AI Statement of Use. Transparency and Accountability with AI.
AI Statement of Use. Transparency and Accountability with AI.Embracing Transparency: Applying an AI usage statement
In an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the business landscape, transparency and ethical use of these technologies have become paramount.
Consider how the significance of such statements can help set you apart and how they may even inspire others to create their own.
And they are not required… but that could be coming sooner than you think.
A Power and professionalism of clarity in AI usage
An AI Usage Statement can be a testament to clear and honest communication/actions in this digital age. By explicitly outlining both permitted and prohibited AI applications personalized to your beliefs and use of AI, it can establish a framework that not only highlights your own practices but also informs potential clients and audiences about the extent of AI involvement in your work.
Permitted applications (at least to me): Enhancing efficiency
My personal approach to AI is focused on augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them. I use AI for:
Automating routine tasks
Audio mixing, mastering, and simple enhancement
Basic video mixing and editing
Basic image enhancement
Organizing and acquiring information from authoritative sources
To me, these applications demonstrate how AI can be leveraged to improve efficiency and quality without compromising the authenticity of the work or using it to create content, concepts and ideas that have not started with me.
Equally important can be the clear boundaries each person sets regarding AI use. For me, these are my core boundaries that are not crossed with AI.
Content creation
Image falsification or manipulation
Dramatic alteration of visual, audio, or written content
I feel by drawing these lines, I can reinforce my commitment to genuine, human-created content while sharing it openly with the public with how I work.
Some of the pillars of an effective AI statement of use
Everyone may have a different take or different uses that they choose. I am not judging. For me, my statement is built on several key principles that you can apply if you like:
Integrity:
Maintaining the authenticity of all content is at the forefront.
Transparency:
Full disclosure of AI usage builds trust with the audience.
Accountability:
Taking responsibility for all content associated with the brand.
Ethical Use:
Adhering to moral guidelines and respecting user privacy.
Adaptability:
Acknowledging the evolving nature of AI and committing to update practices accordingly.
Why create your own AI Usage statement or AI Statement of Use?
Potential trust building:
In a world where AI-generated content is becoming all too common and abused, transparency about your AI usage may set you apart and build credibility with your audience.
Setting clear partnering expectations:
An AI statement may help clients, partners and collaborators understand your work process and the role of AI in your process.
Demonstrating ethical leadership:
By proactively addressing AI usage, you could be positioning yourself and ethical business practices in a better light than those that overly use and abuse AI.
Internal practices:
A clear statement can serve as a roadmap for your internal team, ensuring consistent and responsible AI use across your organization and those helping with your content.
Advanced preparations for regulatory compliance:
As AI regulations evolve, having a clear policy in place puts you ahead of the curve. AI is still a bit of the Wild West and stepping up with a statement like this voluntarily, could set a strong mark as these might appear as required down the line.
Crafting an AI Statement of Use
When creating your own AI statement, consider the following steps:
Assess your honest AI use:
Evaluate how you currently use AI and how you plan to use it in the future with honesty and accountability.
Define boundaries:
Clearly outline what AI applications are acceptable and which are off-limits for your brand and your views. Again, this is your choice and all you.
Emphasize true human value, creativity and originality:
Illuminate how you operate when it comes to human creativity and the strategic decision-making in your work as well as how your ideas are, well, yours. (if they are)
Be specific:
Consider avoiding vague language. Provide concrete examples of how you choose to use AI and how you won’t.
Commit to updates:
Acknowledging that AI is an evolving field and commit to reviewing and updating your statement regularly. If things change for you, make changes to the statement. Whether it is new tech or you find yourself changing your mind on how you use existing platforms, keep the doc up to date.
Conclusion: Leading with transparency
An AI Usage Statement can serve as an excellent model for professionals and businesses looking to navigate the complex world of AI ethically and transparently.
By creating your own statement, you not only clarify your practices, but also contribute to a potential culture of trust and accountability in the digital age when so many are questioning or using questionable tactics to create content.
As AI continues to shape our professional landscape, I believe that those who lead with transparency will likely find themselves at a significant advantage. I know, it seems like a ways off, but going above and beyond with honor, ethics and accountability can be a great thing.
An AI Usage Statement can be more than just a policy, it can serve as a commitment to ethical innovation and a testament to the enduring value of authentic human creativity in an increasingly AI-assisted world.
CommSphere: Marketing and Messaging Short Video Musings.
