By Bemi Idowu (found tweeting at: @mr_bemi)
On the 29th of October 1941, Winston Churchill spoke to a group of school children in Harrow in what is now known as the Never Give In speech. With 43 seemingly ordinary words, Churchill caressed, stimulated and engaged their minds and emotions in a way that many would struggle to do with a dictionary’s worth of words.
History records many similar moments, when men and women have captured imaginations using a handful of simple words. And these moments are just not confined to history. There are many exciting ideas being shared today and the challenge of deciding whether to share them through traditional mediums or try out new ones is proving to be an interesting conundrum for many.
The advent of social media and the declining effectiveness of existing methods have given rise to a number of changes in the way information is shared. The flexibility, engagement and influence available through social media also means many traditional mediums are facing inevitable expiry unless they can adjust to offer something similar or to rekindle an interest in what they have to offer.
Social media does a good job of engaging people and influencing their actions. It encourages them to go beyond an armchair involvement to push the button of commitment. It is often said that those who succeed in social media, those who have the ability to influence the behaviour of others, are those who have the ability to tell their stories very well with very few words.
So like Churchill in Harrow, the challenge with social media is not only to create an idea or elicit a vision, it is to do that, as well as engage, stimulate a need and to influence future actions. To introduce them to an ideology that they will not only feel like they want to subscribe to but also to participate in. And to do so with a few words.
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