Speaker A
Good morning, good morning. I'm excited to be your first speaker of today.
Keisha Brewer's TEDxGeorgetown talk argues that strategic communication, not manipulation, helps people get what they want, illustrated through a work partnership and a personal dating story.
Key Takeaways
- Strategic communication means delivering the right message through the right channels to evoke a specific response from a target audience.
- Clearly defining the goal before communicating is the first step toward getting the outcome you want.
- Researching the other party's mission or values allows you to align your message with theirs.
- Letting others express their interests first, then sharing your own, builds mutual alignment and connection.
- The same communication framework can be applied across professional and personal contexts.
What the video covers
- The speaker opens with the idea that 'what you say is just as important as how you say it' and frames this as strategic communication.
- She notes that people often stop pursuing bigger goals because their communication creates resistance that blocks them.
- Her professional background moves from news writing and reporting to advertising, then to a communications specialist role handling email marketing, partnerships, and CEO speeches.
- On her first day at work, her boss asked her to pursue a partnership with Google for the next event, which she did by researching Google's mission, aligning it with her company's mission, and crafting an email to their communications team.
- Google responded within hours saying they wanted to partner on the event, which the speaker presents as a demonstration of the method.
- In a personal scenario, a friend asks for help communicating with a man who liked her Instagram photo, with the goal of becoming his boyfriend.
- The speaker advises her friend to identify shared values through his public posts, open a private conversation, let him express his interests, then share hers to see how they align.
- She frames the approach as a step-by-step process: identify the goal, understand the other person's values, and communicate the value of the proposition.
- The speaker says the same method worked in both the professional and personal situations, and ends by saying she will share this method in the talk.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
to you tell them they lied repeat after me what you say is just as important as how you say it your turn what you say is just as important as how you say it and that is called strategic
Speaker A
By a show of hands, how many of you have heard of the phrase "It's not what you say, it's how you say it"?
Speaker A
getting it but what they don't realize is that they're causing some sort of resistance in the way that they're communicating that's helping them not get what they want out of life how many of you have been in the situation where no matter
Speaker A
Do you remember the person who told you that? Tell them they lied.
Speaker A
to your spouse whether that's to your boss or just not getting it i think we've all experienced that type of frustration today i'm going to give you the tools to strategically communicate through all of those issues and combat that resistance
Speaker A
Repeat after me: "What you say is just as important as how you say it."
Speaker A
writing and reporting then going on to advertising specialists then landing a job as a communications specialist in my communications specialist role i was able to do things such as email marketing mission-driven partnerships writing speeches for the ceo things of that nature
Speaker A
Your turn: "What you say is just as important as how you say it."
Speaker A
can land a partnership with our next event next month and i'm like you're right that's a very big ass for the first day i am supposed to be doing paperwork where's hr so either way it's my job right it's the
Speaker A
And that is called strategic communications, and strategic communications is probably the very thing you've been needing this entire time to help you get what you need out of life.
Speaker A
interested in then i think about my company's mission what type of partnerships are we interested in what is our mission what are we trying to convey i wrap that up into an email i send it to their communications
Speaker A
See, most people stop going after the bigger things they want in life simply because, well, they're just not getting it. But what they don't realize is that they're causing some sort of resistance in the way that they're communicating, and that's helping them not get what they want out of life.
Speaker A
i like just damned me i'm like okay she's like and he liked my picture on instagram okay so what do you want to do now she's like well you're a communication specialist now teach me how to communicate with him
Speaker A
How many of you have been in the situation where no matter how much you talk and talk and tell someone your viewpoint, they're just not getting it? No matter how much you change your approach and your delivery, they just don't understand your viewpoint, whether that's to a family member, to your spouse, to your boss, or just not getting it. I think we've all experienced that type of frustration.
Speaker A
again it was a like on instagram right how far are we going to take this but i let her keep going and i'm like okay so what do you know about this man she's like well i know that our values they
Speaker A
Today, I'm going to give you the tools to strategically communicate through all of those issues and combat that resistance. And I'm going to do that first by taking you through two parallel situations, very real situations to me, one personal and one professional.
Speaker A
and i'm like out of all the people on instagram that he's engaging with why you and she goes on to tell me about how she thinks their missions of being successful in the entertainment industry will align all right
Speaker A
Starting with professional. I started my career in communications a few years ago, starting with news writing and reporting, then going on to advertising specialist, then landing a job as a communications specialist. In my communications specialist role, I was able to do things such as email marketing, mission-driven partnerships, writing speeches for the CEO, things of that nature.
Speaker A
his interest and then you express yours and see how they mutually align at the end of it see if you guys can go out hang out grab a drink or something cool long story short six months later here they are
Speaker A
On the first day of my communications specialist role, my boss said, "I know this is a lot. It's your first day, you're supposed to be doing paperwork, things of that nature, but do you mind reaching out to Google and seeing if they can land a partnership with our next event next month?" And I'm like, you're right, that's a very big ask for the first day. I am supposed to be doing paperwork. Where's HR? So either way, it's my job, right? It's the first day, you want to make a big impression. I shoot my shot. That's millennial talk for "just get it done."
Speaker A
well they emailed us this morning and they said they actually want to partner on the event and it was at that very moment that i realized i need a raise but it was always it was also at that
Speaker A
So I look up Google's mission. I figure out what they're interested in, the type of partnerships that they're interested in. Then I think about my company's mission: what type of partnerships are we interested in, what is our mission, what are we trying to convey? I wrap that up into an email. I send it to their communications department. I express the need, send it on its way.
Speaker A
how many of you have taken a strategic communications class or communications course by a show of hands great so what you probably learned is something along the lines of strategic communications is communicating the best message through the right channels
Speaker A
Transition into my personal life. I get home and I'm scrolling on Instagram, like us millennials do, and I get a DM from my friend Jessica. She's like, "Oh my gosh, Keisha, the guy I like just liked my picture." I'm like, "Okay." She's like, "And he liked my picture on Instagram." Okay. So what do you want to do now? She's like, "Well, you're a communications specialist now. Teach me how to communicate with him," as if that's what we did, right? So I'm like, "Okay, well, I'll go with it. What's the goal? What do you want him to do? What do you want to get out of the conversation?" She says, "Well, I want him to be my boyfriend." Again, it was a like on Instagram. Right? How far are we going to take this? But I let her keep going, and I'm like, "Okay, so what do you know about this man?" She's like, "Well, I know that our values pretty much go together, because on his Instagram I see that he posts music, and I like music, and he likes food, and I like food, and he likes his mom, and I like my mom." And I'm like, "Okay, sure, fine, okay." And I'm like, "Out of all the people on Instagram that he's engaging with, why you?" And she goes on to tell me about how she thinks their missions of being successful in the entertainment industry will align.
Speaker A
communications helps you evoke specific responses out of your target audience whether that be a spouse a love interest your boss and in those responses it helps you get what you want out of the situation as well now you can also be thinking is she
Speaker A
All right. So here's what I tell her to do: slide into his DMs. That's millennial talk for "send a private message." Just organically have a conversation like you normally would. Allow him to organically express his values, allow him to organically express his interests, and then you express yours, and see how they mutually align. At the end of it, see if you guys can go out, hang out, grab a drink, or something cool.
Speaker A
here's what i did in both scenarios to help them get what they want out of the situation number one i identified the goal in the professional situation the goal was to land the partnership with google in the personal situation the goal was
Speaker A
Long story short, six months later, here they are. I played matchmaker. Kudos to me.
Speaker A
his instagram and say what does he like to do understand what his values are step three communicate the value communicating the value in the partnership with google look like helping them understand what they get out of a partnership with us
Speaker A
Moving on into my professional life: I go back to work the next day, and my boss is like, "Keisha, remember how I told you to email Google about that partnership?" Yeah. Less than 12 hours ago. She's like, "Well, they emailed us this morning and they said they actually want to partner on the event." And it was at that very moment that I realized I need a raise. But it was also at that moment that I realized I had just strategically communicated into two very different scenarios using the exact same method. That method is what I'm going to share with you today.
Speaker A
and so by doing this and using this method i'm able to combat the resistance commonly felt when people are communicating through challenges even like today i was able to use strategic communication standing right here on this stage and not because i was able to
Speaker A
Now, let's take a step back. What does strategic communications really mean? How many of you have taken a strategic communications class or communications course? By a show of hands. Great. So what you probably learned is something along the lines of, "Strategic communications is communicating the best message through the right channels, measured against well-considered organizational communication-specific goals." Great, right? But through my two scenarios, which you can probably see, strategic communications is simply communicating with purpose while showcasing value in order to achieve a goal. And at the heart of it all, strategic communications helps you evoke specific responses out of your target audience, whether that be a spouse, a love interest, or your boss. And in those responses, it helps you get what you want out of the situation as well.
Speaker A
you guys to understand what communication strategic communications really was two i took the time to understand my audience by asking you guys two questions to help me know who was in the room today step three i communicated the value of
Speaker A
Now, you can also be thinking, "Is she teaching us how to manipulate people?" Maybe, but not really, because strategic communications creates mutually beneficial situations. Strategic communications allows both parties to feel like they're getting what they want out of the deal.
Speaker A
because they're skipping these four steps or at least one of them for example if you don't identify the goal you'll be speaking without purpose you ever had those conversations where you realize it started off one way and it ended another and you're trying to
Speaker A
Okay, so if you were paying attention, here's what I did in both scenarios to help them get what they wanted out of the situation.
Speaker A
why this is going to help you in your life and how you can combat that resistance so at the heart of it all realize it's not what you say what you say is just as important as how you say it
Speaker A
Number one: I identified the goal. In the professional situation, the goal was to land the partnership with Google. In the personal situation, the goal was to land the boyfriend.
Topics:strategic communicationcommunication skillsTEDxpersuasionpartnershipspersonal brandingrelationshipsworkplace communicationmarketingTEDxGeorgetown
