Many years ago my first project at Leo Burnett-Chile was to rewrite a small paragraph for a Procter & Gamble radio script. At just three short lines, the account executive assured me it was an easy fix.  I rewrote it and was later told that I had to go and present it to the local head of marketing at Procter & Gamble.

Upon arriving at P&G, I was surprised to learn that even though we were in the middle of Santiago and we were all Chileans, all meetings were conducted in English. Back then, trying to communicate in English, a language that was more foreign to me at the time than it is today, presented a real challenge.  I did my best to let the head of marketing know that I did exactly what I was supposed to do for the three-line-rewrite.

“Fine,” he said, “I see what you aimed for.” And then, to my utter surprise, he added, “I do, however, have one question, three suggestions and two comments.” I thought, “C’mon, man…For a three-line rewrite?” Needless to say, I was sent back to the drawing board a bit confused.

On my way out, I asked the brand manager, “What was that all about? Are you guys always like this?”

“Well,” he replied, “What did you expect? After all, you failed to tell him what you wanted from him in the first place!”

When I asked what he meant by that, he told me something that I’ve never forgotten: “Whenever you go to a meeting, you should always have an agenda, a clear understanding of what you want to achieve at that meeting. So, you should have started the meeting by saying ‘I’m here to present and get your approval on this three-line rewrite.’”

Aha! It totally made sense then and I have been applying it ever since in one form or the other whenever I attend a presentation or meeting. It saves time and ensures you are on track to achieve the creative goals.

Francisco Letelier | VP Creative