Metaphor Studio is named a OneVoice Company in the new book The Leader's Voice by Boyd Clarke and Ron Crossland. Boyd Clarke is the CEO and Ron Crossland is Vice Chairman of tompeterscompany! headquartered in Loveland, Ohio. Metaphor Studio joins the ranks of Harley Davidson and LensCrafters in the book for our consulting focus on the customer's experience. "Clarke and Crossland are masters of the art of communication. I simply cannot imagine a greater privilege than for Metaphor Studio to be included within the pages of The Leader's Voice," said Ran Mullins, CEO/Creative Director for Metaphor Studio, LLC.

Metaphor Studio's mention in The Leader's Voice:
Metaphor Studio in Cincinnati is a small OneVoice company. This talented group of creative artists and dedicated programmers talk about one thing only--great customer experience. Each and every meeting begins with the question, "What's the customer experience going to be?"

From the book jacket of The Leader's Voice:

"The leader speaks. Followers applaud on command. There is an illusion that communication took place, but it didn't. Unfortunately, this communication failure breeds additional communication static. Over time, leaders resort to commands rather than communication. This leads to breaking talent, not starting it. The Leader's Voice is the language of your associates and your constituents. They listen in facts, emotions, and symbols."

Through engaging stories and detailed research stretching over more than 10 years, Clarke and Crossland reveal that effective leaders communicate in three channels:

• Facts
• Emotions
• Symbols

While every leader, every human being, communicates in these three channels, most have an overreliance on just one. It's the MBA religiously devoted to the facts of business or the creative vice president speaking with pure emotion. With the brain hard-wired to listen and think in facts, emotions, and symbols, there is often a disconnect. In fact, what often happens in leadership communication is what the authors call "The Four Fatal Assumptions." Leaders speak and then assume that their constituents:

1. Understand
2. Agree
3. Care
4. Act Accordingly

Business leaders who often speak on just the factual channel and then don't understand why their messages didn't resonate must understand that constituents will always put the message through their own emotional and symbolic filters. By focusing on the principles of communication outlined in this book, leaders can conquer the four fatal assumptions by inspiring their constituents to align and unite toward a professional vision. Speaking in The Leader's Voice will help companies achieve greater results, including:

• Better alignment around key strategic initiatives
• Improved productivity spurred by higher levels of trust among employees
• Greater leadership credibility
• Higher morale
• Increased efficiency through crystal clear clarity
• Better communication among all employees

Past Issues:

2004
Q1 2004 - CHANGE!
Q2 2004 - Branding Personality

2003
Q1 2003 - Cultivate
Q2 2003 - Fascinate
Q3 2003 - Illuminate
Q4 2003 - Celebrate

About CED:
Community Experience Development™ (CED) is a business philosophy that focuses on the proprietary consulting strategy of Metaphor Studio, LLC, utilizing Internet methods for revolutionizing brand communities. CED includes cultivating, fascinating, and illuminating the target audience through personalized and non-personalized membership communities. The core CED principles involve leveraging intellectual properties to position each community creator as the leader and expert in their given community. Achievement of CED objectives results in the evolution of the brand community as the destination point for the given topic both online and offline. Download the complete executive whitepaper.