Authentic Messaging Introductions Transcription Chapters
00:00 – Introduction to Authentic Messaging
01:02 – Networking Observations and Trends
02:15 – Post-Pandemic Networking Dynamics
03:10 – Authentic Introductions in Networking
03:58 – Examples of Effective Networking Engagement
05:00 – Avoiding Scripted Networking Pitfalls
05:55 – Communication Strategies for Genuine Connections
07:00 – Building Trust Through Honest Interactions
08:00 – First Impressions and Perception Challenges
09:32 – Managing Networking Interactions Effectively
10:30 – Vetting Connections for Authentic Referrals
11:45 – Time Management in Networking Meetings
13:00 – Online Presence and Quick Impression Tips
14:30 – Respecting Time in Professional Engagements
16:21 – Maximizing Impact with Authentic Authority
18:24 – Creating Positive Lasting Impressions
20:40 – Engaging with Authenticity Over Hype
23:15 – Strategic Networking Without Spam Tactics
26:26 – Final Thoughts on Genuine Connections
Authentic Messaging Introductions Transcription Text
Authentic Messaging Introductions
Song:Wait What Really OK with your host, Loren Weisman. This is a fully licensed theme song for the show about stuff that makes you say Wait What Really OK.
Loren:Hi, this is Loren Weisman and this is the brand Messaging podcast. Wait What Really OK. I try to deep dive into the ideas around messaging and how messaging matters, optics, authenticity and getting to your story.
And not just a story. And this is from what you produce inside of videos, inside of audios, inside of articles, inside of interactions. It’s digging into the authenticity and talking about authority. Not the hype, not the false hustle and all of that, but the true grounded set in the solid soil, best foundation authenticity for you to grow.
Now, on the topic of growing, today’s episode is titled Authentic Messaging Introductions and Impression Perceptions. This is when it comes to growing, when you’re meeting people and what I’ve been experiencing lately, I’ve gone into a series of networking groups. I’ve been going across a number of networking groups just trying to get a tone, a temperature, a feel of how people are reacting and interacting.
I was part of one, I was part of one of these down in South Florida and I went there and would sit in the far back and I’d have my phone out and I enjoyed it. For research. It was listening and experiencing the way different people were presenting themselves, were selling themselves and were communicating.
It wasn’t about finding any given clients, but really watching how people are trying to find clients and watching how people are taking different information that they’ve been handed a great deal of it, hearsay and hype and how they go about saying, okay, this is how I’m going to communicate. This is how I’m going to draw you in. And unfortunately, a lot of the times the information and the source they were looking for, that information from was only a source and not a resource because that style of communication was just so over the top.
And now on what some people are saying, the backside or the downside of the pandemic, I’ve been seeing these networking groups are starting to come back up, both online and physically in person. So I decided over the past two weeks to do a test of sorts and to go into a whole bunch of these meetings and just experience what was going on, the interactions, reactions, how people were communicating, how people were listening, how people were engaging. We’ve come out of a time of fear and there is still aspects of fear right now. But I thought about looking at this earlier in the year, but as we hit this point of fear and we hit this point of toxicity,
I just, I Stayed away from it early when everything shut down. But now, as the country is starting to reopen, I wanted to get a vibe to see, is this the same as it was? Is there something new? Is there a better engagement? Is there better connection? And really the answer that I’ve found to date is it really depends on the person and where they’re coming from authentically.
Because the majority of these people, and I do feel safe in saying the majority, unfortunately, they are scripted, they are pushy, they are dominant, and oftentimes the ones that are saying they care the most and they want to refer your business, they are the selfish ones. Or at least from the perception, they are the selfish ones.
Right now, looking to grab every card, every connection, every contact and every name inside of your potential database to see what can happen and be done for them. Now, in not going completely negative, there are some bright spots. I’ve been a part of a couple different meetings and I’ve watched some people just shine.
They come from a place of love and not fear. Maybe they’re rebuilding their business. Maybe their business has been, you know, shut down or taken a hard hit. And watching them and watching them, whether it’s a two minute pitch or watching them in an open room where the conversation is open and it’s not all about sales. In the middle of seeing a lot of the not so good, I got to witness some amazing.
I watched one particular individual, I’m not going to name him or name his product, but you could tell this guy’s taken a good number of hits in the last number of months. And just his way of asking questions, the way that he engaged others, the way he kept it moving away from a sales topic to actual networking, communication and engagement, it was outstanding. He was sitting there and I can see he was sitting there.
We were all on zoom and he was just, he was asking questions, not taking notes, not copying down something, not adding a profile, not spamming, not, not pushing. And in that, that particular individual, I remember him most in this particular room where everyone was taking a conversation, wherever it was going, it was lasso it in, pull it back, and let me tell you about my cell. I didn’t see a lot of the stewarding.
There were certain individuals. There was another woman who, she was just outstanding. She was running a room in one of these, in one of these networking groups. She was keeping the time and her entire Persona, everything. She was resonating. Again, it was coming from love. She wanted to share about her business, but at the same time she was there prepared to hear about others and not just to see if she needed it or didn’t need it, but if this was the type of person that she could recommend.
