The Communicator As Hunter

Since our beginning days, mankind has been a hunter. This, of course, was born out of necessity. For if the human race were to survive, then this being had to go and find, track down and hunt what it needed to sustain itself. Food, shelter, and clothing topped the grocery list. As one generation has followed the next, these fundamentals have remained the same. And so, too, has mankind. The human being remains a hunter in search of those necessities identified as what makes their life more comfortable, safe and durable. Further, even though we as a species have gotten much more proficient and even creative at hunting, we will never stop hunting for as long as we exist.

This brings me to a specialized kind of hunter called the communicator. In many ways, that which communicators seek contributes as much to the survival of mankind as do those that search for the original basics of food, shelter and clothing. Those elements, of course, speak to our physical needs. But communicators, by seeking out effective ways to be heard, to connect with others and gain a sense of belonging, contribute to the psychological well being of our species. Each day represents a new challenge to the communicator as hunter. As people change, as new information emerges, and as new circumstances pop up, the formidable task of identifying ways to help people of different backgrounds and perspective maintain some type of connection remains the foremost challenge of the communicator as hunter.

Let's take someone who is scheduled to give a speech to a local community organization. As a communicator for the duration of their talk, this person must hunt down information and thoughts to help them give a coherent and, they hope, well received speech. The information they seek may range from background details about their host group to current issues affecting the group to biographical tidbits that may be of interest to the group. Finding this data may not be easy but instead takes patience, good planning, a familiarity with the terrain in which they are working, and insight into recognizing what data is worth keeping and what should be discarded. These are exactly the same challenges facing other hunters that use rifles, bows and arrows, and fishing poles as their primary tools. Solid experience makes any hunter - even the communicators - effective or successful on a regular basis.