Written by: Ann Germany, Churchill Club Volunteer

Privacy was the topic of discussion this past Tuesday evening as guests gathered at the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel in San Francisco to participate in a discussion on “The Online Collection of Consumer Data: The Good, The Bad, and the Unknown” sponsored by Microsoft.

In honor of Data Privacy Day, the Churchill Club featured a panel of thought leaders with deep expertise on the topic.  The panelists were Jim Adler, Chief Privacy Officer & General Manager, Data Systems, Intelius; Nick Bicanic, CEO and Founder, echoecho; Jules Cohen, Director of Online Privacy, Microsoft; Nicole Ozer, Technology and Civil Liberties Policy Director, ACLU of Northern California; and Paul Schwartz, Faculty Director, Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, UC Berkeley.  The panel was moderated by Jules Polonetsky, Co-Chair and Director, Future of Privacy Forum.

Letting the Government in to Keep Everyone Else Out

According to Microsoft, fifty six percent of adults surveyed don’t actively think about the consequences of their online activities. So the question stands, who should be protecting the data that consumers share in their online activities?  Polonetsky asked whether the government should play this role. The speakers agreed that it is the government’s job to protect its citizens, but when it comes to online privacy, the government’s role is fuzzy. Do we really want regulatory agencies to have access to all of our private data? Or would we rather give the government access to it, in order to keep it from getting into someone else’s hands? These questions are not easily answered. Privacy is a guaranteed right in the United States, but who gets to decide what information is too private? Schwartz suggested there is an important need for government access in order to prevent potential harm to citizens, including threats posed by cyber bullying or stalking. But Ozer pointed out that those needs shouldn’t give government agencies (or anyone else) the right to share that information.

Privacy Statements: Does Anyone Actually Read Them?

Consumers are actively downloading various apps and programs and registering for new services on a daily basis. Most of these come with a privacy statement. But who actually reads them. According to Ozer, it would take an average person 200 hours to read all of the privacy statements for the technologies they use. The desire to understand our privacy rights takes a back seat to the desire to get on with using our new social media accounts or smartphone apps. Adler emphasized the need of consumers to be more aware of what is happening with their smartphones – Which apps are recording or broadcasting your location? How much of your Facebook data can be provided to third parties? Is Google archiving every Web page you visit? Simple awareness can make a big difference in how much information consumers consent to sharing, and how they go about shaping their online personas for more accurate targeting.

Members of the audience posed questions to the panel revealing their insight into the topic:

One member of the audience asked the panelists to elaborate on the issue of accountability. Cohen conveyed the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing group’s perspective and distinguished between how you are going to be accountable versus what you are going to be accountable for.  Further clarifying Microsoft’s position, he referred to their corporate governance program which establishes standards and the role of a Chief Privacy Officer.

A question was posed to Schwartz in reference to his mention of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  “Has he ever seen a reputation index in which people could obtain personal information other than financial?”  Schwartz’ response outlined two of the main challenges facing the availability of such an index:  1) collection of the personal data which remain scattered and 2) arguments against the centralization of this data.

Consumer Data – A Steam Engine?

Schwartz nicely framed the issue at hand by drawing an analogy between consumer data available online to the introduction of steam engines. The ensuing period was marked by a national discourse which was necessary to identify and understand the consequences resulting from this new mode of transportation. Adler readily agreed with Schwartz’ analogy and reminded the audience that as a society we must engage in a dialogue to address the tensions arising from the economic opportunities of mining personal data and balance those against the consumer’s desire to protect their privacy.  Adler’s position was that the basis of this dialogue must rest on an educated and informed consumer.  Judging from tonight’s audience and panel discussion, the steam engine has left the round house and is chugging up mountains, ducking around passes and is well on track.

Watch the complete program ‘The Collection of Online Consumer Data’ on Churchill Club’s YouTube channel.

