Preparation

Speaking publicly is never easy. No matter the circumstances. Giving prepared remarks or speaking off-the-cuff, speaking before others is not unlike swimming in unknown waters. The unexpected can make a surprise visit at any time. Even if someone makes it look easy, usually that is the result of their working hard to make it look so. Few, however, are that good. Most folks, myself included, lack the ability to get up in front of others and speak in a manner that comes even close to being considered relaxed or comfortable. Most of us who speak before others do so with various levels of dread nipping at our heels.

All this, then, speaks to the importance being well prepared. Public speaking is not to be taken lightly. Professional communicators know this. This is why, when working with clients, they devote as much time to helping prepare the client's actual remarks as they do to coaching how best to deliver them. Practice is the key. Anticipation is another. Will people such as the press in the audience be asking questions? Even if there is not supposed to be, one should assume some will be asked. The best way to handle expected or unexpected inquiries is to be prepared.

The public relations professional can arrange practice sessions for the client in which the client is asked a range of questions - the more difficult the better - as a way of formulating effective and understandable responses. If done well, not only are solid answers created, the client is trained to deliver them in an easy-going way as if they are making them up on the spot. Solid preparation helps make this happen. One should not apologize for this. What they should feel bad about is when they do speak before others with little or no pre-thought. That is a roll of the dice that has much chance of turning out badly as not. Proper preparation improves the odds in one's favor greatly.

Pride and Humility

There is a great quote from author C.S. Lewis that captures what I believe to be a problem with today's press or media representatives. Lewis said this: "Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right." Listening to the many press surrogates on television these days as they speak out on behalf of their candidates, there is no doubt they are being driven by pride. In fact, I doubt seriously that humility factors into any of their thinking as they frame answers and drive home talking points. The result is people who speak to "win" versus ones who communicate to achieve consensus and inclusion.

Another result, this one that cuts much deeper, is further division among a society that is on the  receiving end of their words and, dare I use the word, "performances." We see and hear spokespersons so intent on making sure their candidate one-ups their opponent that they talk over those on the other side, name call, lie and strive to make sure no other perspectives on an issue are heard other than their own. Thanks to the way they approach their job, our country has become more the home of the divided and less the land of the free. These communicators, often smooth and articulate, are not doing any of us any favors.

Our country could use a great deal more humility than it is begging given. It is possible to put forth arguments without attempting to degrade those who disagree. It is possible to speak out with openness rather than shutting the door on those who see matters differently. Being successful at that represents true winning. Sadly, "winning" these days seems to be defined by how well squashes opposing views and opponents. Those on the receiving end of their efforts, more and more, seem to be operating under the same small-minded definition of winning. Give me communication that revolves around humility - focusing on what is right - any day.

Honoring the Past

In South Korea there is a tradition where families gather for the express purpose of honoring those who have come before them. Parents and their children, regardless of their age or even if they, too, are parents take time to pay tribute to grandparents, aunts and uncles who were once vibrant beings but have since died. Those who gather call by name those they knew in earlier times and briefly talk about them. They review what the persons were like. Tell stories about them. And even share those meant to them. This I is an honorable tradition and one that says much those dedicated to keeping it alive.

Understanding and remembering the past is vital to developing a better understanding of what is present. It helps place the challenges of the day in a better perspective thereby giving one insight into how best to deal or cope with them. This, then, helps transitioning into the future go more smoothly. As has been said many times before, so many current challenges revolve around many elements of communication. How well are people listening? How effective are various messages being put forward? Is there respect and openness in the way in which folks interact? These and other fundamental questions are as timely in the present as they were in the past.

For communicators to be successful, it helps tremendously if they have answers to those questions as they apply to past challenges that are similar to ones being faced today. Thus, honoring the past in the world of communication does not just mean remembering specific individuals. It also refers to appreciating strategies and actions once taken along with the justification or logic behind them. All of us are creatures of the past. Communication, as a unique act, also belongs to the past just as much as it does to the present. All of us would do well to take time to reflect on how and why people those before us connected the way they did. It might help us do a better job of it today.

Almost There

Is there anyone who does not know we are living in a time of heated, sometimes over-the-top debate and disagreement? On far too regular a basis, it is commonplace to turn on the news and see reports of people screaming at each at various events and rallies, name calling, and even punches being thrown. Seeing and reading of this behavior as often as we do these days, what often gets lost is the fact that our society has come as far as it has in terms of getting along and being tolerant. Generally, we the people are "cool" with persons of different religious beliefs, different sexual persuasions, from different backgrounds, etc.

