Communication Should Always Be Treated As A Negotiation.
By Thomas J. Roach
Words we choose and ideas we express are unavoidably subjective. We are mistaken if we think others receive our messages and understand exactly what we say and why we say it. Furthermore, if it were possible to utter a perfectly objective message, everyone who receives it would still interpret it subjectively.
Speakers have an arsenal of rhetorical strategies to shape their messages, but they have no control over the subjective thought process of their listeners. Even the most artfully expressed and meaningful message can be misinterpreted or ignored. Consequently, the effectiveness of a message is more dependent on the attitude and prejudices of the hearer than on the quality of the arguments of the speaker.
The challenge for effective communication then is first to compose a message that anticipates the mindset of the audience, and, second, to listen for a response and adjust the next message accordingly.
In conversation we anticipate the perspectives of our listeners and compose our thoughts, listen for responses that tell us how we were interpreted and adjust what we say next. We do this intuitively in private, but it becomes problematic when speaking to more than one person, and highly problematic when speaking to large public groups.
Public communication is further complicated because different groups not only have different vocabularies and opinions, but they also use different media. One message sent through one medium to the general public is almost never effective.
- Employees are concerned with job security and require reward and recognition. They are reached through meetings or email.
- Customers want quality products at a fair price. They are accessed through billboards, newspapers, radio and television, social media, focus groups and surveys.
- The community wants safety, stability and participation in civic events and projects. Meaningful communication with the community comes through advisory boards, participation in civic organizations and projects and sometimes through the news media.
- Everyone understands the investor public; investors want profits, which means they want communication between the other three public groups to be competent and impactful.
Interactive Communication
Interactive communication is a corporate-wide leadership responsibility. Senior leadership monitor their organizations and ensure that communication at all levels is thoughtful and responsive.
Public relations practitioners craft messages, conduct opinion research and manage processes to support the broad give-and-take of corporate communication and advise senior leadership. Advertising, marketing and sales personnel focus on customers. Managers are responsible for communication to employees.
In the ideal business environment, all corporate communication is part of a conversation. Audience response is weighed before the message is sent, audience reaction is noted, and further message exchanges continue the discussion. The desired result is a consensus on key issues like who are we, what do we do, how do we do it and what are our goals.
Often the leaders who get the most attention in the news are not good examples of corporate leadership. They brashly send out orders, make arbitrary decisions and alienate employees. While this behavior attracts attention, it does not contribute to the success of their companies.
What Not to Do
Despite his net worth, Elon Musk is an example of what not to do, when it comes to communications. His communication is non-negotiable. He makes statements and uses his wealth and influence to force others to comply. He can get away with this because he is a smart investor. He didn’t create X, and he didn’t found Tesla; he bought them.
Tesla and X make impulsive and insensitive communication possible because at the moment they both lack significant competition. Most companies operate in a competitive environment and need to work with their employees, their customers and their communities.
They negotiate common ground and achieve goals that require teamwork and cooperation because, in the long run, making sense is a lot more productive than making headlines.
Thomas J. Roach Ph.D., has 30 years experience in communication as a journalist, media coordinator, communication director and consultant. He has taught at Purdue University Northwest since 1987, and is the author of “An Interviewing Rhetoric.” He can be reached at [email protected].