And I want to hit on that point first with the recommendations. Whether you’re meeting one on one, whether you’re meeting in one of these networking groups, this referral situation gets a little bit scary. One way to get through that, scary. One way to stay in honor, in integrity, wrap your reputation in anybody that you would refer.
Too many, refer this guy, refer that guy. I got an email from a guy through LinkedIn. I’d love to have a one on one so I can know who I can refer you to. How do you even know me? This guy was in a room and he wasn’t even in the same room as me. He sends an email, he goes, I want to have a one on one schedule on my scheduler for 30 minutes. Let’s talk. I want to see how I can help you and your business. It really didn’t feel that authentic.
It didn’t feel that organic. And the last thing it felt was anywhere coming from love. It felt like forced fear of let’s get this together, let’s see who you know so we can figure out how to help me. That’s how it came off. We come to this idea of the first impression and as the title of this episode is the impression perceptions, we’re so concerned and it might sound like a double negative or redundant, but it’s not impression perceptions, it’s creating that first impression, but understanding the perceptions of what people are seeing.
So it’s getting away from the script, it’s getting away from that Tony Robbins, Gary Vee, Grant Cardone hype. There are pieces and I’m not naming the name of who says it exactly, but they’re putting out their inside of scripts going, this is how you email, state that you want to help this. Then that person is going to get back to you, it’s going to set up a meeting and you’ll find out what this person has for you. How selfish and arrogant is that? And where is that truly authentic networking?
It’s attacking, it’s picking. There’s nothing positive or authentic that resonates in that. And at the same time, when somebody comes to me and it’s, well, let me see who I can refer you to. I know the foundation that I stand in, but at the same time, if there’s someone that’s saying, let me get on a one on one so I can know exactly who to refer you to, then I’m thinking that that individual, the perception that I have and the perception that many other people have of that.
I’m trying to figure out who I can share you to, who you can share me to. And I say this to everybody. I don’t want to be shared by the referrers or the referral people that are just pushing out everything to bring business and not taking any responsibility or accountability for information or the people that they’re sharing. And when it comes back to bite them in the rear, say, well, I didn’t know. Oh, I didn’t expect. Oh though they looked really great. I’m sorry that happened to you.
That doesn’t feel like an authentic sorry. No, you’re not. How can you do that? To be able to vet, to be able to have the time to be able to address someone, you see someone in a room, if you’re in one of these networking things or maybe you’re there in the room with them. Personally, what would draw you to a one on one? I completely disagree with the business coach model of get as many one on ones as possible, shake as many hands as possible, get as many business cards as possible, and then get back to every single one of them, add them all on your LinkedIn, follow them here, message them there, email them this way, add them to your list and funnel where is there any honor in that?
Maybe it’s even going to that idea of taking just a fine seed. Let’s pick a fruit maybe. I’m originally from western Massachusetts. We used to see the apples, a lot of apple orchards. If you take a fine apple seed and you plant that in rich soil, hydrated soil, good soil, a good tree will grow from that and good apples will then come off of that tree. Now at the same time you take that seed and you plant it in toxic soil, something with poisons around it. Maybe there’s asphalt and whatnot coming too close.
Maybe it’s not well hydrated and there’s something, whatever poison around it, the fruit that you get from that, it’s going to be bad. So in thinking that and keeping that in mind with the connections, yes, it is good to network, it is good to meet people, but it’s also good to take that extra time maybe as opposed to trying to set up every 15 and 30 minute meeting you possibly can. Maybe you take half of that time after you got that card to vet them. And yes, it’s a short vetting period. But what are they saying? What aren’t they saying? What are they tied to? Are they coming off the way that you would be happy to put your reputation behind to share with someone else?
Or is it something that could endanger you, your reputation, your authority? Because that is happening. There’s certain referral people out there, I block them at this point. I want to refer this guy to you. I want to refer that guy to you. That’s great. Well, you’re going to refer to me, you know, email back. I say, I can’t. I haven’t seen anything on your websites or on your social media showing any kind of authority or any kind of proof of what you do.
Well, I do the best of this and I’m, I guarantee that where I don’t see the testimonials and the only testimonials that I do see come from other people that are in this business with you. So I protect my honor and I protect my reputation by taking the time to vet and I ask you to consider doing the same.
And at the same time as you’re planning to reach out, let’s set up a one on one. I saw you in this room or I saw you in this meeting or I got your business card. Why do you want to set up a one on one? Even if it’s from a referral standpoint? Take a second to look into someone. I went into one very big one last week and it was a blast of emails afterwards of I want to set up a one on one.
