Comics Simplify Complex Concepts

Nothing strikes me as more complex and arcane than the National Labor Relations Board process for holding an election (“secret ballot vote”). Fraught with rules, exceptions and technicalities, it’s one of those things that takes a while to understand. At least that’s true for me, as a communication professional who is not an attorney.

So, it is refreshing to run across an online comic that simplifies this complex concept into something easily comprehensible. Produced by the AFL-CIO, it “breaks down” the topic into digestible chunks that just about anyone can understand. That’s important, especially if employees have mixed or unknown educational backgrounds. Legal language can be inscrutable to the average person. I must hand it to the union: they explained this artfully.

That’s not to say the communication is free of bias. It represents the AFL-CIO’s point of view. Employees seem appealing and full of smiles, and employers come across as politicians full of cash and power. It’s stereotypical, but so what? Management communications are tilted toward their point of view too.

Aside from the appealing graphics (by Ken Westphal), the language is succinct and uses analogies effectively. When the AFL-CIO wants to make a pointed remark about management, the type changes color to red… the color of danger. There’s an emotional impact to that color, and they employ it well.

To see the entire online comic, visit this link.

Lawyers are Legal Professionals, Not Creatives

There’s a lesson here. Typically, management calls upon its legal team to draw up a strategy to deal with union organizing. Lawyers communicate for the courtroom, not the court of public opinion. Their communication style is typically intellectual… mixed with legal jargon. That tone falls flat with most hourly workers. Legalese lacks the emotional appeal and simplicity to be effective rhetoric.

That is not to say I would enter a labor situation without an attorney. It just means that I would not practice law, and I would not advise an attorney to practice communications. They think they do a good job, and they do on their playing field. But on my turf, in the hearts and minds of employees, I’d far rather use a comic than a legal brief if I want regular people to understand. (Show me a lawyer who would file a comic brief; case closed).

Stealing the AFL-CIO’s  Thunder

One topic that seems perfect for comic treatment (which does not mean funny… we mean simple) is the education of your employees about the value of their signature on those union authorization cards (“card check”). I can easily image a paycheck stuffer in the style of a comic simplifying this complex concept.

Communication professionals need the full arsenal of creative approaches at their disposal.

Link to full AFL-CIO comic