sometimes the moon still glows, framed by tree limbs and other celestial orbs.
I can’t capture the scene.
Take the above photo. All of the nuance that I witnessed - the mysterious glow of street lamps beyond leafy branches, the rising hill, the cricket song (okay, so this can’t be seen anyway) - all absent.
What’s left is … dull. Indeed, it’s the same old scene in neighborhoods everywhere. No surprises.
So, 2 observations:
Words matter! If you settle for less-than-evocative communications, you’ll do no more than convey the same old scene to an audience who isn’t being invited to care in a new way. This is true of all marketing communications, whether you’re trying to sell something or raise funds for a worthy cause!
It’s a steep hill to climb, indeed, to help others see things the way you see them. We see this in our politics every day. Start with what you have in common, like the beauty of a sunrise or the love of your children, and go from there. We’ll make it!!