It Ain't What You Say, It's The Way That You Say It

My friend David is the most incredible communicator - he has the gift of making you listen and it is remarkable to witness and he came to mind when I read Seth Godin's post on analogies.

Now those of you who know Seth or have witnessed his work will know that he is no slouch as a communicator and, as he says, he changed tack and got his message across. David wouldn't have had to do so because he places great store in the neuro-linguistic programming thesis that all experiences have a sensory base, and that some people think in terms of sounds, others in pictures and others conceive and communicate ideas in terms of feelings.

Now a lot of NLP goes over my head or into my cynic's waste-bin, but the logic of listening to how people express their emotions in respect of your marketing target and then framing your messages in those terms seems like another aspect of customer focus on which marketers should concentrate greater efforts.