"The Real World"

It is rapidly approaching that time of year when high school and college seniors begin seriously looking at the next chapter of their lives. For those who are about to complete the 12th grade, the prospect of college weighs heavily. Where to go? What to major in? What career to pursue? These are all important and challenging questions, ones that often take years to answer. It is not too much different for men and women who are graduating from college. They, too, face challenging and provocative questions that do not always have easy answers. Where can I get a job? Should I continue with my education and begin working toward a graduate degree? Am I going to make enough money to live as independently as I want?

As they grapple with these and other similar questions, the high school and college seniors are practically beat over the head by the so-called wiser adults with advice that inevitably includes the phrase "real world." I admit that as the years have gone by I have to come to resent this phrase for several reasons. Firstly, it suggests the world these students have been in has not been real. Secondly, when used, "real world" is served up with some kind of false, puffed up and delusional sense of self-importance designed to deflate the significant achievement of the graduates. Nowadays, by the time they get to the point of receiving a diploma, the majority of the graduating seniors have been juggling classes and jobs for years. Sure, they are interested in going out and having a good time, but who can blame these young people, some of whom have families themselves, as they navigate their way through weeks that include any where between eight and thirty-six hours of classes and studying on top of part-time and, in some cases, full-time job? Not me.

This is not to belittle the parents of these young adults who attempt to share their perspectives with the young graduates. Good advice can and should always be welcomed. But times of triumph, which graduations represent, should not be compromised with thinly veiled criticisms designed to minimize a celebratory moment. The world of high school and college seniors is just as real as those in which their parents live. It is my hope that well-meaning parents will think twice before attempting to share their perspectives on the next chapter of the graduates' lives. Yes, the advice is important, but so, too, is how it is presented and its ultimate purpose. Collectively, these ingredients help make for effective communication.

False Idol

Communicators beware. There is a false idol in our midst. It is called control. Do not laugh. People in all walks of life throughout time have been taking this monster lightly and underestimating its power. Inevitably, some have paid a terrible price for it. Sometimes with their pocket. Sometimes in prestige. Sometimes in human blood. The examples - big and small - are as plentiful as the stars in the sky. A family plans for a fun picnic. Packs the blankets, cooks the food, loads up the car and heads off to their favorite park. Halfway there it rains. Bye bye picnic. A United States president and his administration decide to invade Iraq as they are certain it will lead to ticker tape parades and the rapid spread of democracy throughout the entire Middle East. What could go wrong? A public relations executive urges their famous client to issue a statement of apology for betraying his wife. Sponsors and the public, the client is assured, will stick with him. Or maybe not.

There are several key points here. No matter how well written, crafted, staged or even carried out a communique is, communicators should never ever guarantee it will work or be effective. Communicators are foolish to assume or claim their efforts will succeed and generate the results their clients wishes. Not only are unexpected twists and wrong turns a regular hazard in public relations, they are a constant presence in life itself. Do not guarantee success. Instead, promise a strong, professional and comprehensive effort. Anything beyond that is wishful thinking and hubris. Is there any one who does not know there are no guarantees in life? The same holds true for communication.

The life of a communicator is one of living on ever-shifting sand. That in itself immediately takes control on any one's part out of the mix. As a result, it is as real as Sasquatch and unicorns. Nevertheless, this reality does not seem to stop some from thinking they can control others or generate specific results. We can only make a good faith and honorable effort and remember that reality is found in the unexpected and the imperfect. Thinking we control anything may make us feel good or help others have faith is us, but at the end of the day those feelings are doomed to disappear unless we refuse to pay homage to the false idol called control.

Recognition and Responsibility

In the field of communication there are a lot more opportunities to receive recognition of some sort than perhaps one realizes. Oh, I am not talking about recognition in big ways such as receiving a trophy, a cash prize, or being given even a special dinner with co-workers and colleagues; but in more subtle ways such as having a press release you composed being picked up by a newspaper or talked about on a radio station, being acknowledged by another person, or having groups of people respond to one of your communiques. These all bring good feelings as they re-enforce the effectiveness of your outreach efforts.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be recognized by communication students in terms of what I call my so-called teaching abilities. The honor was a surprise and is very important to me. At the same time, it also drove home the realization that with the spotlight comes an expectation that one needs to strive to be worthy of that focus. People who work in communication flirt with the spotlight most every day because their efforts are outward-driven or extroverted. In some cases, there is even a "Hey everyone, look at me!" quality that is not nearly as prominent in other professions. What communicators do involves seeking to gain and hold the attention of others. Consequently, to the unsuspecting recipient of those efforts, often times separating the actual communication action from the person behind it becomes very difficult. The line, in a sense, is blurry.

