It's Not Wine

Perhaps like many, I occasionally enjoy a nice glass of wine. I say that knowing my level of expertise when it comes to wine is almost non-existent. In fact, that reminds me of the old joke where one person says their two favorite kinds of wine are red and white. That's me. One thing I do know is that many people place a great deal of value on wine that is aged. In wine cellars people store wine that  is many years old. While the difference in taste between old and new wine may be lost to me, I do appreciate how some folks view this kind of vintage wine as being the best there is. To those experts, old equals best.

Communication is not like wine. At it most effective it is current and fresh. Why is this? Why can't previous ways we have communicated, particularly that which has generated successful or positive results, be viewed as being tried and true? Why isn't it best for all of us, including professional communicators, to simply repeat those previously successful strategies? The answer to these questions can be captured in one word: audience. Those on the receiving end of our communication efforts are constantly changing. This includes their interests, needs, moods, challenges, and hopes. This applies to individuals as well as various publics.

The American public represents as example of this. Immigration and gun violence are among its top areas of interest these days. Previously it was jobs and the nation's infrastructure. Consequently, public officials and those running for elected office are faced with the challenge of devising different ways to speak to those new "top" concerns. On a more individual level, a friend I saw yesterday may have been in a good mood and, as a result, been open to a certain level of irreverence. Today his mood may be sour and not much open to easy banter. We change all the time. Thus, ways to ensure solid connections need to change as well.