To the Point: You Talk, Donors Listen

The human mind is like one of those kitchen gadgets featured in late-night infomercials. It beats, twists, separates, slices, dices and otherwise transforms everything that enters it. You gave someone a carrot, but before you know it, she's turned it into a bouquet of julienned strips.

In other words, what you think you're communicating often bears little resemblance to what someone hears and thinks. Your ideology is no match for your audience's own mental machinations.