Who is Bill Cosby?

Is he America's funniest dad?

Perhaps he is a purveyor of fine puddings and delicious gelatin-based desserts? Or is he someone with decidedly more sinister secrets?

We don’t know the answer any more than you do, and we watch with resigned sadness as it plays out - we hope - to some kind of resolution. But this unfolding story illustrates a vital point, one we think is applicable to our personal lives, business lives, indeed to all of life, writ large.

Because the truth is, whether we’re talking about Bill Cosby, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton or Billy the Kid, we have to realize that a public persona, or any persona, tells only part of the story.

Lives are complex. That seems simplistic, but it’s actually a truth so profound that it’s worthwhile to frequently ponder all its implications.

Think of it this way — what person, other than yourself, knows you the best? It could be your spouse, your closest friend, or very possibly the church minister or bartender down the block. Whoever they are, and however well they may know you, we feel safe to pronounce: They don’t know you completely. We don’t accuse you of hiding some part of yourself, anymore than we accuse ourselves of the same (this phenomenon is entirely universal). It’s just that we’re all different people, in ways subtle and distinct, depending on circumstances and surroundings.

If this is a truth we can stipulate for people, can we not also apply it to organizations? It seems to us that the complexity must compound when we’re looking at larger pools of personalities.

So — was Enron all bad? Is the Humane Society all good? We’re not taking any stances here (we’re willing to flirt with controversy, but please excuse us from full-on macking)...we’re just posing questions.

Whatever feelings you might have about individuals, organizations, corporations, or even your friendly neighborhood brand-management experts it may behoove you to remember that those feelings were born of isolated experiences. You might remind yourself they probably only represent one small part of a very complex picture.

The C4:
1. One hundred percent good and one hundred percent evil are caricatures. They’re the stuff of comic books and not-very-convincing fiction.

2. Real life is more about subtleties of gray, and of complex ranges of motivation and action. Might not be as satisfying from a dramatic standpoint, but mundane human existence rarely is.

3. It’s well-nigh impossible, then, for any of us to completely, intimately know the personalities of others. We think this is inescapable on an individual basis, and even more so with large groups.

4. Impressions, feelings, even the things you’re sure you know about the people around you and the the businesses you work with might just be incomplete. We’re not saying your impressions aren't valid. They surely are. We’re just hoping you can recognize that other impressions and contrasting truths could be just as valid in their own right.

What You Don't Say Speaks Volumes

Processing your message.

As you may recall from either your psychology or sales classes (the concept is equally important to both), the majority of communication going on during a two-way conversation happens on a non-verbal level. That means that regardless of the words we say, our interlocutors receive the most of our message based on our facial expressions, body language, and other contextual clues. Knowing this arms us well for our one-on-one encounters; we can plan ahead and think about our postures and the nuances of our smiles, to ensure that we’re supporting our message with every non-verbal cue we give.

But it puts us in a bit of disadvantage when it comes to written communication. An email, letter, or dashed-off note is decidedly one-dimensional, without the clarifying add-ons that come with a nod, a grin, or an arched eyebrow. You might think your written missives are in constant danger of misinterpretation — unless you’re one of the millions who’ve suffered some office drama because your well-intended sarcasm didn’t translate into email format. Then you know that’s true.

The most well-reasoned defense against this is a careful, clear-eyed reading of all your output, checking for passages that can be misconstrued. It’s certainly not a bad idea, and you might consider getting into the habit.

But who wants to be stuck on defense? The best offense is a method of writing that employs the tools your word processor gave you to round out the subtleties of your writing.

For instance…the use of ellipses (…) provides a mental pause, and clues the reader that something momentous is to follow. Need to add some extra emphasis? Try italics. Even more emphasis, something like the written version of an attention-getting hand clap, is boldface.

And pay attention to your use of paragraph spacing. Setting important words and phrases all by themselves—

—like this—

—gives them weight, dimensionality, and particular focus. There are *other* tricks as WELL, probably limited only by the functions and macros available on your keyboard.

It’s a simple, handy way to help get your written message across. Just...try not to overdo it.

It gets ANNOYING, fast.

The C4:

1. In a one-on-one conversation, the majority of the conversing is happening non-verbally. Messages are emphasized, amplified, and clarified based on facial expressions, body language, and other non-spoken cues.
2. This leads to a problem with written communication. Our audience has no message to interpret other than the words we’ve composed. If there’s ambiguity inherent in them, we can sure they’ll be misconstrued.
3. So read everything you’ve written before you send it out, and try to spot and refine anything that’s not crystal clear. And use every macro, function, and special character your word processor provides, if they can help you to impart the message you mean to impart.
4. Oh, but use those sparingly, if you can. A page full of italics, bolds, and underlines can quickly clutter a page and become a visual turn-off (supplying, that way, yet another message you didn’t intend to send).

Nothing Happens Without Awareness

Happy 70th birthday to the Ad Council.

The Ad Council is the advertising industry’s premier non-profit, founded in 1942 at the urging of President Franklin Roosevelt, to leverage the persuasive power of media for the sake of the common good. Those early years saw memorable campaigns on behalf of the war effort, including the introduction of an icon that remains moving and powerful to this day: Rosie the Riveter.

Since then, the Council has championed causes that benefit us all, while remaining decidedly non-partisan and uncontroversial. These include Smokey the Bear’s fight against forest fires, McGruff the Crime Dog’s exhortations to “take a bite out of crime,” and the familiar, effective message: “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”

The Ad Council’s mission is made possible through the donated time and talents of the industry’s top creative minds, and more than $1 billion in free media space per year. We see the results every day on TV, online, in our magazines and in our newspapers. More importantly, we see the results in the positive social changes the Ad Council helps to bring.

The influence of modern advertising is a boon to business and commerce. We’re proud to be part of that. But we’re at least as proud of the role our industry plays in positive social messaging and change. So thank you, Ad Council, and here’s to your next 70 years of service.

The C4:

1. The Ad Council was founded in 1942 by advertising industry leaders, as part of the home-front war effort.
2. From 1942–1945 the Council helped sell war bonds, encouraged rationing, kept morale high and introduced Rosie the Riveter to the world.
3. Since the end of WWII, the Ad Council has leveraged top creative talent and billions of dollars in free media to promote some of the most important and most familiar social causes.
4. Nothing happens without awareness. Congrats to the Ad Council on its 70th anniversary.