Communication, like water, is an essential element. It’s fundamental to human interaction like water is fundamental to life. Both communication and water have the power to connect and nourish but can also create barriers, cause damage, even destroy.
Setting the stage: The primary focus of Communication… keep it flowing is employee and business or corporate communications. However, you’ll read some references in this post and think “hey, that relates to interpersonal communications as well,” and you’d be right.
The Parallels are Striking
Like water, communication seeks its own level and can flow and reach great distances. It has the power to connect people and cultures, allowing for the exchange of information, ideas emotions. Communication based on empathy and understanding can break down barriers and bring people together, just as water can bring life to dry lands and connect different bodies of water.
Water’s power can also be incredibly destructive when it overflows or floods. Communication can also have negative consequences when it’s misused, misunderstood or its motivations are designed to manipulate or aren’t based in truth.
Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues.
– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, broken relationships… even war. Like polluted water, toxic communication can be harmful to individuals, businesses and society, spreading negativity and causing harm.
Quick Tip: Keep it Flowing
When in doubt, it’s generally better to over-communicate. If you wait to reply because you don’t have an answer (or because you don’t want to share bad news), the other party often ends up making assumptions about what the delayed reply might mean.
Spoiler alert: The assumptions they make are usually negative. Silence frustrates, confuses and sometimes angers people. Better to communicate early and often.
Let’s take Disney as an example. People, young and old, are willing to stand in long lines without complaining. Why? I believe it’s because that at different locations along the line, there are signs that provide information letting guests know they’re progressing. Guests don’t have to guess. Disney manages expectations by relaying quality information at strategic points along the path. Simple stuff really.
Communication is a Process, not a Task
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
– George Bernard Shaw
Those who see communication as a task or tactic are naïve and shortsighted. Communicating to large audiences is a never-ending, continuously-evolving, dynamic – an incredibly simple and simultaneously complex – process. Often when you think you’re finished, you’ve likely just reached a milestone.
I plan to share more-detailed insights about the communication planning process in a future post. In the meantime, the process in simple terms is:
READY
- Determine the desired outcome(s) that ideally can be measured (e.g., create awareness, influence opinion or behavior, drive action, etc.)
- Identify your audience(s)
- Determine the key messages for each audience, keeping the desired outcomes in mind
AIM
- Develop a communication strategy (i.e., how you’ll achieve your desired outcomes)
- Build a communication plan that articulates your strategy and contains tactics that will lead to your desired results (i.e., it’s your plan of action; what you’ll do and when)
- Set a milestone or two to pause and check your progress
FIRE
- Execute your plan but remain flexible.
- Know in advance that things will change and when they do, inform all your stakeholders
- Check progress at each milestone
- Refine your plan as you learn things
ADJUST
- At the end of your plan, pause and reflect to assess how things went
- Review the results and outcomes and adjust based on what you’ve learned
- Rinse and repeat… Ready?
Effective Communication is like Raindrops on a Lake
Moreover, just as water can take on different forms – solid, liquid or gas – communication can take on different forms such as verbal, written or nonverbal. Communication can also vary in tone, style and language, just as water can vary in taste, color and texture.
I’ve been called a Comms Jedi, and while I know that words are an incredibly powerful force, other elements are equally important. Studies vary. One states communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only. Another indicates experts agree that 70 to 93% of all communication is nonverbal. Whatever study you believe, the reality is that effective communication requires care and attention in all its forms. You can’t be a one-trick pony, focusing all your attention on any single element or channel, and be an effective communicator.
When performed well, communication is a dance, like raindrops on a lake. It often clears the air and has a calming effect. And when done effectively, it’s refreshing and people feel a sense of optimism and renewal.
How to Communicate without Getting All Wet
- Understand your audience: Contrary to popular culture, communication isn’t all about you. It’s all about your audience – big or small. Take a page out of Stephen Covey’s playbook and “seek first to understand, then be understood.”
- Keep it short and sweet. If you stay in water too long, you’ll turn into a prune. Don’t be a prune. Communicate with enough information to refresh, not so much as to overwhelm or drown.
A 2015 study indicated that goldfish have longer attention spans than we do. More recent studies debunk that, indicating that storytelling is the key to maintaining attention. The reality is that there’s nothing inherently wrong with long-form communication. Just don’t write a book or schedule a meeting when an email will do. Avoid using two words when one will do. I’ve found the Plain English Campaign’s The A-Z of alternative words extremely helpful. - Your audience is busy; respect their time: Lay out information so it’s easy to consume and understand. Use headlines, section headers, bullet points, tables and other Smart Brevity techniques to make your writing scannable and easy to digest. To satisfy folks who love to dig into the detail, provide a link to it like I’ve done in this post.
- Before diving in, learn the basics, check the depth and gauge the temperature. When people first learn to swim, they learn the basic mechanics before jumping “in the deep end.” Avoid hitting your head on the bottom of the pool or being shocked by how cold or warm the environment might be by making time to assess and understand the situation. The wise-old adage think before you speak applies here. Also, you may not be taken seriously if you jump in without confirming your facts and checking your spelling and grammar.
- Plan your work and work your plan: If you missed it, read or re-read Communication is a Process… not a Task above.
- Lean on those who are knowledgeable: At the beach and many pools, lifeguards ensure people follow the rules and help those who need it. In business, we place knowledgeable people in corporate communications and public affairs who become trusted advisors and business partners that have your best interests in mind and will guide you. Seek them out and trust their counsel.
Communication… Always Evolving
Another similarity between communication and water is that both require maintenance and attention. Water needs to be purified, conserved and managed. Communication requires active listening, feedback and clarification to ensure that messages are accurately transmitted and received.
Life is dynamic; it’s forever changing and evolving. Communication mirrors life. Neglect your communication, and it will quickly become dated and less relevant. When that happens, credibility suffers, and you’ll likely lose your audience.
The Bottom Line
Communication is like water in many ways, both have the power to connect and nourish. However, it also has a darker side. Avoid getting caught in the swirl by contributing to misinformation or gossip. Stagnant pools of deceptive information and outdated content smell bad and promote “dis-ease.” See what I did there? Keep your messages clean and clear, straightforward and honest. Design your content to create awareness, spark action or inspire others.
It’s important to recognize the power of communication in our lives and to strive for effective and positive communication in all our interactions. Just as we care for our water resources, we must also be mindful about how we communicate to ensure a healthy and harmonious society.
Communication is like water. Keep it clean. Keep it flowing.