Shock Therapy Communication

Shock therapy is a high-impact communication tactic or maneuver that is used by proactive influencers  in their eye-opening speeches, radical-change campaigns, disruptive value proposition, blue-ocean marketing strategies, or deal negotiations.

Give People Time To Digest Your Disruptive Idea

"Be persistent. Don't expect to "win" the first time. Your first job is just to start the other person thinking," advised Benjamin Franklin. Give people time to digest your radically new idea.  People tend to resist change at the beginning, but their light-speed superconscious mind  can help them assess all pros and cons better if they sleep on the proposed new strategic direction.

Make Decision, Nake Decision

Keep stakeholders in the know. Manage their emotions and expectations. Having decided to change the strategic direction, explain stakeholders the reasons.

Initiate and lead inclusive conversations to make all stakeholders feel like parents of the new strategic direction and start growing their shared baby.

Example

British Geological Survey

When David Falvey initiate organizational transformation, people resisted the change initially. Falvey spent two years in discussions with various groups of employees. The change was more orchestrated than directed by him. The members of the organization brought about change for themselves.

Example

Trump 47 vs. Trump 45

As the 45th U.S. President and a change leader, Donald Trump disrupted the status quo. He led by example but that was not good enough because most of his initiatives were boycotted by officials around him. Trump learned from that experience.

As the 47th U.S. President, he started his MAGA disruptive-change journey by creating a powerful guiding coalition of transformational leaders. Trump set them disruption-focused tasks and empowered the guiding coalition as a team.