A Messaging Lesson From Shakespeare

Posted by: Chris Lester, Principal Mar 17, 2009 0 Comments

Messaging not only sets the stage for content, but often act as its stand-in—it has to deliver an award-winning performance to engage the audience. I was reminded of this recently while traveling to a presentation for an organization whose messaging platform had lost its spark. It was a last ditch effort to get it back on track, which would require a great deal of persuasion.

It was Shakespeare’s Henry V that came to mind as an appropriate metaphor to communicate the power of inspirational messaging. Shakespeare beautifully illustrated this in Henry V’s Agincourt address to his men on the eve of their great battle. Henry’s men are tired, hungry, and facing an army many times their size. Their prospects are bleak and their spirits are low. Henry seizes the moment to deliver a passionate and carefully crafted address that not only articulates what’s at stake and the critical nature of the mission, but also the great and unique opportunity to be part of something important.

The stirring and passionate address succeeds in motivating an outnumbered army with little to no chance of victory and ultimately inspires them to succeed.

This is the power of motivational messaging. It helps change perspectives and makes a compelling case for engagement and loyalty. It’s as much about the impression it’s making as it is about the information being conveyed.

Unfortunately, most messaging fails to strike this cord because it is too often rooted in factual representation. If Shakespeare’s Henry informed his men matter-of-factly what lay ahead, he would have had an army of deserters. This same army of deserters faces organizations who fail to treat their missions as critical and take every opportunity to passionately engage and motivate.

Organizations would be wise to think of themselves as Henry V and their audiences as his army. They should consider themselves as facing great odds (most probably are) and bring every ounce of passion they have to their communications. Unless they take advantage of every opportunity to motivate and inspire—powerfully communicating what’s at stake, why it matters, what action must be taken, and what the benefit will be—they may not be able to win future battles.

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Chris Lester

Principal

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