Are communication professionals stepping up to the challenge of capturing today’s fleeting attention spans or have we conceded to allow “the shiny object” to take center stage?  It’s our professional responsibility to deliver crisp, clear, concise and convincing messaging.

Many of us are knee deep in planning our kickoff meetings for 2019. We’re preoccupied with finalizing the themes for the meeting and figuring out how many jumbotrons for the ballrooms. When I think about how much time and money is spent each year on planning and producing meetings — $167 billion in 2016 *–—that‘s up from $106 billion in 2012 — it prompts me to ask how much time we are investing in our messaging to capture mindshare and drive behavior change?

I am all for high production values and I am a big advocate of making sure there is plenty of entertainment value for your audience.

Make 2019 different. Words matter. Words can be the magic that motivate and drive behaviors. Take the time now to perfect what you say and how you say it. Rehearse. Eliminate the jargon. Rely on stories. Use memorable devices.

Work on your messaging now and see real results in the bottom line. Be fierce and focused on getting it right. Take one of our workshops!

Because when you are fierce and focused on your message, you can captivate your audience and deliver that shiny object in tangible business results!

* according to the Events Industry Council’s annual study conducted in collaboration with Oxford Economics

Westmeath is a global business communications consultancy. The Westmeath network of expert business communicators simplify the complexity, drive clarity and deliver business results. 

Westmeath Global Communications is currently offering four new workshops to help enterprises upgrade their messaging, make better connections with key stakeholders and achieve a better return on their overall communication investment in the New Year. The workshops are led by Westmeath business communication advisors, who are experts in their field. The content and delivery of each workshop is designed so participants can apply practical and actionable knowledge to everyday activities.

The following is an overview of the workshops:

• What’s your Purpose? ― Create more relevant, impactful messages by applying best-selling author Simon Sinek’s WHY principles. Led by Renata Dolz and Melinda Cross
• Persuasive Storytelling ― Build stronger connections with your audience through transformative stories. Led by Melinda Cross and Renata Dolz
• Be better® ― Develop and deliver presentations that move audiences to act. Led by Michael Baldwin
• Women, Language & Power ― Help female leaders to communicate to maximize impact, change behavior, and get better results. Led by Susannah Baldwin, PhD. 

More information about each workshop, as well as Westmeath’s advisors and additional Westmeath offerings, is available at westmeathinc.com.