I was wrapping up when the most important question of the session was asked. “So, in your professional opinion, what is the best strategy for getting your message across in today’s divided landscape?” The question came after I shared with the class that the last five years have been the most difficult in my career as a professional communicator. I’ve never experienced such division. This question, really, is the question we should all consider.
I’d spent the previous hour with Dr. Patty Limerick’s Applied History class at CU. I’ve worked with Patty before, and it’s always a special and enlightening experience. Previously I led workshops consisting of several hours of discussion and exercises. The goal was to discuss the topic of “engagement” in terms of making history relevant to outside audiences. We immersed ourselves in marketing, public relations, messaging, outreach platforms, presentation styles and more.
This time was a much shorter session. Therefore, I focused on the topic of identifying and developing strategies to reach specific target audience(s). Why is this essential to any communication plan? What are different ways to think about who the audience(s) may be? How can you find out more about them? Why is it so important it is to establish a connection with those you want to engage with? And, most importantly, what will success look like if you create engagement?
Many members of the class were military veterans. Why does this matter? During the open and frank discussion, I began to notice that many of the questions were about, “How can I connect and engage my community to help other veterans?”, “How can I better communicate my perspectives based on my experience?” followed by, “A lot of people don’t like the military. How can I engage with people so that they will understand that the ‘military’ is people?”
Suddenly we were talking about the difference, if there is one, between being in the military and being patriotic. For wanting to defend your country but not always being proud of what you’ve seen. For being proud of your service, but finding it difficult to fit in.
We spent time talking about false assumptions when defining target audiences. We reviewed ways to form profiles for messaging purposes, but we all agreed that one can never forget the individual. The students felt that communication is too difficult now. Too divided. They noted that they often don’t communicate with others about how they really feel about the world. The chances of being cancelled are too great.
This animated discussion was both wonderful and heartbreaking. It was wonderful to see young people expressing their ideas, without fear, with passion and their entire lives before them. It was heartbreaking to witness how constrained they feel. How constrained we all feel.
“So, in your professional opinion, what is the best strategy for getting your message across in today’s divided landscape?” Everyone was expecting a profound answer, I’m sure. We’d been through a lot in less than an hour.
I believe that the most effective strategy is to simply remember that communication, relationship-building, connection and engagement are all human endeavors. Success in these areas cannot be about “winning”. Success is engagement. Success is understanding. Success is connection.
“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.”
– Tony Robbins, author, speaker, coach
And the class I visited? Don’t they deserve better role models? What about the military vets? They have their own experiences that most of us will never understand. Maybe we should make more of an effort? I plan to.
Stacy Cornay is the owner of Communication Concepts Public Relations & Advertising.
She may be reached at 303-638-7127; scornay@comm-concepts.com; www.comm-concepts.com; Facebook.com/Communication Concepts; X @CommConceptsPR; or Linked In.