I want to set up a one on one. I responded to a few of them, I said, why? And the answers were borderline shocking. One guy in finance, it was just, well, and it was the same answer as other people. I want to see who I can refer you to in my network. All right, there was another guy, he was in insurance and it’s, we need to set up a one on one. And I said, okay, what would you like to discuss? I’d like to tell you right now, being very transparent and honest, I am fine with my insurance portfolio as is. I and my family are not going to be making any changes at this time. He responds, oh, that’s cool. L
et’s just set up a one on one. What do you want to talk about? Do you want to talk about branding? Brand messaging? Do you want to talk about the fish stewarding group? I got nothing. So he got nothing back from me. I’m not going to waste my time and I’m not saying that this guy is a waste, but I have nothing to go off of and I am not prepared to put the time in to someone that is just spamming and sending these same type of emails to every single person. And I ask you to consider to do the same. Your time is valuable, your connections are valuable.
And maybe as opposed to taking 20 meetings over the next week, if you take 10 or five, and you have a sense of what is being done and how you’re connecting and why you’re connecting, it starts off on a better path. Now starting there. What do you have when it comes to your business, your vision, your experience, your ability and your authority that invites someone that may want to take a fast peek, Not a deep dive, but a fast peek into you? Where can they go? One person that I asked that question to, I said, okay, maybe we should talk.
Do you have a page? Do you have somewhere where you can send me that has some short snippets or just examples of who you are beyond the sell? I don’t want to spend a lot of time. Where can you send me so I can get a brief overview of you? What was sent back to me, I don’t really have that stuff together. I’m kind of building it. Here’s a 30 minute interview and there was a part of me that was curious and in prepping for this podcast, I turned it on. I was out in less than three minutes. It was conversational, back and forth fodder.
I didn’t get anything. What I ask you to consider here is having that page, whether it’s the front of your website, whether it’s somewhere that someone can go and we honor and we give the respect to someone that right now they’re being inundated by all these people saying, look at me, meet with me, talk with me, understand me, give them a taste test, give them a sample on the front of lorenweisman.com, my website. I offer that and I ask you to consider offering something like that, something similar or the same, or if it’s not even on the front of your website, that it’s a page.
Is there a page that someone can go to and just get small pieces to get a sense about you that can entice them to learn and want to get bigger pieces and then from there to be in touch with you. Where should we. And where do we have the right as a whole to say, go look at all my stuff and my bio and this 30 minute video or this 30 minute podcast or this or that, or go search here or go check that out.
Where do we have the right when so many other people are asking for that right? If we can flip that intention, see the perception of what people are seeing and experiencing and invite them to a fast introduction. It may be that much more effective on my website when you come to lorenwiseman.com and it’s not the prettiest by far. It’s a blog site, but it’s a blog site set up very strategically for messaging. You come to the top. You know, I’m a brand messaging strategist.
I’m with Fish Stewarding Group and FSG Messaging and Optics. You get a sense of my basic tagline, the short touch of my bio, that I have a podcast. And then if you look down the left side, there are a whole bunch of blogs that you can click through and they’re titled right there. So you can read an article if you want. And These average between 300 words to 500 or so. I’m not pushing people into articles.
On the right side, you can see here’s a quote, and if you click through on that quote, it’ll send you to a whole bunch of other quotes. It also is a link to the podcast. That one’s a little bit longer, but it’s not saying, go listen to this. It’s saying, here’s my podcast. And you can find out more about the podcast I have. Or you can click to one of the videos in the video, the different video series.
All of those are under three minutes. And then there it’s, here are a couple social media sites I’m on what my intention and what I’ve been able to shift to the perception for others is stating or hopefully is being received as I get.
You’re busy. I get that a lot of people want you to check them out and run through and look at this and sign up. I’m not asking for the, like, the share, the comment, the subscription asking that if you’re interested in learning a little bit more, here’s a little bit.
That’s the beauty of it. It’s a little bit. And they can find that quote and they can read that little bit of the bio and then click down and read the longer bit of a bio. They can see this short video and if that short video does something for them, they can look at a longer podcast. It’s sharing the authenticity over the cell.
The above the fold is the information, it’s the integrity, it’s the authority that’s there, not the above the fold of do you need this? Or the next best thing or you’re missing out on that, or here’s everything you’re doing wrong. My intention is to showcase that I realize you’re dealing with a lot, and you’re being asked a lot. So I’m offering a little.
And I ask you to consider maybe offering a little to the people that you want to reach out to, to be able to state, here’s some information about me here on this given page. There’s some short audio, short videos, some of my quotes. Here’s my short bio. This isn’t seven pages long.
You invite them into getting a sense of you and from that standpoint, in that honor that allows that person to go, wow, I want to talk more. Because why should some of those simple points be the first part of a conversation? Why do we find so many people out there?
Let’s say they waste so much time on these one on one calls, and then it’s, oh, I wish I could gotten to this point by this much earlier. Just all this time, I don’t understand the time I’m wasting. Here’s where it’s wasted. It’s wasted in that you’re trying to make this connection so fast, you’re not realizing if it’s a connection that should even be made in the first place.
