The Art of Evangelism - Harvard Business Review

Kawasaki outlines three ways to effectively evangelize: (1) Schmoozing. This requires you to get out of your office, ask questions, unveil your passions, ... Youhave1freearticlesleftthismonth. Youarereadingyourlastfreearticleforthismonth. Subscribeforunlimitedaccess. Createanaccounttoread2more. Managingyourself TheArtofEvangelism Inthesocialage,it’severyexecutive’sjob. by GuyKawasaki by GuyKawasaki FromtheMagazine(May2015) Tweet Post Share Save GetPDF BuyCopies Print Summary.    TheauthorwasApple’ssecondsoftware“evangelist”andisnowthechiefevangelistforCanva,anonlinedesignfirm.Hebelievesthatallmanagerscanadoptthepractice,withgreatbenefittotheirorganizationsandtheircareers.Nomatterwhatyourcompany,itprobablyofferssomethingvaluableanddifferentiatedandthereforeworthevangelizingabout:ifnotgoodsorservices,thencorporatevalues,cutting-edgeaccountingpractices,orflexiblework-at-homepolicies. Kawasakioutlinesthreewaystoeffectivelyevangelize:(1)Schmoozing.Thisrequiresyoutogetoutofyouroffice,askquestions,unveilyourpassions,followupwithpeople,e-maileffectively,makeiteasytogetintouchwithyou,anddofavors.(2)Publicspeaking.Youneedtodeliverqualitycontent,omitthesalespitch,customizethespeechforyouraudience,focusonentertainingyourlisteners,tellstories,circulateintheaudiencebeforehand,controlschedulingandvenuewhenyoucan,andpracticeandspeakallthetime.(3)Socialmedia.Whenpostingyoushouldoffervalue,beinteresting,takechances,keepitbrief,beamensch,adddrama,temptwithheadlines,usehashtags,andstayactive. HBRReprintR1505J Tweet Post Share Save GetPDF BuyCopies Print NearchosNtaskas Leerenespañol Leremportuguês “Evangelism”becameabusinessbuzzwordduringtheinternetboomofthelate1990s.Infact,asApple’ssecondsoftwareevangelist,Ihelpedpopularizetheterm.Theideaissimple:DerivedfromaGreekwordthatmeans,roughly,“toproclaimgoodnews,”evangelismisexplainingtotheworldhowyourproductorservicecanimprovepeople’slives. MyjobatApplewastoproclaimthegoodnewsthatMacintoshwouldmakeeveryonemorecreativeandproductive.Iwasn’tjustmarketingacomputer;IbelievedinitsomuchthatIwantedotherstoexperienceittoo.Now,asthechiefevangelistofCanva,myjobistoshareaplatformthatdemocratizesdesign.Evangeliststrulyhavethebestinterestsofothersatheart. Manybusinesseshaveembracedtheideathatcustomersarepotentialevangelists;themostardentofthemwillspreadthewordaboutyourcompany’sproductsorserviceswithoutpay.Butit’simportanttorememberthatmanagers—eventhoseoutsidethemarketingdepartment—canbeevangeliststoo.Inmydecadesofworkinginthetechnologysectorandservingasaconsultantinotherindustries,I’velearnedthatexecutivesinanyfunctioncanadoptthepractice,withgreatbenefittotheircompaniesandtheircareers. Ifyou’realeader,youshouldevangelizeforyourorganizationandwhatithastooffer,andyoushouldfeelcomfortableplayingthisrolebothinternally—inbreakrooms,overe-mail,throughcollaborativeplatforms—andexternally,atindustryconferencesandviaLinkedIn,Facebook,andTwitter.Inthesocialage,evangelismiseveryone’sjob. It’seasyifyou’vealignedyourselfwithacompanythatbuildsorsellsproductsorservicesthattickallyourboxes.Inmyworldthismeanstheyaredeep(anticipatingallthefeaturesuserswillneed),intelligent(providingnewandcleverwaystoeasepainorincreaseenjoyment),complete(includingadequatesupport),empowering(allowingpeopletohelpthemselves),andelegant(blendingfunctionandform). Whenyoubecomeaneffectiveevangelist,yousetanexampleforotheremployees. Butevenifyou’renotsellingMacs,Breitlings,Teslas,orVirginAmericaairtravel,yourcompanyprobablyofferssomethingvaluableanddifferentiatedandthereforeworthevangelizingabout.Itmightnotbegoodsorservices.Itcouldbeyourcorporatevalues,yourcutting-edgeaccountingpractices,oryourflexiblework-at-homepolicies. Whenyoubecomeaneffectiveevangelist,youdon’tjustpromoteyourorganization—yousetanexampleforotheremployees.Youshowthatyouareapassionate,engagedteammember.Youinspireyourcolleagues.Andyoudemonstrateyourleadershipability.Lookaroundyourofficeandyou’llseeevangelistseverywhere—theEVPwhoregularlycontributestoconferencepanels;theteammatewhotweetsaboutindustryresearch;theexecutiveassistantwhoputsphotosofnewproductsinherPinterestfeed.Theyarethekindsofleaderscompanieswantintheirrankstoday.Soyoushoulddeveloptheskillsyouneedtojointheclub.Inmyexperience,therearethreewaystoeffectivelyevangelize:old-fashionedschmoozing,publicspeaking,andsocialmedia. Schmoozing It’smucheasiertoevangelizetopeopleyoualreadyknoworpeoplewhoalreadyknowyou.Theprocessofbuildingsuchsocialconnectionsiswhatwecallschmoozing.Ifyou’rehesitantaboutthis,becauseyou’reshyoryouconsideritoffensiveormanipulative,youneedtochangeyourmind.InhisbookTheFrogandPrince:SecretsofPositiveNetworkingtoChangeYourLife,DarcyRezacdefinesnetworkingas“discoveringwhatyoucandoforsomeoneelse.”Thisgenerousattitudeisthekeytobuildingtheextensive,long-lasting,andtrustingrelationshipsthatwillmakepeoplebelievewhatyouhavetosayaboutyourorganization.Buildingonthatfoundation,here’showyoucangetmorepeopletoknowyou: BytheSameAuthor TheTopTenLiesofEntrepreneurs EntrepreneurialFinance MagazineArticle GuyKawasaki It’seasytoturnoffprospectiveinvestors.Justfeedthemthesameoldlines. Save Share Getout. Schmoozingisacontactsport.Youcan’tdoitfromyourcubicle,soforceyourselftowalkaroundtheoffice;visitdifferentfloorsandcorporatelocations;attendtradeshows,conventions,seminars,conferences,andcocktailreceptions. Askquestions. Goodschmoozersdon’tdominatetheconversation.Theyinitiateitandthenshutupandlisten. Unveilyourpassions. Ifyoucantalkonlyaboutyourjob,you’reaboringperson.Successfulschmoozersarepassionateaboutmultipleanddiverseinterests.Abenefitofthosepassionsisthattheyprovideadditionalwaystoconnectwithpeople.I’vemademanybusinessconnectionsthroughhockey,andI’vemademanyhockeyconnectionsthroughbusiness. Followup. Sendane-mailorcallwithin24hoursofmeetingsomeone.Fewpeopleeverfollowup,sotheoneswhododistinguishthemselvesasworthknowing. E-maileffectively. E-mailisakeytool.Makesuretooptimizeyoursubjectlines(onesthatworkonmeare“Enjoyedyourbook”and“Referredby[someoneIknow]”),keepyourmessagesshortandsimple,resendunanswerede-mailsasanudge,andalwaysrespondwithin48hours. Makeiteasytogetintouch. Manypeoplewhowanttobegreatschmoozersfailbecausetheydon’tprinttheircellnumbersontheirbusinesscardsorincludecontactinformationinthesignatureareaoftheire-mails.Don’tcreatehurdlestoconnection. Dofavors. Ibelievethere’sakarmicscoreboardthattrackswhatyoudoforpeople.Ifyouwanttobeaworld-classschmoozer,ensurethatyournumberonthatscoreboardishigh. PublicSpeaking