I know it’s cliché to write a blog post about your Dad on Father’s Day. But some occasions practically demand sentimentality, so here goes:
It feels like Dads were – often unfairly – defined by titles during the 70’s and 80’s. This is when I observed my father most closely in his professional environment. You were either one thing or another. “Engineer.” “Plumber.” “Stockbroker.” “I’m in Construction.” These were the answers – very definitive ones – to the questions about what people did for a living.
But my Dad had a somewhat different approach. When people asked him this question, I remember him answering with “I’m in Retail. Which means I do just about everything.”
Indeed, for my Dad it was—especially communications. Now I am not trying to romanticize the hard and complex work my Dad did for decades, but I have come to realize just how much he embraced communications in everything he did. He loved training people on how to engage. He loved making connections between what would simply sell and what would soar.
So, in the spirit of celebrating Father’s Day this year without my own Dad, I share some of his communications lessons that I rely on most often. It is my way of both honoring him but also honoring the many fathers out there who are grand communicators in their individual ways.
- “Plan Your Poster. Then Double It.” My father was helping me paint campaign posters one day for a student government election of some sort. I cannot recall many of the details but I remember we were in our backyard, poster paper and supplies everywhere. I had dutifully mapped out the campaign message, sketched it out with pencil, and started opening the poster paints and brushes. It all seemed to be going to plan. My Dad then asked me some questions about who I wanted to see this message, how far they would be, where the posters would hang, and how I wanted people to react to them. “Most of the time, you’d better double the size of your message. It takes more effort than you think to get your message across.” I will never forget this lesson. And it has in many cases proven true. Whether in advertising campaigns or advocacy efforts or outreach strategies. It takes a lot of effort to get your message to stick, regardless of how clever or smart it is. Go big. (Incidentally, the posters ended up HUGE. And I won the election!).
- « Enunciate. E-nun-ci-ate! » This used to drive me crazy. With immigrant grandparents and a Dad who insisted on good pronunciation, there was rarely a time when someone was not saying this phrase at my home. For my Dad, this was more then just a point of courtesy. It was a communications lesson. “Speak so that people can understand you” was the charge. Of course, my Dad was just trying to communicate with a fast-talking teenager (I am sure some of you can empathize). But he also taught me one of my favorite communications lessons: Not unless we were thinking about enunciating were we really doing it. He was teaching me about messaging in intentionally clear ways. There is a simple reminder for anyone in public relations or communications reminder that my Dad gave us – over and over again.
- Make Everything a Special Occasion: My Dad was a master at ensuring that moments were memorable. Whether he was hosting a sidewalk sale or a fashion show or having a staff meeting, he knew that messages and campaigns were always best received when they felt special. I am talking about more than just the balloon arches or refreshments or the program. He knew that people would remember and carry forward your messages if they believed they were part of something important. Today, I try to ensure that everything is a special occasion in its own way, especially when launching a communications campaign or building a message, and that everyone feels connected to the message and included in the success of it.
Lessons sometimes comes from unexpected places or in unpredictable disguises. You have to pay attention. And some of the most valuable lessons come from people who do not hold the official title to which the world wants to hold them. These are just three of the countless communications lessons I learned from my father. He was not a certified communications professional, but wow was he great at it!
I know I have many things yet to learn when it comes to my tradecraft, but I also know that by following the examples of communicators I love, I will be able to make better things happen.
Happy Father’s Day to all you communicators out there. And that means all of you!
