Contending With Choices

The one topic more than any other that has been touched on - directly and indirectly - by writers of non-fiction and fiction since that first moment when some creative soul first carved an image into the side of a cave is the complexity of human beings. Let's face it: we have been trying to figure ourselves out since our beginning days. One fundamental characteristic about us as living beings that has come to fascinate me is the fact we come equipped with so many opposites. We have the ability to destroy as well as the power to build. We have the power to lie as well as the power to tell the truth. We have the power to include as well as the power to exclude. We have the power to be silly as well as the power to be serious. We have the power to live lives of solitude as well as the power to be active members of groups and communities.

The result of these and so many other built-in opposites is that we are constantly faced with the challenge or dilemma of having to make choices. Should we be polite or rude? Should I send an email or make a phone call? Should I twitter or blog? And, if that was not enough, often times the choices themselves come with their own set of choices. For instance, if we make a decision to tell the truth about something, then we must decide how best to do that. If I am the owner of a small business and I need to lay off some of my employees, what is the best way to tell them? Should I do it in the form of a memo? A staff meeting? Individually? These choices, particularly depending upon the specific circumstances, can be difficult.

Following the key ingredients of effective and ethical communication can help ease the challenge of deciding which choice or choices to make. One of the key points in the Public Relations Society of America's code of ethics serves as an excellent guide: do not participate in any communication effort designed to mislead or deceive. That, coupled with such fundamental elements of research as identifying your audience, gaining a sense of how they prefer to communicate and the forms of communication to which they are most receptive, and the issues with which they are most concerned or interested, then those seemingly insurmountable choices tend to lose their sting. Granted, practicing good communication techniques will not necessarily make dealing with choices any easier or even decrease the number you face in your life, but it does provide you with a reliable set of tools from which to draw.