Nine Tenets My Cat Can Teach You About Communications

Sometimes the easiest life lessons come from unsuspecting places – like our pets. I rescued my cat, Lucky, from the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in 2006.  I’m not sure how many lives he’s had, but he’s taught me nine tenets that anyone can follow:  

1. Why use words, when one look will do?

   Don’t forget that communications is about more than just words.  Use your expressions, change your tone, gesture with your hands.
   

2. Get plenty of sleep (you’ll feel more energized when you wake up.)

   You’re a more effective communicator when you’re on the ball.
   

3. Find joy in little things (like a brown paper bag.)

   Success is not necessarily being featured on the cover of Time Magazine; it could be something as simple as getting your CEO to stick to the talking points or getting a reporter to quote you accurately.
   

4. If someone is not listening, bop them on the head – you deserve to be heard.

   I don’t mean literally bop them on the head (though my cat does do that.) But make sure you have people’s attention.  What you have to say is valuable to them.  And if it’s not of value, maybe you shouldn’t be talking…just sayin’.
   

5. Take risks – chances are good you’ll land on your feet.

   Speak up, go out on a limb, aim high.  It sounds cliché, but great strides are not made by those playing it safe. You may fail (and you’ll learn from that) but you may just succeed. 

6. If a door opens, go through – you never know what is on the other side!
   Some of my greatest career opportunities came not because of my incredible talent but because a door opened – I volunteered to show others how I do what I do and it turned into a new global role; I attended a reception and met the person who was soon to become my next employer; I was invited to speak to an organization and was then invited to join their Board.
   

7. Stay close to the people who love/support you; avoid those who don’t.

   The world is filled with naysayers.  If you’ve got something important to say or a great product to sell, find your audience and filter out those who don’t matter or are not there to make you better.
   

8. Clean off your desk – Start by throwing everything on the floor.

   Personally, I believe a messy desk is a sign of genius.  So, my cat “cleaning it off” for me just annoys me to no end.  But when I get things filed away, I often find great ideas that I had missed.
   

9. It never hurts to get different perspectives (get out of a box, go inside a closet or up on the curtain rods.)

   Whatever your message, take a step back and view it from a different vantage point:  your customers, your community, your business partners, your investors.  Will that message work across all stakeholders or do you need to tweak it to fit?

I’ll admit, the pandemic has resulted in me spending an awful lot of time with Lucky. (I think I’m crowding his space.) But, as in Lesson #9, he’s given me a new perspective.  And I’m happy to share that with all of you.  Now, time for my nap!

If you want to look at different ways to communicate to your stakeholders – and improve your company reputation in the process – contact me, Patty Deutsche.