Written by: Kimberly Badtke, Churchill Club Volunteer

Admit it.  You caught the buzzword fever at some point in your career.  Maybe it started slowly with a “game changer” thrown in here and “state-of-the-art” or “innovative, strategic partnership” tossed in for good measure.  It’s time for a reboot.

“It takes courage to speak simply,” shared Carmine Gallo at Churchill Club’s ‘Say Something That Matters’ program on January 18, 2012 sponsored by Aviat Networks.    “Fear stifles inspiring communications.  You may be afraid of what the boss might say.  But remember, your senior executives want you to be seen as an inspiring manager.”

The Churchill Club program featured a panel discussion to help attendees present with authenticity and effectively use body language to get the right message across while truly capturing the essence of the individual.  The panelists were Forbes reporter Kym McNicholas, top-selling author and presentation coach Carmine Gallo, body language expert Carol Goman, and the School For the Well Spoken Woman's KC Baker.

“The key is getting rid of the buzzwords,” advised McNicholas, “Words to erase: the cloud, revolutionary, game changer, consumerization of IT, innovative, drinking the kool-aid and eating our own dogfood, ground breaking, strategic partnership, state-of-the-art, leading, next generation and solutions”.

Instead learn to speak with feeling—when feeling comes through that resonates with others. Baker cited the example of Apple vs. HP.

“I remember a street post at an Apple presentation showing the intersection of technology and liberal arts.  They were in the business of liberal arts and technology was a tool,” informed Baker.  “Apple created an emotional connection.  In comparison, HP said ‘we make a great computer.’  There wasn’t the same emotional tie.”

How Do You Communicate Your Message?

Step 1:  Find your passion
 “It starts with a serious inquiry into the heart and why of what you’re doing,” told Baker.  “Get rooted first in what you want to say and own it.  It is the feeling that comes through then.”  

An exercise to find where passion lies is to have employees write down: “I believe…..” and complete the sentence.  Goman encouraged attendees to use a video to show what your passion is about.  

Step 2:  Create a twitter-friendly headline
Gallo explained “Tell what you do or what your product does in 140 characters.  Remember to start with the big picture before details.  An example is Steve Jobs’ description of the MacBook® Air as ‘the world’s thinnest notebook’.”

Step 3:  Stick with the rule of  three
Forget the product feature list of 22 points, and focus on three.  Gallo reminded the audience that Goldilocks only had three bears and the well-known phrase in the US Declaration of Independence “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Gallo further explained that with a presentation, break it into three sections.  When introducing a product, start with the big picture, that Twitter headline, and support with three points.    

A final thought from panelists on this topic: be different. “It’s all about speeds and feeds in the Valley,” cited Gallo.  “I suggest telling a story to convey your message.”  McNicholas encouraged the audience to “tell me something I don’t know.  Be direct and give an example with impact.”

McNicholas stated that you shouldn’t just tell your marketing message but share how your marketing message came to be.

Adding the Power of Non-Verbal Body Language

Having zeroed in on our buzzword-free verbal message, Goman shared insights on how body language can help or hinder your authenticity.  “Most executives are trained in body language from the waist up.  Therefore, the truth can be found in the telltale movements of legs and feet.”

She recalled a CEO presentation humming along smoothly until the question of CEO compensation was raised.  “Then his feet started flopping and tapping.  And remember, we believe what we see, not what we say.”

The audience was introduced to her tool for predicting the presidential winner:  the counter.  “As an author, I love words.  But boy, the power of body language,” quipped Goman.  “I use the counter to track the blink rate of presidential candidates during a debate.  Blink rates indicate how stressed you are and the higher blink rate candidate loses!”

You can use the power of non-verbal communication to trick your brain too.  “Stand up straight with your feet slight apart and your arms outstretched for a minute or two,”  informed Goman, “This will lower your stress levels and help you feel more confident.  A second trick is what method actors do.  Go back in time and draw on a memory of the feeling you want to convey."