Now, it’s not saying you’re right, it’s not saying you’re wrong. But if somebody comes to my website and they disagree with the quote, or they think the video is silly or they think that a podcast is stupid, then I’m not the person for them. And I don’t need to defend that. I mean, if somebody want. If someone wants to debate it or they find that it’s interesting or.
Okay, I don’t get where that guy’s coming from. I don’t understand this. I’d like to have a discussion. By all means, let’s have that discussion. But there are a lot of people out there where their subjective opinions have shifted to objective facts that are just opinions and really not true, not substantiated.
Why waste the time? It’s not disrespecting. It’s not saying you’re better than anyone else, but it’s honoring you and it’s honoring them. Maybe there are certain people you shouldn’t get on the phone with and it will save you time and it will save you even stress. I talked to some of these other networkers out of the room.
I get really stressed out on these calls, and at certain times I just want to hang up. Why don’t you. Why not interrupt and say, I’m not resonating. I’m not getting this. This just isn’t a good call, man. I felt like I was just. This guy was pulling teeth for 45 minutes.
You let him pull teeth for 45 minutes. You allowed the call to go on. It’s not about being discourteous, it’s not about that. It’s being able to say, excuse me. And again, it can be done in a nice way. I’m not hearing or I’m not connecting or I’m not resonating with what you’re saying. I don’t believe this is a good connection. I don’t really see how I can refer you.
It’s not saying your service is bad, but through the people that I know, through the way I communicate, through what I share and through my reputation, I just can’t do this. Have a great day. You can separate. You can not be a referral and still be nice. So let’s move on to the last section. Whether you’re in person, whether you’re in one of those meetings, whether you’re on a zoom call, a lot of them have that two minute window.
And in those two minutes think. And even if it’s a, even if it’s not a spoken out rule, two minute window where you’re meeting someone or you’re meeting someone somewhere, allow it to be relaxed, to be authentic. Don’t script it, but perhaps practice it.
Maybe practice in the mirror, practice in a video. Watch yourself back. And when I say practice, take a video of yourself in these two minute things. Please don’t show me a video. Where are you? And here’s another thing. From the impression and the perceptions, I’m going to show you this quick video. I can fit this in. It’s a minute 15. I have two minutes.
So I’ll even have a little time left over. Here we go. Now the screen is a video. If you’re getting on there to share your authenticity, your authority. If you’re up there networking and you’re just using either a video that you made or a video from some company that they’re saying, get this out to absolutely everyone, then where are you? The person that can amplify and communicate if it takes a video and inside of two minutes, you’re unable to get your point across, you’re not ready to be networking that point.
Allow those two minutes to not feel rushed. You’re not going to get to say everything that you want to. And for some of these meetings where these people have meeting after meeting and they’re weekly, then perhaps it’s bringing up different points, perhaps it’s giving people a sense of how they can directly and indirectly vicariously relate to you inside of so many of the insurance salesmen and women financial advisors, what is a tip?
What is something that can be stewarded, that can be shared, that say, I never contacted you, but by going into that room, I learned something about you. You. When I went in and when they moved around and made me my. Gave me my two minutes in a couple of the ones that we did last week, it was, here’s this. And I look at authority to authenticity, subjective to objective, intention to perception. I talked a little bit about what I did, but then I spent the bulk of the time saying, think about this.
When it comes to an email, when you’re doing this with a video, consider this, okay, here’s some volatile things going on when it comes to security and the security of your message and your brand. It was gifting and giving and stewarding people information. And then in that they remember that information and then maybe they remember me. And there’s a better chance that they’re going to remember someone that is out there gifting, giving, stewarding than someone that is rushing as much material into two minutes.
That’s only directing to them and it goes nowhere. That was one of the things I noticed when I was part of some of the those South Florida networking groups. The same people would go every single week or every single month on some of these other ones. And there was one particular one in Palm Beach Gardens.
No, it wasn’t Palm Beach Gardens, it was Port St. Lucie. And they had this amazing breakfast. So not only was it great to learn and watch people with their messaging, but it was really good food, too. But I’m sorry, jumping off course here. Some of the same people would get up and they’d say the exact same thing at every single meeting.
Nothing had changed. It was only the cell. So it was a story. It wasn’t their story. I like to watch. I usually got up and I bring different tips. I bring different pieces, I bring different flavors. It was, think about that. What about that? Change up this. Consider that I’d have fun with it. And I watch people and networking can be fun.
You can have fun. You can engage with people. You can bring your story in. Think of it like that supermarket angle. Maybe you’re not going to sell someone immediately, but can you invite them to want to come look into you? And from there consider. Consider looking at the front of my web page, my website.
Can you do something like that on the front of your website or on a page alone where it invites people to this sampling menu of you that they can get through very quickly and from there make a decision as you’re inviting someone to a one on one share with them. Be that different person. I love to want I saw you here, I’d love to have a one on one with you. Here’s my scheduler.
