1. The Message and the Meta-Message
How to Assess and Control the “Body Language”
of Your Communications
PLAI N 2013, Vancouver BC
September 26, 2013
Josiah Fisk
President, More Carrot LLC
Boston

2. Sounds Great,
But What Exactly
Are We Talking About?

3. EXAMPLE
Message with Conflicting
Meta-Message from Actions

4. Please stay
on the line.

5. Your call is ver y
impor tant to us.

6. Your call is ver y
impor tant to us.

7. Your call is ver y
impor tant to us.

8. Your call is ver y
impor tant to us.

9. Your call is ver y
impor tant to us.

10. Your call is ver y
un impor tant to us.

11. Your call
Your questions
Your problems
Your time
You
All totally unimpor tant to us.
Now what was it
you were calling about?

12. EXAMPLE
Message with Conflicting
Meta-Message from Environment

15. EXAMPLE
Message with Strong
Meta-Message Shift over Time

17. EXAMPLE
Message with its Own
Conflicting Meta-Message

18. Message and meta-message aligned.

20. Message and meta-message misaligned.

21. Worse than no message at all.

22. ME TA-MA XIM #1
The meta-message
is context’s commentary
on the message.

23. ME TA-MA XIM #2
A bad meta-message doesn’t
just cancel out the message:
it can re-aim it
in the wrong direction

24. ME TA-MA XIM #3
If you don’t control
the meta-message,
you don’t control
the message.

25. Message Sent
vs.
Message Received

26. EXAMPLE
Self-Introduction with
Desired Message Articulated

27. Hello.
I am a nice guy.
You will like me!
Who is
this nutjob and
how can I get
rid of him?

28. EXAMPLE
Self-Introduction with
Desired Message as a Reaction Goal

29. Hello.
I really liked your
presentation!
Hey, he seems
like a really
nice guy!

30. ME TA-MA XIM #4
To get the meta-message right,
sometimes you have to
change the message.

31. ME TA-MA XIM #5
You already know how to
manage your personal
meta-message.
Borrow those skills.

32. Learning From
The Masters

33. Recognize this guy?

34. How about this guy?

35. The Marlboro Man

36. The Marlboro Man
1957

39. 1965

41. Brand name
Headline
Feature list
Brand imagery
Product in use
Packaging
Body copy

42. Product in use
Headline
(2-part, includes
brand name)
Brand imagery
(bigger, in color)
Body copy
(shorter)
Packaging

43. Brand imagery
Product in use
Headline
(shorter)
Packaging
(only mention
of brand name)

44. Package and brand name barely visible

45. Brand name big, no headline;
surgeon general’s warning added

46. Brand name tilted and partly obscured.

47. Image, brand name, product in use.

48. Image, brand name.

49. No headline, no features, no body copy.
No packaging, no product in use.

50. And yet no lack of communication.

51. Ankara

52. Source: Tobacco Control, 1998
Ankara
% of 2nd - 5th graders who recognize Marlboro brand:
92%

53. Q: How well has this worked?

54. A: We’ll never know for sure.

55. . . . but we can do some message analysis.

56. •
•
•
•
Sterile
All text
Logic-based
Clunky
•
•
•
•
Human
Visually rich
Emotion-based
Enticing

57. What you are
doing is bad.
You bet I’m bad.

58. Life
Death
Factual Reality

59. Death
Life
Emotional Reality

60. Stealing From
The Masters

61. Meta-messaging that hijacks
rational thought processes.

62. Messaging that hijacks
Marlboro’s meta-messaging.

63. Created by an ad agency.
Created by an ad agency.
Created by a bureaucracy. . .

64. •
•
•
•
Sterile
All text
Logic-based
Clunky
•
•
•
•
Human
Visually rich
Emotion-based
Enticing
Look and feel dictated by tobacco companies

65. ME TA-MA XIM #6
When you’re up against
the manipulative
power of emotions,
manipulate back.

66. Fixing the Meta-Message

67. EXAMPLE
Consumer Disclosure (TSA)

68. Boarding Pass Kiosk — TSA Screen

69. “Redress Number”
“privacy impact assessment”
“published system of records notice”

70. I sure hope I don’t
miss my plane!
. . . 49 U.S.C.
section 114 and 49
C.F.R. parts 1540
and 1560 . . .

71. “TSA requires you”
“under the authority of ”
“Not providing the information
will discontinue your check-in.”

