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The picturesmith

Most people who work in the business of communications and public relations highly value the finely crafted word. So do the people who hire them. Practitioners in this realm often refer to themselves as “wordsmiths.” We respect and pay handsomely for the well-turned phrase, especially in an era of rapidly decreasing attention span.

However, words that move us, persuade us, and then drive us to act do not begin as the arrangement of certain letters; they begin as pictures. Our words form in response to what we have observed, glimpsed in our mind’s eye, seen in a picture or painting, or watched in some other medium.

Words, by themselves, are useful, but insufficient. “A picture is worth a thousand words.” We know the truth of this adage, way down in the recesses of the psyche.

So then, why do we approach problems and opportunities in communications by beginning with words? The better approach is to draw the opportunity or problem, and then find the words to augment the picture.

The quality of the initial drawing is not so critical. Stick figures, two-dimensional objects, and rough graphs are enough to begin.

Let me share an example. Instead of starting to craft words, paragraphs, and pages about how the cultural landscape in America has moved radically away from binary choices (symbolized today by computer coding) to almost infinite choices (symbolized by quantum mechanics), how about starting with a drawing like this?

(old) 0,1       (new) ∞

A practical application of this drawing to contemporary businesses, politics, or public policymaking is that customers, voters, and groups are rebelling against being offered binary choices two decades into the 21st century. This drawing can travel on a cell phone, notebook, or modern-day papyrus to help inspire emotional connections and deep thinking before we begin to write. It could be the first drawing in a series outlining your premise and argument.

__________

After listening to a prospective client’s explanation, my first question usually is, “Can you draw me a picture of this situation?” And my second question often is, “Can you draw me the look on the face of the person you want to receive your message before and after receiving this communication?” (Emojis are just fine.) Then, before beginning to write, I say to our team, “How would we draw what we want to say?”

Takeaway: A superb wordsmith begins her or his craftsmanship as an outstanding picturesmith.