Lost messages and illusive comms
I sometimes appropriate Cole Porter’s lyrics in a much less romantic context than his to make a point; you see, when it comes to communications, just like with falling in love, “birds do it, bees do it, and even educated fleas do it.”
You are certainly also doing it; but, if you consider the outcome realistically, is what you’ve done really what you meant to do?
Listen.
There is a well-know quote by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw that is often used as a comment on personal communication, but I find it applies increasingly to today’s crowded mass communications context. He says: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
We’re all piling content onto the main social media platforms. In many cases, a comms team will also be producing press releases, blogs, talking points for interviews, speeches, and the list goes on. So with all this comms production going on, is everyone actually communicating, or are some under the illusion that communication has taken place? Can it be that we sometimes communicate per se only? It depends on your perspective about the point of communication.
There is so much content, and there is no lack of quality either, with sleek designs, imaging, and high-end audio resulting in appealing, even entertaining comms. However, the essential purpose of long-term communications - the messaging - is not necessarily at this high standard of delivery. Sometimes, it’s barely even there at all. Well, it should be.
Granted, we’re all competing for attention in a massively overcrowded space, and it is difficult to keep pounding on with a sense of novelty. So we all find ways, repeatedly, to stand out in this mass, believing we are still on track. The illusion has taken place: we’ve put ourself out there, so we are technically communicating, by default, but in the hustle and bustle, we don’t realize that our fundamental messaging may have gotten lost along the way.
If they are not relevant to the audience, if they have not made the intended point, if they are not ad rem, such communications not only prevent your message from being received, but they may even mean that the wrong message was sent in the first place. I go into great detail about this issue with some clients, when we delve into their communications’ impact on their image and on perceptions of their mission and brand.
For all the bells and whistles in modern comms, if we are speaking of communications in their purest sense, we cannot overlook their core purpose: you want your messages to be crafted concisely and sent in a package that is easily received by your target recipient. Your comms can entertain, but they cannot miss the mark by diluting your core message.
Choose your words wisely, envelop them in attractive linings when you can, and always get to the point.
July 2022