How about I saw you here, I heard you say X, Y and Z. Or I went to this page and I loved what your comment was on this or I loved your content on that or I agree with you here or I disagree.
Would you like to continue the conversation in a one on one? Now you’re inviting, now you’re engaging, now you’re not playing the games of these business gurus that are pushing for every single person to be talked to for you to figure out what they’re worth or what they’re not worth. And that can make people feel worthless and that can make people not feel good. When I was in the music industry, I used to go to this really big event out in Anaheim, California and we used to do the pocket thing.
The people that were engaging and then they hand the cards at the end, you put them in the right pocket, those are the ones you were going to keep, the ones in the back left pocket, those were going to hit the trash.
And most of the time, even if it wasn’t a company or a situation I was involved in or needed to be involved in, the people that engaged, that were honorable, that were considerate, that had fun, I wanted to be in contact with them, I wanted to know them, I wanted to have a drink with them. And then maybe down the line I wanted to see how I could authentically and honorably helped them. And it wasn’t because of what they were selling or how they sold it.
It was how they authentically engaged their messaging introduction. The way that it was a draw and an invitation to have a conversation and not something forced, that felt, you know, scripted, saturated, spammed. That’s the beauty in it. And that’s the beauty in a true authentic introduction and a connection.
Consider stepping back of this program mindset of say, this, email this, follow this, add this person to your email list, do this, add them on LinkedIn and simplify it, moralize it, bring it to a place of honor, of attraction, of finding out, should we be in touch? Should we have the conversation? Should we not? What can I learn a little bit about you in advance so I can make that conversation as effective as possible?
What can you add inside of that two minute pitch or your original pitch that brings a piece of you into the picture and not just the big picture sell that you’re trying to create in that authenticity, in that patience, in that honor and in that integrity of you showcasing you. You’re going to attract that many more people.
And it won’t feel like it’s scripted because it’s not. And it won’t feel like spam, because it’s not. And it won’t feel fake because it’s not. What it will be is an honorable conversation, authentic networking and allowing a message to be heard just as you hear the other person’s message to decide if that conversation should continue. And from there, to see where that conversation can lead. My name is Loren Weisman.
This was. Wait What Really Ok. 123 Season 7 Episode 10 I hope you enjoyed some of these thoughts. I hope there’s some stuff in here that you might want to consider and add to your networking, your introductions, your messaging, when you’re communicating with new contacts and if you. And again, if you’d like to see an example of what I do with that simple. Learn a little bit about me quickly. It’s right there in the front on lorenwiseman.com and if you’d like to have a conversation.
If you’d like to have a discussion, not even necessarily, okay, you want to hire me or hire FSG, send me that email. Not just asking for a one on one. Tell me why you want to have a conversation.
Tell me what you’re about. Tell me where I can find out a little bit more about you. Maybe together with these emails that go out in loud spam blasts can shift to an inviting tone, an inviting volume, and an inviting element of authenticity that maybe will draw people in and make them want to connect with you that much more.
Do Not Vote Transcription Chapters
00:00 – Introduction and Video Overview
01:11 – Defining Voting Rights and Responsibilities
02:05 – Why Voting Matters in Democracy
03:01 – Toxicity in Voting Campaign Messaging
03:52 – Impact of Guilt and Shame Tactics
04:31 – Ineffective Voter Engagement Approaches
05:13 – Authentic vs. Performative Activism
05:56 – Encouraging Informed Voter Participation
06:30 – The Value of Individual Voting Choices
07:01 – Personal Reflections on Voting Experiences
07:49 – The Silent Majority and Voter Silence
08:36 – Understanding Non-Voters’ Perspectives
09:03 – Social Pressure: “Are You Voting?”
o9:54 – Respectful Dialogue About Voting Decisions
10:40 – Building Empathy in Political Conversations
12:13 – Moving Beyond Forceful Voting Messaging
14:20 – Final Thoughts on Voter Autonomy and Messaging
Do Not Vote Transcription Text
Do Not Vote Transcription
Song: Wait What Really OK with your host, Loren Weisman. This is a fully licensed theme song for the show about stuff that makes you say, Wait, What Really Okay. Hi, this is Loren Weisman. This is the brand messaging podcast. Wait What Really OK.
The title of this podcast was not something I tried to get you to click through. This is not clickbait. The name of this podcast is do not vote. If you do not want to vote and voting is a right, this is going to be a brief message. And I invite you, if you’ve listened this far, before making judgments, before preparing a counterattack, or before getting angry, to just have a listen to a view. It may not be your view. It isn’t right, it isn’t wrong. It’s a view, it’s an opinion. I’m not trying to hurt anybody. I’m not trying to make this a Conservative or a Democrat or a Libertarian or an independent style podcast.
