I like this observation from Seth Godin:
The reason that most memos, speeches and edicts fall flat is simple: we get stuck on the idea that we’re talking to a crowd.
I may think I’m trying to reach the crowd, but I’m really trying to reach each person within the crowd. The “crowd” doesn’t actually exist. I think about all the presentations I’ve given over the years and I’ve gotten the most fulfillment when someone comes up afterwards and tells me they feel like the presentation was just for them. So why not build things that way? If we “reach” thousands but no one is impacted, what was the point?
In closing, here’s what Seth closed with:
If it’s not going to work for one person, why do [we] think it will work on a crowd?