Intel's unintended dual messaging
I listened to Intel CEO Craig Barrett and Intel COO and CEO-elect Paul Otellini speak at their 2004 Fall Analyst meeting earlier this week. One of the big messages in the meeting was Intel's transition to dual-core technology, which they claimed will power 70% of its desktop chips by the end of 2006.
But there was a different dual-core message at work with the executive presentations. Barrett, who was hired as an engineer at Intel, spoke to a set of slides that were simple, clear, and easy to understand (those are slides 1 through 21). Otellini, who led Intel's sales and marketing prior to taking over the COO and President's role, spoke to a set of slides that were highly technical, rather complex, and full of acronymns and graphs (slides 22-49).
Guess which executive was quoted more often and more accurately in the news stories after the event?
The moral of the story: no matter how technical your product, you will be more effective in any job if you deliver simple and easy-to-understand messages.
But there was a different dual-core message at work with the executive presentations. Barrett, who was hired as an engineer at Intel, spoke to a set of slides that were simple, clear, and easy to understand (those are slides 1 through 21). Otellini, who led Intel's sales and marketing prior to taking over the COO and President's role, spoke to a set of slides that were highly technical, rather complex, and full of acronymns and graphs (slides 22-49).
Guess which executive was quoted more often and more accurately in the news stories after the event?
The moral of the story: no matter how technical your product, you will be more effective in any job if you deliver simple and easy-to-understand messages.
posted by Carl Howe at
9:31 AM
| View blog reactions
| 
