A Messy Business

All of us at one time or another have found ourselves in a messy office, room or house: papers strewn about, clothes tossed every which way, dirty dishes left sitting out, etc. Even if we ourselves are not always neat or as tidy as we would like to be, my guess is after one look at these surroundings our inner voice speaks out with, "what a mess!" I will even go further to say after passing that judgement, we also picture what the room or house would look like if it were much more neat. But with this scenario is the reality that someone lives in this particular place and does so with perhaps greater ease than us.

Communication is often like that messy office, room or house. But instead of assorted items that are not neatly stacked or put away, there are strategies that are half completed or half successful, plans that are not following the timeline originally set for them, or new tasks being formulated in-place of ones that are not working as well as was originally thought. It is messy. The primary purpose of a simple press release is a good example. This form of communication is written and sent out to local newspapers with the hope it will be picked up and ultimately read by readers of those publications. Much more often than not, this does not happen and the communicator is faced with the challenge of making adjustments in what was a neat and straightforward strategy.

Most communication plans, of course, are more complex than simply sending out a singular press release. They involve multiple tasks requiring an array of production schedules and costs and are designed to be carried out in varying time frames, reach numerous audiences and generate different results. Not only is this reality one of complexity, it also carries with it the potential for a great deal of messiness. Professional communicators live and, yes, even function in such an environment. Good ones even do well in it. Still, it does not mean it is not frustrating at times and even makes one long for simple neatness.