WhenIstartedworkingatApple,in1983,Iwasafraidofpublicspeaking.WhowouldwanttofollowSteveJobs?Butifyoumeantosucceedasanevangelist,youneedtomasterthisskill.Speechmakingisanimportantpartofevangelismbecauseitpushesyoutodevelopacoherentmessageandtospreadittolargecrowds.Ittookme20yearstogetcomfortableonstage.Here’showIlearnedtonotonlysurvivebutgetstandingovations: Deliverqualitycontent. It’smucheasiertogiveagreatspeechifyouhavesomethingtocommunicate.Ifyoudon’thaveanythingtosay,declinetheopportunity.Ifyoudon’twanttodecline,dosomeresearchandfindsomethinginterestingtosay.Thatis80%ofthebattle. Omitthesalespitch. Don’tspendyourtimepromotingyourselfandyourorganizationordenigratingthecompetition.Theworstspeechyoucangiveisonethatpeoplecaninterpretasasalespitch. Customize. Tailorthefirstthreetofiveminutesofeveryspeechyoumaketotheaudienceyou’readdressingthatday.Thiswilldemonstratethatyou’vedoneyourhomeworkandhavemadeanefforttoprovideavaluableandspecialexperience.Trytofindapersonallinktotheaudience.Forexample,whenIspokeforSCJohnsontoitsemployees,Ishowedthempicturesofitshouseholdcleanersinmycabinets. Ifyourspeechisdull,noamountofinformationwillmakeitgreat. Focusonentertaining. Manyspeechcoacheswilldisagreewiththis,buttheyprobablydon’tspeak50timesayear,asIdo.Mytheoryisthatthegoalofaspeechistoentertain.Ifpeopleareentertained,youcanslipinafewnuggetsofinformation.Butifyourspeechisdull,noamountofinformationwillmakeitgreat. Tellstories. Thebestwaytorelaxwhengivingaspeechistotellstories—aboutyouryouth,yourkids,yourcustomers,thingsyou’veread.Whenyoutellastory,youloseyourselfinthestorytelling.You’renot“makingaspeech”anymore.Goodspeakersaregoodstorytellers;greatspeakerstellstoriesthatsupporttheirmessage. Circulateintheaudiencebeforehand. Heighteninterestinyoursuccessbymeetingyourlistenersbeforethespeech.Talktothem.Letthemmakecontactwithyou—especiallypeopleinthefirstfewrows.Then,whenyou’reonstage,you’llseetheirfriendlyfacesandyourconfidencewillsoar. Controlwhatyoucan. Ifyouhaveachoice,speakatthebeginningofaneventandaskforasmallroom.Ajust-seatedaudienceismoreapttolistentoyou,laughatyourjokes,andfollowalongwithyourstories,andapackedroomisamoreemotionalone.Itisbettertohave200peopleina200-seatroomthan500peopleina1,000-seatroom. Practiceandspeakallthetime. Youneedtogiveaspeechatleast20timesinordertogetgoodatit. SocialMedia WhenIwasevangelizingforMacintosh,themostpowerfulmarketingtoolswerephones,faxes,andairplanes.Leveragewasgatheringafewhundredpeopleinahotelballroom.TodayGoogle+,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn,Pinterest,andTwittermakeevangelismfast,free,andubiquitous,andanyoneinterestedinpracticingitshouldtakeadvantage.Whileschmoozingmaygiveyouaccesstoseveralhundredpeopleayear,andspeakingengagementsmayputyouinfrontofthesamenumberatafewevents,socialmediacanextendyourreachbythousandsofpeopleinamatterofweeks.Here’showtoachievethisgoal: Offervalue. Thebasicruleforsocialmediasuccessissimple:Sharegoodstuff,whetheryouarecreatingthecontentorcuratingit.“Goodstuff”comesinfourforms: Information.Whathappened?Example:TheU.S.DepartmentofDefensesaysthatit’sopentoreviewingtheroleoftransgenderpeopleinthemilitary. Analysis.Whatdoesitmean?Example:MotherJonesexplainswhytheUruguayansoccerstarLuisSuárez’sbitingincidentduringtheWorldCupwasabighygienicdeal. Assistance.HowcanIdothat?Example:CNEToutlineshowtextingto911works. Entertainment.Whatthehell?Example:EveryyeartwochurchesinVrontados,Greece,stageamockrocketwartocelebrateEaster. Beinteresting. Manypeoplemistakenlyassumethattheirfollowerswanttoreadaboutanarrowbandofsubjects.ShouldIshareonlystoriesaboutentrepreneurship,innovation,andtechnology?ShouldaMotorolaexecutiveshareonlystoriesaboutMotorola?Todosowouldbeboring,whichdoesn’tworkonsocialmedia.Youshouldthinkmorebroadly. Takechances. Socialmediafavorthebold,sodon’thesitatetoexpressyourfeelingsandagenda.Takestrongstandsonissuesthataffectyou,yourorganization,andyourcustomers.Forexample,ifyouthinkthatmorewomenshouldbechiefexecutives,shareanarticlethatsupportsyourperspective.AnAmericantechnologyexecutivemightbeboldaboutissuessuchasworkvisasforforeigncitizens. Keepitbrief. Peoplemakesnapjudgmentsandmovealongifyoudon’tcapturetheirinterestquickly.MyexperienceisthatthesweetspotforpostsofcuratedcontentistwoorthreesentencesonGoogle+andFacebookand100charactersonTwitter.Thesweetspotforcreatedcontentis500to1,000words. Beamensch. Amenschisakindandhonorablepersonwhodoestherightthingtherightway.Shareotherpeople’sposts,makepositiveandintelligentcomments,andsuggestresourcesandsolutions.Especiallywhenyou’recurating,everypostshouldcontainalink,whichsendstraffictothesourceasanactofgratitude,enablesreaderstolearnmore,andincreasesyourvisibilityandpopularitywithbloggersandwebsites. Adddrama. Everypostshouldcontain“eyecandy”intheformofaphoto,agraphic,oravideo.Ifyouhavemorethanfourparagraphs,trytouseabulletedornumberedlist.ItuneoutwhenIseeparagraphafterparagraphoftext.IfIwanttoreadanovel,I’llbuyane-book. Temptwithheadlines. Ifindpoststitled“Howto…,”“Top10…,”or“TheUltimate…”irresistible.Thesewordssaytome,Thisisgoingtobepracticalanduseful. Usehashtags. Hashtagsconnectpostsfrompeopleallovertheworldandaddstructuretoanotherwiseunstructuredecosystem.Whenyouaddahashtagtoapost,youaretellingpeoplethepostisrelevanttoasharedtopic.Forexample,#socialmediatipsonGoogle+connectspostsaboutsocialmedia. Stayactive. By“active”Imeanthreeto20different(thatis,notrepeated)postsaday.That’saguideline.Aslongasyourpostsaregood,youcansharemorethanthat.Butifyoushareoneortwocrappypostsaday,that’stoomany.Automationtools,suchasBuffer,DoShare,Friends+Me,Hootsuite,PostPlanner,SproutSocial,Tailwind,andTweetDeck,canhelpyouscheduleanddistribute,allowingyoutoplanaday’sworthofpostsin30minutes. Evangelismisnotself-promotion.It’saboutsharingthebestofwhatyou,yourteam,andyourorganizationproducewithotherswhocanbenefit.That’saresponsibility—andanopportunity—thatfallstoeveryone,fromHRtoIT,financetooperations,theC-suitetotheshopfloor.Sobuildtheseskillslittlebylittle.Startwithoneactofevangelismaweekandworkyourwayuptoseveraladay.Rememberthatthisanart—andkeeppracticing. AversionofthisarticleappearedintheMay2015issue(pp.108–111)ofHarvardBusinessReview. ReadmoreonManagingyourself orrelatedtopics Businesscommunication, Presentationskills andProfessionalnetworks GuyKawasakiisthechiefevangelistofCanva,anexecutivefellowatUCBerkeley’sHaasSchoolofBusiness,andtheauthorofTheArtoftheStart2.0 (Portfolio,2015). Tweet Post Share Save GetPDF BuyCopies Print ReadmoreonManagingyourself orrelatedtopics Businesscommunication, Presentationskills andProfessionalnetworks PartnerCenter Diversity Latest Magazine Ascend Topics Podcasts Video Store TheBigIdea Data&Visuals CaseSelections HBRLearning