Communication Baggage

There are a number of kinds or categories of communication. They range from risk and crisis communication, internal communication and inter-cultural communication to interpersonal communication, web communication, and strategic communication. There are others, of course, but these particular ones are among the more popular categories discussed, researched and analyzed. While they all have their own distinct pieces of the total communication pie, they also have plenty of fundamental truths in common. One of these common denominators is credibility. For any kind of communication effort to be of value, then the communicator must have credibility. There is no substitute for that. Oh, people will hear you and they may even read what you write, but if they do not perceive you to be a teller of truth, then you are wasting everyone's time.

Credibility does not always come easily. Sometimes it takes time to establish, particularly if you are representing something or someone who did not have a good reputation for honesty before you came on the scene. Is this fair? No. But it is certainly understandable. It is not unusual for people to lump all representatives together, at least initially. For instance, if an elected official is perceived to be dishonest and this person had a a spokesperson who told half-truths on his or her behalf, then the spokespeople that follow are often viewed as being guilty until proved innocent by the public. This is the baggage that communicators are forced to carry from time to time.

Communicators represent the present and the past. How they deal with this often separates the credible ones from the others. If mistakes have been made, misdeeds occurred, or lies told, then they should not be glossed over or ignored by those who speak in the present. Sure, negative moments from the past can get in the way of what is happening now. And no question it can be irritating when people keep bringing up misdeeds from times past. But if that happens, then a good communicator can use those wrong turns as a way of better highlighting that that sort of thing is no longer happening. Baggage is a reality for all of us. It never helps when it is covered or treated as if it does not exist.