Rethink the way you communicate. Become a Smart Communicator!

Prolog: manifesto

After many years of investigation plus thinking it becomes more and more clear that we have to bust the silos. The Googlization of our lifestyle and the way we do business never leads to digitize everything. At least we are human beings — organic, natural, and alive! Nevertheless, we live in a digital world. Social Media and all our Social Activities will never be able to create relatedness. It enables connections. That’s it!

My nightmare:
When Entrepreneurs, Managers, Politicians, Consultants, and so-called Gurus talk about the digitization of everything. This is annoying and stupid.

My provocative POV:
Kill stupidity in business driven by executives who still use their analog thinking in a digital world. Who doesn’t accept that needs (of others) are the measure of all things! Who are not able to reduce complexity. Who are not able to fight honestly for a better world!

My message according to all activities based on my disruptive Value Task:
Just do it the smart way. Unify Social & Human-to-Human. Convert the virtual into reality. Never digitize anything which provides much more effective through its analog existence! And at least: rethink the way you communicate. Become a Smart Communicator!

In media res — secret of ”Smart”+”Communication”

From time to time I re-check my analyst work. More than 12 years ago I started to think and write about „Smart Communication“. Driven by the idea to evaluate how marketing and (digital) technologies could benefit from each other to create a best-in-class relatedness with the stakeholders (customers, business partners, mediators, and even investors/shareholders).

It was exactly around the time when Silicon Valley pioneers started to create social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Honestly, I had no clue about those inventions at that time. So interesting enough that my analysis was leading exactly to the point those guys in Silicon Valley were touching as well.

My observation (from 2006, but still valid…)

Because there is no way that uncontrolled and not very thought-through ’multichannel’ and ’multidimensional communication’ leads to an increase of the quality and attractiveness of the content, but rather to flattening and confusion. In the end, the consequence is growing dissatisfaction of the purchaser/consumers that miss lacking originality or creativity, do not feel taken seriously anymore, and even hunted or at least pursued. Further consequences are:

1. The rejection towards the traditional push-advertisement and media work is growing, because one feels increasingly harassed.

2. The public résumé of the advertising businesses and the journalists lose greatly.

3. The “victims” — we as purchasers, consumers, readers, users, etc. — keep our eyes open for new things respectively for alternatives to be able to become independent. Among other things, this explains the rapid success of social media projects.

I created a very special YouTube presentation that is still fascinating (and almost timeless): „ValueCheck: How Smart Communication should be…“ 

Smart Communication is all about ’Reaching Engaging Communication Beyond Ourselves’. — The ”Smart Communication“ white paper was written as a thought-provoking guideline.

Key points

A clear understanding of communication becomes an important step towards self-analysis, priorities, character, and values of life…

5 question checklist:

Putting the principles of spoken communication to work — Please answer yes or no

1. Is this quote still valid today?: „What do you speak so loud that I cannot hear what you say.“ — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 — 1882)
2. Do you plan what you are going to say before and during meetings, interviews, phone calls, and chats?
3. Has anyone found anything you have said or written in the last week to be lacking in clarity?
4. Have you taken steps to become a clear thinker?
5. Which of these statements better describe you:
   1. 1. ”He/she has a gift for making the complicated sound simple.“
      2. ”He/she tends to turn even the simplest matter into something difficult and complicated.“

Suggestion: Improve on any no-responses and incorporate your effective communication into everything you do.

The communicative components are

(Gudykunst, 1991; Adler and Towne, 1996):

• communicators (senders and receiver of messages)
• message (The message is the content.)
• medium (The medium is the particular means of conveying the message). — Donald W. Fiske (1990) described three types of media: 1. Presentational-e. g. the voice, face, body. 2. Representational–e. g. books, paintings, architecture, photographs. 3. Technological/mechanical–e. g. television, radio, CD, telephone (nowadays apps, online platforms a.s.o.)
• channel (A channel ’connects’ communicators and accommodates the medium.)
• code (A code is a system of meaning shared by a group)
• noise (Noise is any interference distorting or degrading the meaning of a message.)
• feedback (Feedback is the receiver’s response to a sender’s communication.)
• and context (All communication takes place within a context and is crucially influenced by it.)

Epilog

„All communication reduces uncertainty.“ (Berger and Calabrese, 1975)

Communication requires at least two parties to inform each other…

… And maybe why examples of Customized Direct Marketing have been successful.

”Consumers appear overwhelmed with content and are interested in personalization to cut clutter in their lives.“ — 2006 ChoiceStream Personalization Survey

Call for action

Please think about my understanding of Smart Communication and share your thoughts. ”Smart” is defined as clean & neat, intelligent, fashionable & stylish, computer-controlled to appear intelligent. — ”Smart” communication applications should be completely seamless and integrated.

”Smart” + ”Communication” reveals the challenges in reaching optimal communication.

Andreas Weber

Andreas Weber begleitet als Wissensarbeiter/Advisor die Kommunikation mit Medien. Bis dato hat er über 500 Innovations-/Transformations-Projekten realisiert, diverse Lehraufträge wahrgenommen (u.a an der School of Visual Arts/NYC, Hochschule Liechtenstein) und Vorträge in über 30 Ländern gehalten. Sein Blog valuetrendradar.com (ISSN-zertifiziert) inspiriert Entscheider aus mehr als 150 Ländern.