If I invited you to a “Chemistry Meeting”, what would you expect to happen in it?
Probably that we’ll have a chat, to see if we get on ok – yes?
But what if I re-title the meeting, and now invite you to something called a “Kick-Off Meeting”, what do you expect from it now?
Probably that we’ll start something, to inject pace and direction – yes?
Both titles relate to the same meeting. But the second one sounds better, is more likely to cause action and – to be blunt – attendance!
Which shows that titles have a massive impact on what people expect from that communication.
You see lots of other communications like this. For example:
- Call something “staff review”, and everyone expects us to review last year. But call it a “staff preview”, and the thrust is how we can preview next year – and ensure it is even better for you
- We’ve all heard the phrase “selling is a dirty word”. But replace the word “sale” with “agreement to help” … well, that sounds much friendlier
When you start looking at communication like this, you’ll see lots of titles that really don’t help. Here are some you see every day; and simple ways to improve them:
- “Discovery meeting” – change it to “prioritise and optimise”
- Many people hate the word “role play”. So don’t say that. Instead, simply call it “practice” (admittedly, during this practice, they will be playing roles)
- Starting a conversation with “I need to give you some feedback” … well, that just sounds like “bad news incoming”. A better start would be “Please can we have a quick chat, to see how we can make it even better next time?”
- When you send a “proposal”, it sounds like you are proposing something. As in, it isn’t certain. But call it a “confirmation” = it’s certain now! And/or, even better …
- … if you’re sending a proposal to someone who wants to export into Belgium, call it “Confirmation: how we’ll help you export into Belgium” (much better than “our proposal”)
- Similarly, if you’re doing a presentation, replace the title “Credentials presentation” with “How we’ll help you export into Belgium”
- Training someone on “Excel intermediate”? You probably can’t change the course title. But you could add a gorgeous subtitle – “How to save two hours every week”
- Finally – the title I hate more than any – “Update meeting”. Nobody cares! Instead, re-title it as “Successes and learnings meeting” or “Best Next Help” (= what went best last week, what’s my #1 priority for next week, and the #1 thing I want help with is … ”)
How good are you at creating gorgeous, beautiful titles? Well, here’s how to find out…
Simply review the last few comms you created. And look at a variety – recent emails, meeting titles, document titles, presentation title slides, etc…
… Would your titles have caused people to think “this sounds brilliant – bring on page two!” or “I’m bored already – I’ll pass”.
Action Point
Use gorgeous titles.
Positive first impressions massively help everyone. But lose them then, and you may never recover….