This spotlight needs to be respected. Whether one is standing in front a room full of students, writing a blog, composing an email that will be given a wide distributed or giving a speech, the communication itself needs to be as honorable and respectful as possible. This does not mean everything one does has to be perfect or even successful, but it must be values-driven, ethical and in good-faith. Over the years, I have heard various communicators say they prefer standing behind a camera rather than in front of one as if doing so keeps them behind-the-scenes or out of the spotlight. The realty, however, is that any attempt to connect with another person or public puts you directly in the spotlight even though you may not be the one whose face or voice fills the air waves. Recognition comes with the profession. It also carries with it unwavering responsibility that cannot and should not be shirked or taken lightly.

Baseball and Communication

A new season of my favorite team sport recently got underway. I am talking about baseball. As baseball and I go back a long way, I always welcome the sight and sound of the teams as they take their freshly manicured fields as part of a tradition that actually goes back to the nineteenth century. This magical sport possesses a grace and purity all its own. And a language, too. "Texas leaguer;" "short hop;" round tripper;" triple play;" "double-steal;" and "no hitter" are just a few of the catch-phrases that have evolved out of baseball and are unique to the National Past time. These phrases represent a special way of communicating that connect the players and even fans like me in this world of the ball and the bat.

Baseball is not unlike any other unit. It consists of members with their own skills, responsibilities, and roles to play. At any given time an individual member can and is called upon to do their duty, not just for their own glory but rather for the advancement of the entire team. If, for example, a player literally drops the ball, then then entire team suffers. On the other hand, if that same player successfully does their job by catching a fly ball or stealing a base, then the team is moved along in a positive direction toward its ultimate goal of winning. In terms of communication, the players are in sync because they recognize the benefit of maintaining sustained harmony.

Good communication can and does result in members of any unit, organization or even family sharing mutual understanding and agreement of purpose. It is when communication breaks down that the team slides from cohesion to disarray. Many other team sports, of course, can be used to illustrate this point. For me, it is baseball that remains the best metaphor of the good that can and does come from successful communication. So, "batter up," everyone!

Green Communication

We are rapidly approaching this year's Earth Day celebration. In the twenty years since this event was created, there has been growing talk about and debate over the many environmental realignments that have been and are occurring to our planet as a result of climate change. I, for one, am one of many who believe climate change or global warming is real and is being exacerbated as a result of the actions of mankind. Thus, I also support innovations in such areas as green technology and green economics - to name a few - in that they represent policy changes and actions in important areas that are more friendly to the environment. I believe communication can and should be another area or field where efforts can be made to address pollution.

It is my proposal that as creatures that communicate every moment of every day, all people everywhere should make a pledge on Earth Day 2010 that they will help reduce the noise pollution in the world by talking more civilly with each other. Let us go one day without calling other people names, without shouting at others, without questioning another person's motivation, without question another person's character, without twisting the truth, and without talking over another person or not giving them the courtesy of listening. By being true to such a pledge, mutual respectability with rule the day and, as a possible result, we may actually witness a sharp drop in tensions that seem to be dividing those of opposing ideologies, persuasions, backgrounds, affiliations, and priorities. Even for just a day.

Such a pledge may seem silly and naive. After all, since childhood so many of us on a regular basis have been told by parents and teachers that we need to be "nice" to each other. Perhaps honoring such a pledge - even for one day - might give us adults a bit more credibility when the youngsters in our lives see that we are doing more than just talking the talk. It is one way of demonstrating that there are few more powerful combinations in the world than words matched by deeds. Go Earth Day! And go Green Communication!

Hail Caesar!

Over the past two decades or so strategic communication has emerged as a popular aspect of communication or public relations. Designed largely to persuade, such an effort represents a comprehensive attempt on the part of an organization or entity to influence various publics to generate support or patronage. It contains a range of specific strategies along with comprehensive elements of research and evaluation. Interestingly, the seeds of strategic communication can be traced to the military, particularly in efforts by governments and ambitious leaders to utilize armies to overwhelm or defeat enemies.

This brings me to Julius Caesar. As a man, Caesar was nothing if not ambitious. He very much coveted positions of power and influence. Unfortunately, he was not held in high esteem by the Roman Senate, which was the doorway to Caesar's ultimate goal. Even victories on the battlefield and a reputation as a successful general were not enough to sway the Senate to make them want to allow Caesar to become a member of this governmental body. To get the Senators to change their minds, it was Caesar's idea to enhance his popularity among Roman citizens in the hope they would take it upon themselves in what today we would label a grassroots effort to demand that he be elected to the Roman Senate.

