How to Create a Ripple Effect

It’s not what we get done in the time we spend working, but the impact of what we do that matters.

The impact can go far beyond our immediate accomplishment. How we communicate makes all the difference. 

 

Think about all the leverage one action can have. Here are a few of the ripples from anything you do, whether it is to call a customer, hold a meeting, even send an email request:

• getting the task done
• making progress toward a bigger goal
• facilitating other people's work
• teaching and transferring knowledge
  

While we are getting it done, we can also be

• building relationships
• upholding values
• validating people
• creating a high-performance culture

Each action can be a stand for something we believe in. It can send a clearer message than any amount of words can do.

 

Sometimes we create a ripple unintentionally, not necessarily the one we want. For example, an email criticizing someone that is "accidentally" forwarded.

 

Even that can turn out to be an  opportunity if it is used to open a conversation that would otherwise be hidden.  In general, though, that's not the ripple you want to send out.

 

My colleague Ken Kirste, formerly at Sun Microsystems, comments that one of the main benefits he received from learning and teaching SYNTAX was that it allowed him to stop his internal rehearsals and actually learn from his interactions with people. As a result, relationships improved with bosses, colleagues, friends, and family.

 

I know that many people learned from Ken's practices and passed them on to others. In fact, someone who worked for Ken in the past told him recently about being in charge of a group of volunteers. Ken says,
"Everyone was chaotically rushing about when she called them together and instructed them 'Go Slow to Go Fast.' She said I would be surprised how much it calmed everyone and produced a much more efficient group."

 

According to Christakis and Fowler, authors of the book Connected, we have a direct impact at least three degrees out. Our friends' friends' friends influence us, and are influenced by us, on "a broad range of attitudes, feelings, and behaviors...as diverse as political views, weight gain, and happiness."

 

So, friends,  let's all be in favor of political fairness, slim and healthy lifestyles, and lots of happiness! If we can choose what we want to ripple out, why not?

If you do want to create a big ripple effect, this is your time. Nowadays a message can go much farther than ever before. The Web and social networks make it possible to reach more people in less time with less expense. When your intended audience is very specific, you have a better chance of having a noticeable effect with them.

 

Messages that carry have certain qualities, including

• resonance with something people are thinking or feeling
• relevance to their identities or immediate situation

People resonate with stories, with emotions, and very much with messages that articulate what they are thinking.  Even if not relevant, resonant messages have wide appeal. They spread quickly.

The most relevant ones are the ones that get action. This is why it's so important to know the audience you want to reach.

 

All the skills of influence come into play to create your ripple effect. Using SYNTAX,

• set your goal, including whom you want to reach
• create positive relationships with those you want to influence (marketers call it KLT - know, like, and trust)
• make clear requests and agreements
• exchange high quality information
• keep learning from the feedback you get

The truth is, you already have a ripple effect. What do you want to do with it?