It’s just a thought. And again, referencing. Because this is a brand messaging podcast, the messaging that we have going on out there, and not just with the election that’s coming up. Because when this podcast comes up, we’re gonna be about 20 days out from the 2020 election, but something that’s shown up in a number of presidential elections and a number of midterm elections and elections as a whole. Now that I feel like I got the legal part out, I want to share my view. The word rights. Rights are defined or a definition that I have here. Rights are legal, social or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement. That is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention or ethical theory.
Now, in that we as Americans have a right to vote, that is our right. It is not our responsibility. That’s where I see that a lot of issues have had that have happened over many years in people being excited, in people saying, you’ve got to vote, it’s your responsibility. I woke up this morning, one of the first things I saw was it is absolutely unacceptable if you don’t vote. Another post a few hours later. If you’re not voting, I don’t want to know you. Where is this inviting people? Where is this engaging people? There’s a toxicity and it’s gone on for a number of elections. There are a lot of people that don’t vote. They choose not to. They have a right to, but it doesn’t mean that they are responsible to.
It is not a law. It is not a. You have to come in and make this decision. Now from where I stand, I would love everyone to vote. I would love everyone to register to vote in time and, and early so that the issues that come up with these late minute registrations which they bother me, it’s people getting out there saying this isn’t right when they’ve had months on end. But that’s another story. That’s another thing. And yes, there are plenty of problems in our system, but still one of the biggest problems I see is in the messaging inside of that system that is pushing a force that is attacking people, calling people out, shaming people because they choose not to vote, they choose not to be involved. Now flip it around.
Do Not Vote Transcription Continued:
Yes, what I mentioned before, I would love it if people were involved. I would love it if they looked up their candidates, if they looked up from the most local elections to the presidential, if they looked up and vetted the material, not just reading the headlines, not just reading, you know, the above the fold, but going in and making an educated decision, educated ability to speak today in that I would like that. But that’s my opinion. It’s not my place to tell someone, you need to know more about Biden and Trump and the Senate and the House and all of these issues. That is not a way that is going to draw someone in.
At the same time, the same people that in some ways are shaming people into voting are the same ones that are being shamed in other areas of their lives, in other areas where they just don’t want to deal with something or they don’t want to be involved with something and it’s their right not to. And yet it’s almost hypocritical that they go on this. It’s also interesting that many people that push such an aggressive, overly dominant voting message, it’s just almost not even like, I want you to vote, I want you to be involved, I want you to know this stuff. But more so I want you to know my candidate, if somebody does not want to get up and get out to register and I’m not talking about the people that are unable to, I know that there are people out there that need help with that.
But if someone hasn’t voted in 20 years, in 30 years, if they don’t like the system and they don’t feel that it is something they want to do, or maybe they feel like it’s so broken their vote doesn’t matter. And yes, votes count. But if somebody doesn’t believe that, where are you to guilt them, shame them, attack them and pressure them? And in that where does that draw them to want to be involved? Our messaging, from just this toxic attack to this format to. I mean, I remember some stuff when I was younger, they had shirts out there, vote or die. And when you look at the numbers of a number of major elections, it is a lesser percentage.
There are a lot of people out there that can vote, that choose not to. And at the same time, just as it is their right to vote, it is their same right to. To not vote and to not vote because it is a right that is given to them. Why should they be attacked for it? Why should they be insulted for it? I would like to see the motion move out of fear and more toward a place of love and in that love to be able to have a conversation.
Why haven’t you voted? I’m not attacking. I’m curious. I want to know where you stand. And here’s why I think your vote matters. And here’s why I would love you to be involved in the system. Can I share some stuff with you? Can I show you some stuff from the candidate I’m voting for or the bill that I’m hoping will get passed, or the things that I want to see stay the same, or the things that I want to see change, the things I want to see removed, added, and so on and so forth? Isn’t that a tone that invites a conversation and an option? Wouldn’t that get so many more people to say, you know what? I haven’t. Maybe I’ll take a chance or maybe I’ll try this. I see more stuff on Facebook and Twitter.
How hard is it to register to vote, you idiots? So if you’re not registered to vote and you come across that, where is that a drawing, inviting, engaging and loving factor to have them open the door? If anything, it’s the exact opposite. To close that door, to put a wall up, to stay back and even to lie in these lies. We don’t know who’s registered. We don’t know who’s not registered. Really. A lot of these polls, especially this year and even in the last major election, it’s anybody’s game because. Not because these polls are off and. Well, the polls are off, but people aren’t necessarily answering the questions the way they think to.
We’re just going to keep rolling here. They’re not necessarily answering the questions or they’re answering the questions and saying what they think will keep things peaceful. There’s a silent majority. There are people that. There’s a silent majority from everything, from the people that want to Be that want to vote or voting Democrats in more Republican based areas.