To generate such public support and action, Caesar began creating regular communiques which emphasized his many military victories on behalf of Rome and his great skills as a leader. The communiques were distributed throughout the Roman populace as well as to members of the Senate themselves. Even though the Senators recognized what Caesar was doing, they were also very much aware that his efforts were working. Begrudgingly, they eventually voted him into the senate. From there, of course, he eventually went onto become Rome's most famous emperor. To complete this story, Caesar was eventually assassinated by a group of Senators who never stopped feeling jealous and resentful of his rise to power via an impressive public outreach effort.

Caesar's plan comprised many of the key elements that we associate with strategic communication today: targeted audiences, consistent messaging, research and evaluation. Except for the assassination part, it worked very well. So, at least in this one aspect of proactive communication, prospective and current communicators can all hail Caesar.

Serious Communication Breakdowns

None of us can predict the future but one thing I believe we can all count on is that so long as people walk the planet, there will continue to be serious breakdowns in communication. Here are a couple of examples that just popped up in the news over the past few days:

The other day a news story came out of Ohio in which one woman shot and killed another after the two argued over an appropriate outfit to wear on Easter Day. Apparently the victim was not dressed well enough to please the other. After what must have been a doozy of an argument between the two, I am guessing the shooter felt she had no other recourse than to get a gun and blast away at the other person. Talk about communication breakdowns! While I do not mean to make light of this tragic incident, it serves as a vivid and extreme example of what can and does happen when emotions completely take over the frustration people feel when they feel they are not being heard or listened to.

Virginia's still new governor Robert McDonnell declared April to be Confederate History Month as a way of promoting tourism in the state and recognizing "the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War." In his declaration, McDonnell made no mention of slavery or the fact Virginia succeeded from the union in order to protect a white person's ability to literally own other human beings. Not surprisingly, this triggered an out cry of criticism that pounded the governor for purposely omitting all references to slavery or Virginia's struggle with civil rights. Since his initial declaration, McDonnell has since apologized for his omission saying it was his initial intent to focus on issues that "were most significant for Virginia." Obviously, such a blatant attempt to mis-represent history did not benefit any one, least of all a governor whose job it is to represent everyone, not just a small base of supporters who may view Virginia's actions during that period in American history as commendable.

Communication works best when people are able to take a step beyond their own perspectives and take into account the views and information that others bring to the table. Neither the lady in Ohio or Governor McDonnell did that.

J. F. terHorst

I recognize these days not all that many people may have ever heard of J. F. terHorst, who passed away at the age of 89 a few days ago. I also recognize that even if someone had noticed the stories of his passing that appeared in numerous media outlets, the chances are great they may simply have shrugged and moved onto something else. To those realities I express a bit of sadness because in the world of communication and public relations he was a significant figure on the basis of one singular act of integrity. It happened almost exactly thirty-six years ago at a key time in our nation's history. It began with Richard Nixon's resignation.

When Nixon stepped down in August, 1974, his appointed vice president, Gerald Ford, assumed the presidency. One of Ford's first decisions was to name a press secretary. That person was terHorst, a newspaper man who had worked in the Washington, D.C. bureau of the Detroit Free Press. As Ford had served for many years as a United States Ccongressman from Michigan, he and terHorst had known each other for a good while. The appointment was seen as a good one as terHorst was highly regarded by his peers and, as a result, was viewed as a most welcomed replacement for Rod Ziegler, Nixon's highly-panned press secretary. By the time Ziegler stepped down, to say he had absolutely zero credibility as a spokesperson would have been a great understatement.

One month into his tenure as president, Ford made his decision to pardon Nixon. He consulted only a few people before making this decision. terHorst was not one of them. When told of the decision terHorst was livid. As press secretary, it was his job to explain the decision to the national press, defend it, and help take heat for his boss for the inevitable criticism and outrage that was anticipated. terHorst looked in the mirror and made his own decision - one month after his appointment - that he could not in all good conscious do this. He could not defend something with which he greatly disagreed. His boss, a person who he liked and admired, had asked him to do something in violation of his own core principles and values. He said no and then resigned. terHorst's act, of course, added fuel to the fire of criticism against Ford. terHorst knew that would happen. But at the same time he could not compromise his own sense of right and wrong. How many times since then has that happened? None. How many times have we had press secretaries twist the truth and defend acts of questionable truth. Too many. Yet it was this newspaper man who was the one who drew a line in the sand and refused to step over it. I salute his act of integrity and honor his memory.