How to be an effective communicator in the 21st Century
When it comes to new media, it’s important to get beyond the buzz. The World Wide Web has brought upon us a new communications paradigm for the 21st Century. To early adopters, the domain of “www” is a cinch, to others; it can be decidedly perplexing.
Some would say we suffer from perpetual information overload, an overwhelming stasis. However, paralysis – a common response to feeling overwhelmed – should not be the answer; nor should sticking your head in the sand. A reductionist approach that dismisses the web phenomenon as a “generational thing” will not work either.
The web has transformed communications. For the first time, there exists a mass communication channel that is decentralized, fragmented, self-distributed and highly specialized. Never before has a technological communications medium done more than just broadcast. More than a means to relay a message, it is a platform upon which to network, collaborate, and co-create.
But, the biggest mistake is to get caught up in the medium. The trick to being an effective communicator in the 21st Century has more to do with being a savvy storyteller than it does with possessing technological wizardry. This is not meant as a polemic opposition to McLuhan’s “the medium is the message,” but rather, it is to point out that given our new context, we must become more strategic about our messaging. The stronger the narrative, the more likely the message – and moreover, the brand – will surface over and above the growing din.
The new paradigm has dramatically changed our expectations towards those creating the messages – corporate brands and public services alike. By opening up the channels to more voices, information has become democratized. Coupled with the ability to call up information in an instant; we expect a greater transparency on behalf of those communicating to us.
Building a strong brand takes strategy. Brainstorm the brand with the rigor – it needs to work as a concept offline before even thinking about hitting the online channels. A strong brand has messaging that is consistent and authentic. In the face of these new technologies, it may be easy to forget how personal communication is. Regardless of how it is mediated, the fact remains: communication is still about relationship building. The more consistent and authentic the brand, the sooner trust is built amongst an audience.
Social tech platforms have advanced the notion of people-powered “brands” – brands in quotations since I really mean anything from a company to a campaign. This democratized medium has allowed us to contribute to the conversation, whether it is being a brand ambassador for a cause-campaign or helping a company overhaul their definition of customer service.
Strategic communications in the 21st C is just as much about the age-old tricks as it is about new technologies. It is certainly exciting that entire communication campaigns can be administered at little to no cost and yield tremendous results – and without the hiring of a big agency to craft the messages. In an increasingly accelerated environment, the challenge will be striking the balance between effectiveness and haste. And if you are strategic, neither should be compromised.
Effective communication is one of many topics that will be addressed at Net Change Week 2010. Come learn how to be strategic in the new communications paradigm June 7-11th at the MaRS Centre!
I would add that there is a big difference between the content of a message and the vehicle used to express it–and I think this is relevant to online communication.
Regarding the vehicles, different communication media offer a variety of artefacts that can give a message an edge, and online, we can combine them all artfully. For instance, video can be more engaging and emotion provoking. Basic text is great for conveying details. In some cases, a good picture/image is worth a thousand words. As well, there is a huge difference between the traditional one-way mass-media model and the web 2.0, two-way interactive model. People like to talk, and we’re not a modest species–we like to have our views heard and hear what others have to say which makes two-way communication that much more engaging.
Though for the content of the message, I don’t think much has changed in thousands of years. I was turned on to Cicero a few years back. He was ancient Rome’s most famous orator. I was dumbfounded to discover that over 2,000 years ago public speakers offered persuasive communication as witty, intelligent, and engaging as one would find by today’s professional communicators. Also, even older, Aristotle’s work on rhetoric outlined many of the same concepts used by modern commercial marketers: source, message, audience, and targeting a message to an audiences disposition. I also take your point on a good story. Today, we’re still repeating stories that are sometimes thousands of years old–so I guess the test of time is a good endorsement of the communicative power and stickiness of the story.
Apart from a number of recent communication theory concepts, to be a good 21st century communicator, I think we can borrow a lot of ancient wisdom, but just be mindful of the psychological artefacts of various online communication vehicles.