There’s a silent majority of Republicans that are in Democratic areas. There’s a silent majority of people that are being attacked right now. And in researching for this particular podcast and this thought, I was able to speak to some people that are right in my neighborhood. And again I came at them in love, not fear, not attack, not signing them up to vote, but just asking, do you vote? Have you voted? Are you voting?
And the immediate reaction is back and it’s saying, and then when I explain this is what I’m sharing and this is the title of the podcast that I’m going to be putting out on Thursday, there was a calmness. They didn’t want to give their name, three people in particular, but they all said that they weren’t and they were afraid to share that. And so then I asked them why not and they shared their views. And even though I disagreed with them, even though I couldn’t understand some of their points, it was not my place to tell them to vote. It was not my place to tell them to register to vote. It was not my place to do anything.
Do Not Vote Transcription Continued:
Because if I’m telling them or forcing them, I’m taking away their rights because and getting right to the point here, they have just as much of a right to vote, to register, to vote, to go to a polling place and vote as they have the exact same right in this country not to vote, not to register, not to go to a polling place. I believe that when we look at how we’re responding to people and not telling someone, it’s your responsibility to vote.
But we look at the messaging, we look at where it’s coming from, whether it’s this fear based thing and there’s a lot of fear in that messaging. I don’t want my candidate to lose. This candidate can’t win. This can’t happen. You need to go register to vote with the underlying tones of vote for my person. Where does that change? Where does that help us connect and understand and communicate and make things better? Maybe in shifting and we can’t shift the mainstream media and you can’t shift many of these angry, highly funded, toxic campaigns that are taking out this shaming narrative.
And it’s, and again, it’s not new. Yes, we’re seeing it more because of social media, but this narrative has been around since I was, since I can remember these campaigns. I remember them back to being in elementary school. I’m 46 years old. I remember hearing the attacks and it was, and I’m from Massachusetts. I remember when Dukakis was running, I didn’t know all the issues. I didn’t know all the things going on, but I had a sense and how he was attacked. And the same people that would jump and just go brutal on him were the ones turning around and just going brutal on people that hadn’t registered to vote or hadn’t voted.
People coming out, finding out here, okay, here are voting numbers. Here are the numbers that came in for western Massachusetts or where I was from. And it was Channel 22, I believe, was what it was in western Massachusetts. And this editorial came out of this person that was just saying, shame on this number of people to live here and not doing that. So you’re saying again, shaming these people to try to draw more people to vote. So the close here, and this is a short podcast, I’m done. I’m going to wrap it up here. Keep it short, keep it simple. We don’t need to shame. And this isn’t going to change on the massive narrative, but with a couple individuals to sit there and ask someone to consider to vote and that it is their right.
And here’s why you think it’s a good idea for them to vote. And in that, even if the response is no or I don’t know, or we’ll see in your honor, in your integrity, in your authenticity and your humility to sit back and say, well, thank you at least for listening, thank you for hearing my side, maybe that opens up something where it doesn’t necessarily get them. And maybe they haven’t registered so they can’t vote in what is about, you know, two, three weeks out right now for us for this election. But maybe they register for the next one.
Do Not Vote Transcription Continued:
Or maybe it plants a seed in a better soil that isn’t poisoned and toxified, that makes them feel for themselves that they want to practice this right that is theirs and not yours. Let’s step away from the force. Let’s step away from the shaming in changing the government. And yes, voting can change, but some people don’t believe it. And if all you’re doing is screaming at them, all they’re doing is putting their hands over their ears and running away in inviting and engaging. And this ties to all business. This ties to just the connections to entrepreneurs, to anybody, to any business, service, product.
Let’s stop telling people what they need to do, what they must do, that if you don’t realize this, you’re blind. Or shame on you for not using this or voting for this person or doing that and flipping it around and honoring the individual, even if you can’t connect with their decision or their views, honor the individual. And then maybe in that honor, in that connection, in that engagement, they’ll take a second look. And maybe it won’t be this election or the next, but maybe the one after that will open them up to an option that they hadn’t thought of. So I invite you right now if you. And I know it sounds crazy, and I know it sounds a little bit off, but do not vote if you don’t want to vote.
It’s your choice. You have a right to vote, just as you have a right not to vote. And when it comes to other people and you want to campaign and you want your particular person or you want people at the polls, consider inviting through engagement, show sharing, an interaction, and move away from shame, insults, guilting, and attacks. And maybe what is move to a better place doesn’t happen in the election cycle or a particular election or, you know, a particular vote, but maybe over time, that sets the seeds and that sets the motion to make that change, to make things better, to get more people connected and then making as a whole and as a larger community, better decisions for the community with more people involved.
This is Loren Weisman. This is the brand messaging podcast. Wait, what? Really? Okay. Have a good day. Wait, what? Really? Okay.
Authentic messaging introductions transcription continued:
