Jolt!

by Phil Cooke

  In her book The Power of a Praying Woman, Stormie Omartian said:

  Confessing, however, is more than just apologizing. Anyone can do that. We all know people who are good apologizers. The reason they are so good at it is because they get so much practice. They have to say “I’m sorry” over and over again because they never change their ways. In fact, they sometimes say, “I’m sorry” without ever actually admitting any fault. Those are the professional apologizers. And their confessions don’t mean anything. But true confession means admitting in full detail what you have done and then fully repenting of it. (39–40)

  Historically, repentance has meant “changing your mind.” It’s the idea that you realize your mistakes, confess them openly, and make an honest, heartfelt decision to change. But the fact is, it’s a rare event in the lives of most people.

  I worry sometimes what that teaches our children. Today we live in a society where an entire generation is very familiar with avoiding responsibility. It’s much easier to pass the buck and blame someone else. We cheat, lie, and steal, but it’s really someone else’s fault.

  Accountability is the key to changing the direction of our culture. When you accept the responsibility for what you need to change, when you partner with someone who sincerely wants to help you change, and when you commit to making the change, then real results begin to happen.

  Find an accountability partner today and begin the process.

  » JOLT #18

  THE POWER OF PERCEPTION

  Why It Is Just as Important as Reality

  Science is nothing but perception.

  —PLATO

  Ransom stoddard: you’re not going to use the story, Mr. scott? Maxwell Scott: No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

  —THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE

  Earlier I talked about filming at the headwaters of the Amazon River basin in Brazil. What I didn’t mention was the trouble we ran into when we attempted to get our film equipment through customs in the Brazilian city of Manaus. The city is located about one thousand miles upriver from the Atlantic and today is a beautiful city of nearly two million people. When we arrived at the airport, which had been literally carved out of the jungle, I had a three-man crew and a number of large cases of film equipment that had to be cleared through customs.

  “Can you prove you’re a filmmaker from the United States?”

  I had my passport, customs documentation, and equipment lists, but I’d never actually been asked to prove what I do for a living. After all, it’s not like we carry a membership card or diploma around to prove we’re in some type of “filmmaker’s club.”

  “Well I’m sorry, Mr. Cooke. Until you can prove to me you’re actually an official filmmaker from the United States, I can’t allow your equipment into the country. You’re welcome to come in, but I’ll have to keep your equipment locked here in customs until you can provide adequate documentation.”

  Official filmmaker? It was insane. It’s not like tourists carry nearly a million dollars’ worth of film and video equipment on vacation. We argued and argued, but nothing worked. So I took the crew to the hotel, frustrated and upset because we still had airplane flights, boat charters, and numerous other connections to meet, and now everything was being thrown into chaos. We paced the hotel room, thinking, tried to make phone calls, and discussed every possible solution but came up empty.

  The jungle heat and humidity didn’t help. Every day we would travel back to the customs official and request the equipment, and every day he would turn us down. Assuming he was corrupt, we even quietly offered him a bribe since that technique had worked in similar situations, but no dice—he was an honest guy, but he just wouldn’t budge.

  After a few days, we considered returning to the United States in failure, knowing we had wasted thousands of dollars to get this far, with nothing to show for it.

  The problem was perception. No matter how many passports, equipment lists, and travel arrangements I showed the customs official, for some reason he was convinced we weren’t actual filmmakers. We argued until we were exhausted, but his perception just wouldn’t change.

  Finally, after four days of haggling and arguing with no success, I walked slowly back to my room, annoyed, knowing we had tried everything and still failed. Getting ready to undress for the night, I pulled my wallet out of my jeans pocket and for some unknown reason decided to flip through the back section, where I kept my insurance cards and driver’s license, and that’s when the card that changed everything fell out.

  Years before, a nonprofit organization in Hollywood began publishing American Film, a magazine devoted to filmmaking. It was a wonderful magazine for anyone who truly loved movies, because it wasn’t just another trendy publication about movie stars. It featured real articles about the behind-the-scenes process of making films, intimate interviews, interesting stories, and other information about the industry. The magazine was a highly respected division of an organization still in existence today called the American Film Institute, which conducts classes and workshops for serious filmmakers and even sponsors major industry events.

  At that time, when you signed up for a subscription to the magazine, you received a membership card into the American Film Institute. It didn’t really mean anything more than the magazine subscription, except that it might get you into an occasional film screening.

  When the American Film Institute magazine subscription card fell out of my wallet, I had a brilliant idea, and the next morning we were back in the customs official’s office.

  “You want proof that we are filmmakers from the United States, right?”

  “That’s correct, and so far, I’ve seen nothing.”

  I whipped out my AFI card—fortunately, the information on the card about the magazine subscription was printed on the back in very small letters, and I hoped he wouldn’t notice.

  “I’m a member of the American Film Institute.” I pointed at the front. “There, you can see my name printed on my membership card.”

  The customs official looked at the card carefully, compared the signature with my passport, and then a light switched on in his head.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were a member of the American Film Institute?” He beamed with excitement, as if he’d stumbled on a real celebrity. He had no idea what the AFI was, but it sure sounded impressive.

  “Welcome to our country! Please enjoy your filming!”

  He walked around the desk, embraced everyone on my crew, and then led us into the warehouse where they were holding our equipment. He couldn’t have been nicer. The next thing we knew, we were being given a police escort with full sirens and lights back to the hotel, with government trucks personally carrying our equipment and personnel unloading it for us.

  » THE INFLUENCE OF THE MASS MEDIA IN OUR CULTURE IS CHANGING EVERYTHING, AND “PERCEPTION” IS THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY MODERN MEDIA.

  I kissed my AFI membership card, carefully tucked it away in my wallet, and carried it carefully for years—even after the actual magazine ceased publication. The simple magazine subscription card meant nothing in itself, but it changed the perception of that customs official completely. When his perception changed, we went from being tourists at best—con artists at worst—to being celebrated filmmakers from the United States, deserving official government approval and support.

  In more than thirty years of active work in the entertainment industry, I’ve seen few situations where perception played such an important role.

  In a world where sound bites heavily influence the political process, the unique characteristics of mass media now affect every aspect of our lives. Public relations has become an art form as companies and organizations (and even celebrities) confront the need to impact and hopefully influence public opinion, and perception has become a critical part of advertising campaigns, press releases, and public statements.

  The global fascination with celebrities has been an important elemen
t in the realization of how important perception is today. For instance, with the advent of the relatively recent concept of “celebrity,” the basis of fame has undergone a striking change. In the past, a person became famous for accomplishing a significant task, such as making a great discovery, winning the championship football game, or finding the cure for a deadly disease. But today, just being in the news makes someone famous, and actual accomplishment really isn’t necessary anymore. A movie star showing up at a party makes front-page news, high-profile sexual affairs propel some to national TV interviews and book deals, and paparazzi photographers have made “celebrity journalism” the foundation of entire magazines.

  There’s an interesting aspect to why the advertising industry has moved from “informational” advertising to “emotional” advertising. Since the beginning of modern advertising, the primary goal of marketers was to tell the public about the wonderful features of a product—how it works, the quality of the construction, or the helpful features. But today, advertisers don’t tell us about the product, they tell us how we’re going to feel when we use the product. When was the last time you saw an athletic shoe commercial that described the high-quality materials that went into the shoes, the excellent construction, or the useful features? Today they’re more interested in convincing you that when you strap on these shoes, you’ll suddenly leap like an all-star, win championship sports events, or fit in with a cooler crowd.

  It’s that way in nearly every product area. It’s not about facts anymore; it’s about perception. In my book Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Nonprofits Impact Culture and Others Don’t, I discuss the power of perception and its impact on nonprofit and religious work around the world.

  » HOLLYWOOD SPENDS MILLIONS TO CONTROL PERCEPTIONS.

  Since the earliest days of the movie industry, the major studios have created vast machines to control the perception of movie stars and the movies they produced. In fact, back in those days it was not unusual for major studios to have local government officials, members of the press, or police officers on a secret payroll so they could quietly control the impact of potentially high-profile scandals. If movie stars featured in family-friendly movies were caught committing adultery, being drunk and disorderly, or in a criminal act, the studios could call in favors from elected officials or the press to keep a lid on the news.

  Public morals and behavior have changed so much that it almost seems as if the studios must encourage rowdy behavior, but you can be sure that whatever image they want to create for a particular star is still carefully guarded and controlled—even if the questionable methods of an older era have been largely relinquished. In fact, the entertainment industry has given rise to the professional “publicist”—someone whose job it is to help direct and control the perception of a movie, a TV series, or a star.

  Outside of Hollywood the art of perception is used every day to promote positive projects, people, values, or ideas. For instance, major business leaders are getting into the picture and hiring publicists because they’ve discovered that controlling perception not only works with companies and products, it also works with people. In today’s environment of celebrity, CEOs around the country know that being seen in the right places can help them meet the right people, be perceived as major players, and open doors for new strategic opportunities.

  » PERCEPTION IS A POWERFUL WORD AND HAS ENORMOUS CONSEQUENCES.

  But how can we use perception in our own lives? To what extent can we influence the way others perceive us, and how can we use those techniques to make change happen and accomplish our goals?

  First, understand that perception can be a positive tool. Too many people view the perception issue as a negative tool of manipulation and refuse to consider its positive potential. They’ve seen the way some alcohol advertisers have attempted to influence teens to drink, or the way some cigarette companies tried to do the same with smoking, and assume any use of influence is negative. The fact is, many people in all levels of our society have misused the power of perception, and our culture suffers the consequences. The pornography industry uses perception to legitimize what they do, casinos never mention the high level of gambling-related suicides, and even street-level cocaine dealers use perception to make drug use attractive.

  I’ve had the opportunity to teach around the world, and one of my favorite places to lecture is Russia, where I’ve taught media and broadcasting techniques in Moscow and St. Petersburg. When you study the history of communism in the former Soviet Union, you’ll find that Lenin was a master of perception and used these techniques in a negative way to keep millions of people under the brutal hand of the Soviet state. Lenin always felt that cinema was the greatest art form, because he understood the power of movies to inspire, motivate, and educate. Under his control, the Russian film industry grew at an enormous rate but was used as a terrible tool to help subjugate the Russian people for decades.

  In spite of its abuse, the power of perception can be utilized for good—if we know how to activate it in our lives.

  Second, start thinking in reverse. It’s not the message you send; it’s the message that’s received that counts. It doesn’t matter how brilliant you are, if your intention is misunderstood by the listener, then you’ve failed miserably. That’s why I always prefer to start at the receiving end first—just to make sure my message has the best chance of being received properly. How do I do it? I realize that every listener is evaluating my message through his or her own framework of life experiences, which dictate to a great extent the impact it will have on him or her personally. Therefore, know whom you’re dealing with and know them as well as possible. Whatever your business, make sure you tailor your product, presentation, or service to a particular audience.

  I always tailor my lectures to the audience. Sometimes I speak to corporations, other times I speak to nonprofit or religious groups, and still other times to college students. In each situation I may deliver the same information, but I consider the audience first and customize the message to reach that audience most effectively.

  Don’t begin with your message, begin with the audience.

  THE IMPORTANCE OF PACKAGING

  When I was a kid, television meant three channels. Whoopee! But on our satellite TV system today, children have a choice of five hundred channels, and online that number is nearly unlimited. The difference is extraordinary and very important.

  My production experience in a five-hundred-channel universe indicates that people take fewer than five seconds to decide to watch your program. That’s it. Think about how quickly you handle a typical TV remote and what little chance you give each program to grab your attention. Audiences today are sophisticated and aren’t willing to put up with programs that don’t interest them. Therefore I always advise my media clients that how a program is packaged is just as important as its content. For instance, no matter how brilliant the program content might be, it has to be packaged in a high-quality, contemporary, and compelling way. Otherwise the viewer won’t watch long enough to hear the content, and you’ve lost the audience.

  In the same way, you need a compelling “package” in order to be perceived as powerfully as possible. What elements combine to make your package great? Here are a few to consider.

  How You Look

  Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

  —MARK TWAIN

  My father used to say, “If you dress like a pauper, you’ll never get an audience with the king.” Although styles today are much more relaxed than in the past, there are still strong feelings among people about clothes and the impact they have on perception. Even in Hollywood, where jeans are considered “business attire,” if you look closely, you’ll find those jeans are often accompanied by an exotic leather belt, an expensive linen sport coat, a designer T-shirt, a pair of alligator loafers, and a twenty-thousand-dollar watch.

  But understand that it’s not about money; it’s about a style that’s appropri
ate for the situation. Don’t become a clothing snob and use clothes as a weapon to elevate yourself above others. No one respects a person in the office who uses clothes as a label to separate from everyone else. But do know and learn the power of how to dress appropriately and how clothes can be used to give you access to people, places, and events.

  How You Speak

  Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.

  —DOROTHY SARNOFF, OPERA SINGER

  At the highest levels of corporate America, you rarely hear the sound of regional accents. A Southern accent sprinkled with local mannerisms may sound cute in your hometown, but the more you travel beyond the city limits, the more you’ll sound simply out of place. Talking like a cast member of The Sopranos may be desirable in parts of New Jersey, but in parts of Texas you could be shot on sight.

  Proper grammar is another basic issue that frightfully few take the time to fix. If you want to increase your value and perception in the eyes of other people, never open your mouth unless you’re speaking standard English and using grammatically correct sentences. Remember that, in most business situations, your speaking voice and writing abilities are your most important communication tools; therefore, poor grammar muddles up your meaning.

  No matter how old you are, it’s never too late to improve your communication abilities. A quarterback wouldn’t neglect his passing skills, because that’s often the key to his success. In the same way, your brilliance and business expertise will never be known or understood if you can’t express those ideas clearly and accurately.

  Appropriate Behavior

  Those that are good manners at the court are as ridiculous in the country, as the behavior of the country is most mockable at the court.

  —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

  Knowing instinctively how to act in a variety of situations is a critical element to improving perception. Some football coaches are brilliant on the field, but at a dinner party they become bumbling fools. In the same way, I’ve met doctors who are internationally known for their medical skills in the operating room but act ignorant and uncouth in other situations. Learn to become comfortable in a wide variety of circumstances, and your chances of success are greatly improved.