The Three Essential Elements of Compelling Communication

For change to occur, A x B x C must be greater than D where:

A is the Platform for Change – Why must I do something different?  (The starting point to break inertia)

B is Envisioning a brighter future – WIIFM (All benefits are emotional)

C is the Call to Action – What should I do  (What I should do must make me feel important) and

D is Inertia

Mathematically, if any one is 0, the total is 0 and change does not occur.  Which, of course, is what generally happens.  People forget, don't deliver, or don't follow through on one of components.

The framework works with influencers as well.  And as a leader of leaders, most of your communication will be influencing the influencers.

But, for influencers, the framework requires a twist: It’s not just about the result of the change, but the change process:

Platform for change– Why must I get involved at this stage?  (As opposed to waiting until the initiative has some momentum) – choose your target well: strong supporters

Envision a brighter future – Two parts to this: Part I is envisioning a brighter future for myself once the change is in place.  Part II is envisioning good things for me as part of the change effort.  (Many, including me, used to call this "vision".  But "vision" is what the communicator sees while "envision" is what the person receiving the communication sees.)

Call to Action – Make me feel important as part of the change effort.

The point is that you have to get the equation right for all the people involved in the change.  While you have to figure that out first, don't forget to think through the steps as you influence the influencer.