It Takes Two

Communication is too big of a job for any one person. On the face of it, that may seem blatantly false. After all, any one can stand up and speak, sit down and write a blog or scratch out a note on the side of a cave wall. Can't they? Of course the answer is "yes." But does doing all those things constitute communication? My response is "no." It only becomes communication when someone hears those spoken words, reads that blog or sees those cave scratchings. In other words, just as it takes two to tango, it takes two to communicate. An obvious example is a simple telephone call. Calling up a friend and leaving a message does not constitute talking with that friend. It is only when the message is heard or they pick up the phone and begin talking with the caller that communication occurs.

Words, non-verbal communiques or signals are, at best, only one part of the communication equation. The response - any response - from another is necessary in order to complete the act of communication. Without the person or persons on the receiving end, then any thing one of us says without an audience is nothing more than noise. Noise, by itself, does not constitute communication. Thus, no matter how articulate one might be or how glib of a wordsmith they are, without another person to respond, provide feedback or add onto the initial message, the communication act is and remains incomplete. A purist might argue: can't we communicate with ourselves? Of course. I know over the years I have been known to carry on a conversation or two with myself. But I would suggest such an act is more an act of thinking or formulating thoughts rather than actual communication.

I view this truism as being important for public relations practitioners and others in the communication industry to remember because it emphasizes how important it is to devise strategies that connect with audiences and encourage feedback. Acts of communication need a response - positive or negative. Picture a classroom teacher without a raised hand from a student or an entertainer without applause or boos or anyone of us without acknowledgment from others. Communication exists on the basis of response or reaction. Without it, no communication occurs or even exists. Instead, writers and speakers, for instance, are reduced to being little more than noise makers.