Communication - Communication That Falls On Deaf Ears

The only way for humans to thrive is by interaction and exchange with each other. Whether it is written, spoken or through gesture there’s a language — a mechanism through which we share thoughts and ideas with each other.

We wouldn’t have evolved as a species without learning because we create tribes. And by nature that means learning through experiences side by side with others. We wouldn’t have succeeded without such interplay.

As a result we’ve formed relationships and on top of that created societies. Because we’ve built societies we’ve developed a range of structures and ‘organisations’ within them. We call the act of these exchanges — communication.

Everything on Earth that was built by humans has demanded communication in order to explain, inspire, design, transact and work.

“Communication is the act of exchanging our very humanity, our being and intentions with one another…”

On The Other Hand

The dark side — the absence of communication — is also easy to see. Organisations that haven’t understood the power of communication atrophy. Societies that are inept at communication or who seek to sanction communication reap the unpleasant consequences and see their people suffer and then revolt.

Our weapons — The Tools Of Communication

There are so many ways for us to communicate. An infinite array of formats, a plethora of different channels, everything that can be exchanged can exploit a multitude of media.

It’s now a highly interactive world where people are becoming used to rich experiences. We have robots answering our questions and doing the shopping.

We are able to join in any discussion anywhere on the planet at any time — literally we can indulge in anything that takes our fancy. But we will just as quickly turn off from discussions that don’t attract and maintain our attention.

If we are not getting the information we want, when we want it, we will find other ways to get it. Or just as likely find other things to do.

In Summary —

And lest we need reminding — gone are the days where it was considered acceptable to transmit one way. To broadcast to everyone — or at best simply cascade a ‘one size fits all’ communication to the workforce.

Communication isn’t something that can be controlled by a chosen few. In a world where so much is happening and where there is so much worth knowing about it everybody is responsible for communications.

That will only work effectively if there are some strong foundations in place — so that, no matter who is doing the communicating, messages are always relevant and in context.