In the age of webinars, where communicators are not seen, body language still plays a role.  “Similar to how you mimic body language, you can mimic voice patterns and talk with a smile in your voice,” said Goman.  “Stand up if you can because it will give you more energy in your voice.”  Baker offered the tip to “perch” and sit on the edge of the chair.  The position can make a big difference in being able to communicate clearly and connect.      

The audience asked the panelists who, in their opinion, is a stellar example of a communicator to watch.  Responses from the panelists included Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO; Marc Benioff,  Salesforce CEO; Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group;  John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, and Gary Vaynerchuk, The Wine Guy; and of course, there are hours of Steve Jobs’ presentations online.

Everyone has a story to tell. Some people are better than others at telling the story. But anyone can inspire, motivate, and persuade if they learn three simple techniques. I learned these techniques as a financial journalist for CNN. Each day I interviewed CEOs, leaders and money experts. Most were dull, boring and convoluted. But some were so captivating our producers would invite them back time and time again.

When I left television journalism to start my own business, The Gallo Communications Group, I applied journalistic principles to corporate storytelling. I discovered that the techniques were equally effective in preparing spokespeople for media interviews (media-training), creating messages, or crafting and delivering PowerPoint presentations.

Step One: Find Your Passion. Passion is everything. You cannot inspire anyone unless you’re inspired yourself. It’s important to discover your passion and to share that passion in all of your professional communications. Most spokespeople neglect this crucial step but it makes all the difference. For example, when I interviewed Starbucks founder Howard Schultz he used the word ‘passion’ in nearly every sentence. But I soon discovered that he wasn’t passionate about coffee, the product he sells. He was passionate about treating employees with dignity and respect. Happy employees would deliver better customer service and better customer service would attract customers. Schultz described it this way—coffee is what we sell as a product but it’s not what Starbucks stands for.

One way to discover your passion is to ask yourself, “What does my company [brand, product, service] stand for? Remember, it might not be the obvious. Dig deep to identify what you are truly passionate about and once you do, share that message with your employees and your stakeholders.

Step Two: Create a Twitter-Friendly Headline. Check out the articles on The Huffington Post or USA Today. Popular blogs and newspapers write catchy headlines that grab your attention. More interestingly, the catchiest headlines can fit easily within a Twitter post of 140 characters. Now apply the same philosophy to your product or service. Why not create a headline to describe it? You should because the human brain craves meaning before details.

John Medina is a research scientist at the University of Washington. He wrote a wonderful book called Brain Rules. He once told me that the human brain needs to see the big picture before details. “When primitive man ran into a saber-toothed tiger, he did not ask ‘how many teeth does the tiger have? Instead he asked, ‘will it eat me?’” Big picture before details.

Now think about Steve Jobs introduced the first MacBook Air in 2008. “In a sentence, it’s the world’s thinnest notebook.” The world’s thinnest notebook. If that’s all you know about the computer, it tells you a lot. It’s also just 31 characters. The four-word description of the MacBook Air was consistently communicated by Steve Jobs in his presentation, in the press release, on the Apple Web site, and in all in-store marketing material. If you can’t describe your product or service in 140 characters or less, go back to the drawing board.

Step Three: Follow the Rule of Three. The human brain can only consume about three or four chunks of information in short term memory. Since that’s the case why try to cram twenty points in your five-minute interview? It doesn’t make sense. You’re simply overloading your listener. Great writers understand and follow this principle. The Declaration of Independence guarantees us the right to three things—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Goldilocks only saw three bears, not four. The same approach applies to effective corporate messaging. What’s the iPad 2? It’s three things—“thinner, lighter, and faster” than the original. Stick to the rule of three. It works for great writers. It will work for you.

Do not underestimate the power of story told simply. These three techniques will help you craft and deliver a corporate message that educates, informs, and inspires your audience.

By Carmine Gallo, President, Gallo Communications Group

Carmine Gallo will be speaking at the Churchill Club’s ‘Say Something That Matters’ program on January 18, 2012. Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. He is a keynote speaker, bestselling author, and columnist. His company, Gallo Communications Group, is based in Pleasanton, California. He can be reached at www.carminegallo.com