Use positive sentences: people focus on keywords, not whole sentences (Modi example)
An example from Modi's tweet:
"THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO PANIC"
And people will focus on the strongest keywords, which are "absolutely" and "panic".
Yes, many readers will later also take into account the whole sentence, but the emotional impact has already happened at the subconscious level.
Furthermore, once they are into "rational mode", their next question will be "he says not, but is there some need to panic, maybe?". The simple fact he brings up "panic" also brings up the topic for discussion.
And people will wonder: can I trust this guy?
And then the next thing they read in his message is "would be...".
Would?
Are you sure or not?
Who is in charge of this? If you are sure, then use definitive language. Write: "will".
And then again, more vague language: "center and various state government will work.. ". And people will wonder "can I trust "center" and these "various state governments" to work well together?
It's unfortunate that nobody around a country leader is checking on the fundamental of basic persuasion psychology and communication skills.
With that type of communication, running outside and panic buying almost becomes a rational decision.
It would be great if you cited of what you thought with some examples. Maybe it would be better to say "everything is under control".
Post Edited (from upper cases to lower cases).
Jasim, please use lower case, and you will help me save time and be more efficient while also respecting Internet etiquette.
That's an example of positive sentence structure.
The negative one would have been: "Jasim, please don't write your messages all in upper cases, because otherwise, you are not being considerate towards my time, and not writing in lower cases is against Internet etiquette".
As you can see, a positive structure also helps to communicate with a tone that is both warmer and more direct.
Appreciate it, man, you let me notice my mistake in a smart way 🙂
keep it going, I am a big fan of your content
That's some good growth mindset right there! Cheers Jasmin, speak soon around these boards :).
I'm thinking of the best way to rephrase Modi's message.
Though this could go beyond a bad message.
During a crisis, a lack of concrete plans could be the underlying problem.
WE HAVE MADE CONCRETE PLANS.
We have allocated the resources with the following amounts:
...What you can do now to get ready:
...We will follow up with further information.
More concrete plans and giving direction to people on what to do.
Yes, that approach sounds good, Matthew.
I personally might be careful with "we will follow up with further information", as that might suggest that you did not say everything there was to say and people then might wonder "ugh, what was left out"?
Or that you might not have that information, and you're groping in the dark -which of course you might not have all the information right now, but it's not something you necessarily want to stress-.
I might say:
"we will continue to update you to coordinate our response to ensure your best safety".
It's a small detail, and your initial message was already at the 95%, and infinitely better than the original one.
Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on February 15, 2021, 3:25 pm"we will continue to update you to coordinate our response to ensure your best safety".
It's a small detail, and your initial message was already at the 95%, and infinitely better than the original one.
Thanks for the feedback.
It's always good to know how to communicate in an emergency and with a large group of people.
What I learnt here is that, during emergencies, focus on messages that put people at ease and the "what's in it for them" perspective.
This is why the following statement is effective although it's a slight tweak:
"we will continue to update you to coordinate our response to ensure your best safety".
This communicates the government best interests for the people, putting them at ease, and it's all about the people.
Phrase in Second-Person
The second-person perspective is very powerful.
Use "you", "your" in your messages.
Public statements, speeches, presentations.
It draws the person in because people want to know "what is in it for them".
Back to the law of social exchange.