What's In A Name?

When I made the decision to start my own strategic communication company, I thought the most daunting thing facing me as a budding business owner was the task of choosing a company name. I am not a parent, but I would like to think the process of deciding a name for a child carries a similar amount of stress. I have heard stories about the amount of thoughtful debate, compromise, and ultimate "divine intervention" that went into my parents' choices to name their two children was nothing short of signing a Middle East Peace Accord.

Where to start. Did you know there is actually a free online business name generator? Google it. I'm serious. You enter keywords, select from a few drop-down menus and Voila! you have a company name. This seemed like a terrible idea, not to mention the fact that the algorithm seemed to be a bit wonky. I obviously did not elect this option. 

In my heart, I set out on this journey so that my business might be part of my legacy. (I'm very big on leaving my mark on this earth.) I may hand the company down to my children one day, or sell it for a cool million. I may not. Regardless, I knew I had to choose a name I would feel passionate about; a name which would tell a story, convey a message, and perfectly represent "me." After all, I'm not yet selling a brand, I'm really selling myself. 

Yikes. Such pressure. What have I gotten myself into? 

I whipped out my trusty yellow legal pad. (Always the attorney.) I started jotting down words that embodied my vision. "Concept" "Community" "Spark" "Advocate" "Storyteller" "Connect" "Value" "Impact" "Culture" "Bridge" ... Oh... bridge. I like bridge. 

Bridge is sorta my thing. Wait. What on earth does that mean?! 

In a world where we must communicate with one another to co-exist, it would be helpful if we also communicated effectively. Easier said than done, certainly. This is more than just a "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" sort of issue. In my experience, communication styles within the workplace and with customers are as varied as can be. Wouldn't it be helpful to have someone help us "bridge" the communication gap between one another? 

As a society it is helpful to organize others into groups or classifications - for mental shortcuts, expediency, sharing, etc. We do this in a multitude of ways, including to classify according to the way we communicate, the way we lead, the way we think, by birth order, by demographic cohort, i.e.,: 

• "Millennials"
• "Extrovert-Observant-Thinking-Judgment" (ENTJ) by Myers-Briggs
• "Nurturers" 
• "Artsy" 
• "Big-Picture"
• "Idea-man" ( or, woman!) 
• "Worker-bee" 
• "Middle Child"

I would venture to guess you know someone in your organization, your peer group, and even your family that fits into one or more of these groups. Am I right? Consider a few adjectives you would use to describe the way they communicate. And further consider they do not always communicate effectively (get their point or vision across) with others. Wouldn't an interpreter of sorts come in handy?

Enter me. 

I will be your bridge. Your bridge of communication between styles, between employees, within leadership, with customers.  I challenge you to give it a try. I believe you will communicate "better" if we do it together. 

It will be a BetterBridge. 

I will be your BetterBridge. 

Find us online at www.betterbridgestrategies.com