The Scorpion and the Frog

There is a very famous fable that tells the tale of a scorpion and a frog. Both are sitting on the edge of a large lake. The frog is about to swim to the other side when the scorpion asks if he could ride on his back because he needs to get to the other side, too. The frog says, "No because you'll sting me and I'll die."  The scorpion quickly responds by assuring the frog that won't happen. "If I sting you," he explains, "then I'll drown." That makes sense to the frog so he agrees to give the scorpion a ride. Halfway across the lake the scorpion stings the frog. As they both are about to die, the frog says, "Why did you do that. Now you are going to die, too?" The scorpion says, "It's just my nature."

This fable has been in my thoughts a lot lately as I have been contemplating the challenges of communication as they relate to the nature of people. We are often an unpredictable bunch. As emotional beings that process many different sets of information throughout our days, how we feel, express ourselves or choose to behave at any given time is not always easy to foresee. It also makes the prospect of connecting with us or us with each other much more of a challenge. Unfortunately, communication is more difficult when stability and consistency are not around. This is often how it is for those who try to communicate for a living.

In the face of such unrelenting inconsistency on the part of prospective customers or clients, it is no wonder why research and planning are such important elements for professional communicators. Public relations practitioners, for instance, whose actions are little more than spur-of-the-moment decisions court disaster. Reaction should not be a professional's normal pattern of behavior. Even if one is forced to react to the unexpected, as much as possible they need to have prepared themselves for such an occurrence. While we all act in ways that characterize our nature, for the professional, our nature needs to include being as prepared as possible.