Steve Jobs has recently had to present some bad news :

Over the last few years, many people have had to present bad news; from announcing redundancies to explaining poor investment performance. It’s relatively easy to satisfy an audience of customers with good news. Detailed knowledge of processes isn’t really necessary as long as your figures look good. When the news is bad, on the other hand, your audience will only be happy if they know that the utmost expertise is in force. A demonstrable grasp of the issues, evidence of firm managerial grip, and a guarantee of clear ongoing communication can go a long way.

Steve Jobs has a reputation for those attributes, and so is more likely to be trusted than a relatively unknown CEO such as BP’s Tony Hayward, whose recent presentations to the media and Congress didn’t enhance his reputation in the eyes of his American audience.

Steve Jobs’ key sentence from his press conference was :

“We're not perfect, phones aren't perfect. But we want to make all our users happy”

It is an example of a mini-list (of two things that are not perfect), followed by a contrast. It leaves the listener with a positive intention, and the overall aim is achieved – to apologise, explain and then set out the way forward.

He could have tried to hide the unfortunate fact, rather than leading with it: “We want to make our users happy” would make more obviously cheerful reading on that screen, and “Phones aren’t perfect” would be a reasonable generalisation as well. Choosing “We’re not perfect” works precisely because the loyal customers will appreciate honesty, above platitudes; it almost risks gaining a notorious catch-phrase, but avoids this because of the humility of the phrase.

When delivering a difficult message, clarity and a clear acceptance of your predicament can work in your favour. Choosing to set out in stark terms what the bad news entails can engender confidence. It’s the opposite of obfuscation. Steve Jobs chose a most effective format for his words : the “three-word strap line”

Other examples of powerful three-word strap lines include “Every Little Helps”, “Vorsprung durch technik”, “Beanz Meanz Heinz”, “Labour Isn’t Working”, and “Coke Adds Life” (showing my age there!).

In general, short sentences work far better than long ones. If you can encapsulate a thought in a few words, then that thought is probably a good one. If you can describe your job or career in a few words, it can help you to keep a sense of perspective, and others to understand you.

As an actor, when asked what being an actor means, I say “I tell stories in teams”. I don’t do any more than that; although the process can be complex and require research and emotional digging, a problem can often be solved by reminding oneself of that key  phrase that sums up what you do.

“I coach people” is a similar phrase. It reminds me to keep my anecdotes relevant, and to focus on my audience. The courses are about the participants. What Steve Jobs was recognising was how his enterprise is about his customers, or as he put it “all our users”.

My next articles will be about making things relevant, and how to develop an anecdotal style without necessarily telling anecdotes.