How do we acknowledge that these are really tough times…and at the same time keep living our lives (and promoting our businesses)?
In other words:
How do we keep sharing our thoughts and updates and Great News! even when the world feels heavy and the headlines get bleaker every day? How does one send a normal email to a client right now?
What’s the balance? What’s the most human way to relate to other people, without either overstepping or sounding tone-deaf?
Phew. Are you feeling this uncertainty right now? I know I am. This moment feels similar to the swirling and unsure summer of 2020, when no one was *quite* sure what to say.
My answer then was simple: Context matters. Don’t ignore the reality that you and others are facing. Start by simply acknowledging your shared context. That’s a manageable first step to being honest, relatable, and real.
Here’s what I wrote in June of 2020 (please note the quaint way we were still saying “coronavirus”):
Even if you’re not directly talking about coronavirus, or Black Lives Matter, or what’s in the news today — even if you don’t think your work has anything to do with current events — your work has to clearly reflect the context of what’s going on in the world.
My advice is the same five years later. Our shared context has changed, but acknowledging it still matters just as much.
3×3 Challenge
Earlier this summer, I shared an exercise I’ve been using with clients: the 3 x 3 challenge. The exercise is simple: Strip down the details of your latest project to the bare essentials, and write a story about your work in 9 words.
You get three sentences. Each sentence can only have three words. Tell the beginning, middle, and end as simply as possible.
Here’s an added challenge. Could you write a 3×3, but also use those scant 9 words to acknowledge context, too?
For example, let’s say you’re a consultant who’s helping companies harness the power of AI. In precedented times, maybe your 3×3 would be:
- AI changes faster
- Let’s embrace possibility
- Start with people
…AND! If you and your clients are being affected by (pick one or all here)…war, tariffs, attacks on free speech, fear of political violence, division internally…
- In a divided world
- AI highlights possibilities
- Remember, people first
When the world isn’t sunshine and roses, your message can acknowledge that. You’re not “making it political,” you’re being realistic about your shared context.
You also don’t have to change your entire message. But showing that you’re a human living in the same messy world is an important first step to creating an authentic connection.
How could you keep sharing your message while acknowledging the context?
