Page 20 - The Voice of Authority

Turning Communication into a Template
Another communication killer is the overuse of templates,
which turns people into drones and clones without per-
sonality or voice. Templates remove the thought process.
Templates tend to dehumanize and generalize communi-
cation.
Of course I’m speaking metaphorically. But I’m also
speaking literally.
There’s a growing trend to standardize all presentations
so that everyone using PowerPoint must use the same tem-
plate (typically with the heading in the same spot, bullet
points, and a “take-away” at the bottom). At trade shows,
meeting planners often send out templates to conference
speakers, suggesting that they dump all their slides into the
standard template so they all have the same “look and feel.”
Often, corporate communication directors mandate such
in the name of “branding.” Is it any wonder we’re now
hearing complaints about “death by PowerPoint” as if the
tool is the problem?
Customer relationship management (CRM) software
systems generate template e-mails and letters to respond
to customers—responses that rarely answer the cus-
tomers’ specific questions.
The whole world is trying to communicate by template.
The call center hears “Problem X,” so they send e-mail D
response. The doctor hears symptoms Y and Z, so the
pharmacy spits out the printed warnings and side effects
along with the prescriptions. The customer from the food
service industry calls, so the sales team delivers Standard
Sales Presentation ABC.
Result: No one connects. Everything is general. Nothing
stands out. All seems irrelevant. Most gets ignored.

8 The Voice of Authority