72. We’re totally absorbed in our own reality.
We don’t care if you understand or not.
You’re probably a terrorist anyway.
The meta-messages.

73. We hold the power here.
The most important meta-message.

74. Original Screen

75. Simplified Screen*
*Hypothetical

76. Asking for your help
To help keep air travel safe, the federal government requires
that you tell us your full name, date of birth, and gender.
OK
Cancel
Check-In
Questions? Go to tsa.gov.

77. Goal we all support (and citation is credible)
To help keep air travel safe, the federal government requires
that you tell us your full name, date of birth, and gender.
OK
Cancel
Check-In
Questions? Go to tsa.gov.

78. Hey, it’s not our idea
To help keep air travel safe, the federal government requires
that you tell us your full name, date of birth, and gender.
OK
Cancel
Check-In
Questions? Go to tsa.gov.

79. To help keep air travel safe, the federal government requires
that you tell us your full name, date of birth, and gender.
No big deal
OK
Cancel
Check-In
Questions? Go to tsa.gov.

80. To help keep air travel safe, the federal government requires
that you tell us your full name, date of birth, and gender.
OK
Cancel
Check-In
Same choices, non-threatening presentation
Questions? Go to tsa.gov.

81. To help keep air travel safe, the federal government requires
that you tell us your full name, date of birth, and gender.
OK
Cancel
Check-In
Questions? Go to tsa.gov.
Helpful tone (vs. “if you don’t believe us” tone)

82. To help keep air travel safe, the federal government requires
that you tell us your full name, date of birth, and gender.
OK
Cancel
Check-In
Questions? Go to tsa.gov.
Design gives visual prominence to key elements, for speed

83. To help keep air travel safe, the federal government requires
that you tell us your full name, date of birth, and gender.
OK
Cancel
Check-In
Questions? Go to tsa.gov.
Design gives visual prominence to key elements, for speed

84. We know you’re in a hurry so we’ll be brief.
Yes, you have to. But security benefits us all.
. . . unless you’re a terrorist, which we
assume you’re not.
The new meta-messages.

85. We recognize your concerns.
The most important meta-message.

86. ME TA-MA XIM #8
Nobody ever
likes to be reminded
that you have more power
than they do.

87. EXAMPLE
Icon-Style Highway Sign

88. MESSAGE: Picnic area with trees, turn right.

89. MESSAGE: Picnic area with trees, turn right.
META-MESSAGE: Now doesn’t that look lovely and fun!

90. OTHER META-MESSAGES:
Maybe you’d like a little break from driving.

91. OTHER META-MESSAGES:
Wholesome place to bring the family.

92. OTHER META-MESSAGES:
See, we haven’t completely wasted your tax dollars.

93. META-MESSAGES UNCLEAR:
Bent trees?

94. META-MESSAGES UNCLEAR:
High wind area?

95. META-MESSAGES UNCLEAR:
We don’t know how to draw a tree?

96. META-MESSAGES UNCLEAR:
Beware of falling trees — enjoy your picnic?

97. Positive/unambiguous meta-messages.

98. Negative/unclear meta-messages.

99. Actual sign

100. ME TA-MA XIM #9
It’s very easy to miss the
flaws in your communications.
Unfortunately, you may be
the only one who does.

101. Live Discussion of Examples

103. How special is this supposed to make me feel?

104. EXAMPLE
Coverage Update Letter from
Health Insurance Provider

106. “Quickest and easiest way” for whom?
(requires typing 43-character url)

107. EXAMPLE
Pharmacy Benefits Change Mailer
from Health Insurance Provider

109. Why are you trying to sell me
when you’ve already told me
you’re forcing me to buy?

110. ME TA-MA XIM #1 0
Overdoing
the meta-message isn’t
as bad as underdoing it.
It’s worse.

111. Takeaways

112. Meta-messages:
• Can change the direction of your message.
• A re never neutral: either they’re helping you,
hurting you, or letting you down.
• Are always there – you cannot turn them off.
• But you can manage them:
- Assess, anticipate, monitor
- Control the ones you can control
- Plan around the rest

113. Meta-message management:
• Never promise more than you can deliver
- in communications
- in actions and follow-through
• S how that you care, show that you understand
- show, don’t tell
- don’t patronize
• ork hard on your meta-messages and they will
W
hard for you.

114. Thank you!

115. Questions?

116. less stick
www.morecarrot.com
@MoreCarrotLLC