Short Cuts

Recently, I was out running errands. Traffic, as usual, was slow and heavy. There were no real problems, but I was just not getting to my various destinations as quickly as I would have preferred. Then, I happened to think of a short cut I could take to one of the places I was headed. While sometimes so-called "short cuts" do not always work out, this one did and I managed to save myself a little time. It was a reminder of how sometimes it is the little things that can and do make life worth living. But it also got me to thinking about short cuts as they might apply to communication. Are there short cuts to effective communication?

I think not, particularly if one views the purpose of communication as being to build and maintain collaboration and partnerships that last. Ties that really bind are not built of straw or on half-promises; nor are they woven out of some kind of quick action. Rather, by their very nature, relationships are built over stretches of time that provide the participating parties with a chance to establish mutual trust, lasting respect, open lines of communication, and overall harmony. The passage of time allows parties in a relationship to develop a resilience so when things do go wrong or when disagreements occur, the connecting thread is strong enough to bend but not break.

I think of my own relationship with my daughter. Over the years we have had our share of ups and downs, but to this day are very close. Despite periodic misunderstandings or miscues, we are credible enough with each other to continue moving forward in a healthy and mutually-supportive way. Ideally, the same can and should hold true for various entities that seek to establish ties with different publics. Professional communicators are in the relationship business. Further, the public relations profession has evolved into a co-creational dynamic defined by bringing publics coming together to address matters of common interest. Unlike running errands on a Saturday afternoon, there are no short cuts to making connections last.