Important message? Press the repeat button

How many times do you need to repeat something to your team to truly get heard? Many, many times.

I've read in a book that when you have something important to communicate, you should repeat it until people start making fun of you.

Extreme? Maybe. But I'm willing to believe it.

A few years ago, people doing marketing commonly said that it took seven expositions to a product or a brand for someone to consider buying it.

In an ocean of information, I'd bet that this number is way more significant today. Probably more than tenfold.

The same applies to the ideas and information you share with your team.

The number of things you are competing against for their attention has also increased.

People always had thoughts about their personal lives and work.

However, what is new is that your message is now competing against thousands of micro information battling fiercely for their attention.

I'm talking about the kind of information spread through digital. Accessible via the person's mobile, these attention stealers have invaded the workplace. Not necessarily during work time, but during the break.

Behind many of these posts and ads are marketers who understand how to make people care about what they have to say.

Add to these skills the firepower to expose people to the same idea 5, 10, 20 times across the day.

This is what you, the leader, are competing against.

If you have an important message and want to get heard, you need to start finding ways to repeat your message over and over again. Until people start making fun of it.