“What outstanding communication needs more than rules is unconstipated thinking…better to be bold than safe.”

George Lois, design master, Indeed.

Bold is essential, most especially if your goal is clear, direct, free-flowing communications with your people.

Three Steps to Your Big, Bold, Bodacious Idea

1. What makes you irresistible?

Whether you have an audience of eight or 80,000, there is something that draws people into your orbit and makes them want to hang out and stay. Think of it as your own personal brand of catnip.

Not sure what draws ‘em in? Then it’s time to find out. Pick your all-time favorite clients, buyers, readers (five will probably give you enough data points) and ask them three pointed questions:

  • What do you get from me that you don’t get from anyone else?
  • What do you consistently rely on me for?
  • What experience (feeling) do you always get from me?

Make a list of what you hear from them.

  • Circle anything you hear more than once.
  • Put a Star by anything you hear three or more times.

Hint: your mojo is in the stars.

More helpful questions

SURVEY: WHAT MAKES YOU IRRESISTIBLE?

This survey is 100% optional, but I highly recommend getting some input from those you deeply respect and would be thrilled to have around you. If you decide to give it a whirl, you can pick up the phone, attach it to an email, or even make a house call.

  • What is irresistible about working/playing with me?
  • What experience (feeling) do you get from me that you don’t get from anyone else?
  • Choose the top 5 words you’d use to describe me.
  • What is one fabulous thing about me that you believe I am not seeing?
  • What do you know you can always rely on me for?

 

2. What jazzes you?

This is about making sure you’re working at what lights you up. Your passion serves as rocket fuel, especially when the going gets tough.

Think back to the projects and experiences that rocked your world. We’re talking when you were really jamming—doing kick-ass work that excited you.

Try looking around your workspace. What draws your eye in? What happy memories and projects are associated with it? Make a list.

Then, one by one, visualize each experience, complete with sights, feelings, smells, and soundtrack.

  • What work were you doing?
  • Who were you doing it with?
  • How did you work?
  • Where did you work?
  • What parts did you like best?

And write it down.

  • Project 1
  • Project 2
  • Project 3
  • Project 4
  • Project 5

By about Project #5, you should start seeing some similarities. Maybe you’re drawn to working solo or with big personalities. Or tight deadlines with impossible requests are your thing. Perhaps you most love being the data chick. Or the border collie.

Drill down to the common links between your most unforgettable experiences and write them down here.

COMMON LINKS Answers/Words

3. Name your passion zone.

Now list what makes you irresistible and paste pages filled with your triumphs around the room.

Breathe it in. Soak it up. Let it wash over you.

Once you are filled with a sense of your own awesomeness (this is not the time for modesty), you are ready to put it all together into a statement that captures it exquisitely.

Ready?

Complete this statement:

I_____________ (insert action verb), ________________ (insert your best audience), ________________________(insert how you make your best audience feel or an outcome they can consistently rely upon).

Take some time with this. Leave it and come back to it. Ruminate. Salivate. It should scare you a little—as in “Who am I to think this big?”

Your final step is to turn your statement into a big, bold, bodacious idea that irresistibly draws your best audience to you.

Use as few words as possible, while making it rich and compelling. Focus on the intersection of what makes your heart beat faster with where your best talents lie.