Finding Your True Audience.

Today’s Marketing Cookie is about discovering the true value of authentic connections and the joy they bring to our lives.

You, like me, have many friends that we cherish. If I were to make a list of every best, great, or good friend I’ve ever had, laughing together would be the common denominator among them. I tell a lot of jokes. Some of them are funny. Today’s fortune resonates with me because if I can make you laugh, chances are good that we’ll get along quite famously. If you reciprocate with a pun, a one-liner, or a witty remark, we’ll probably be besties for life.

However, if I can’t get a chuckle from a colleague or client, the relationship becomes tragically transactional, and things become terribly too important. I didn’t realize just how important sharing a laugh was to me until I took a job at a company where my puns didn’t land, my best dad jokes fell flat, and humor was clearly not wanted in meetings. The people were unusually nice, and although I took my job seriously, I felt awkwardly unfunny. I just didn’t fit in. I soon realized that I had made a mistake and resigned.

It reminds me of an inspiring story about Gail who signed a six-figure contract to be the new co-anchor for the six o'clock news on WJZ-TV in Baltimore. The troubles in the new job for her began right away. 

Despite the urging of producers, she refused to pre-read the news script because she wanted to uncover the story together with her audience. She felt that rehearsing the script would make it flat, stale, and diminish her authenticity. This led to frequent stumbling and fumbling with words, embarrassing mispronunciations, and worst of all, being unable to control her emotions. One instance, while reporting about the tragic loss of seven children from a fire that took their home, Gail wept uncontrollably, live on air. Her authentic approach to reading the news was viewed as amateurish, and the ratings dropped. 

The station executives removed her as co-anchor and decided to let Gail finish out her multi-year contract as the host of a low-profile morning talk show. In the new format she could be empathetic, spontaneous, and emotionally connect with her audience. The show was an instant success and was syndicated nationally. Gail says it was the defining moment when her "job ended and her calling began." This calling led Oprah “Gail” Winfrey to her own hugely popular talk show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which ran for 25 seasons. 

Whether it’s the simplest desire to share laughter with colleagues or a demotion that gave Oprah a platform to inspire millions through heartfelt conversations, it is the connection with others that makes all of us feel alive, relevant, and fulfilled. Seek out those who appreciate your unique qualities and truly enjoy your company. When you do, it can be true for you, just as today’s fortune says, “We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for our ability to amuse them.”