Granted, there are those who continue having trouble with such diversity, but they represent a small segment of the total population. Though they are loud in expressing their views, the good news is their numbers are gradually getting smaller. With each new generation, the level of tolerance in our nations grows. This, of course, is a good thing and a reality we should all celebrate and keep doing our best to perpetuate. At this point, there remains one level of intolerance that the majority continues to struggle with. It is one we have yet to conquer or cast aside. I am talking about getting along with folks with whom you disagree.

According to the Pew Research Foundation, people do not like being with others who do not see life as they do. People simply want to be with others of like-mind. I see such a wall as being the final one for us to tear down. Also, I recognize it may be the most difficult. Finding common ground with those who see life through a different lens is not easy. There is a tendency people have to mentally and emotionally draw lines in the sand when facing such differences. This is where effective communication plays a major role. It involves mutual respect and openness and, if practiced, can help our society knock down this one remaining wall. We are almost there, but this final hurdle is a big one.

Lone Wolf

The idea of being a lone wolf certainly has a certain appeal that being one who runs with the pack does not. Being a person who lives by their own code, answers to no one and marches to the beat of their own drummer carries with a unique romantic appeal that is hard to match. Given that, I do not doubt that there is a person among us who has not dreamt of being such a person and living such a life. For me, fantasizing about being a lone wolf ranks up there with wanting to be a cowboy in the old west or traveling the universe in my own space ship. It is fun to think about but has little to do with reality.

People need people and that is all there is to it. While many of us may like having our own agenda on any given day, the fact is if we are to fulfill that agenda, then we are going to need others to do it. In our minds we may see ourselves as lone wolves, but the truth is we all run with some sort of pack, possibly even more that one. Those who communicate professionally work to ensure we remain connected with various packs. In other words, if one really does have their sights set on being a lone wolf, then they should not utilize the services of those whose job it is to ensure people interact with others on a regular basis.

Communicators strive to create messages that clients can distribute and/or articulate to others to secure consensus, agreement, and like-action. Further, their job is to devise and carry out ways to guarantee folks will not be alone. Communicators are not in the lone wolf business. The act of communicating is not geared to help one become a lone wolf. If one is going to be a lone wolf, my sense is they should just do it. Coming up with ways to put forth that desire strikes me as being contrary to living a life without needing others. Blogging, for example, is not the act of a lone wolf. Bloggers blog to connect. It is what communication is all about.

Adjusting to New Surroundings

All of us, especially me, have a tendency to adapt to or settle in with our surroundings. Even if they may be less than ideal, we adjust and, in doing so, establish some sort of routine as part of becoming compatible with our environment. It is part, I believe, of our need to establish and then cling to a zone of comfort that helps us navigate our way through each of our days. Since spring of 2014, for example, I have lived in South Korea for part of each calendar year. In fact, I am living and working in Incheon right now and will do so for the remainder of this year and in all likelihood beyond. It has been an adjustment.

But, at least for me, the good news is the challenging of adjusting has not been near nearly as great as I first feared. Relocating to life in a country situated on the other side of the world from my home was a major concern. How would the people be? Would I feel isolated? How difficult would it be for me to be separated from family and friends? These were just a few of the many basic questions I had in switching to living in America to the Far East. In a nutshell, yes, it has been an adjustment, but the good news is the transition has been far less stressful and difficult than I feared. The primary reason  for this is found in one word: communication.

The ability to communicate or connect with others has been due to several important reasons: the kindness of so many of the folks in South Korea, the fact many of them speak English, and my accepting the reality that I am a new guy in town and, as a result, require the assistance and patience of others. This kind of openness has helped me establish my needed comfort zone as well as make connections with others, a number of which have become quite important to me. In my view, this has occurred as a direct result of honesty between us. I do not know much and need help and others are happy to share their knowledge in a friendly manner. Such communicating is making for a very happy experience.

Chiweenie

One of the unspoken goals in life for any generation is to make the world a better place for those that follow. One never, for example, hears someone declare, "I want to make life tougher or worse for my children." or "My goal is make sure my children and grandchildren have to struggle even harder than I did." While I am not saying there are not those who don't think those kind of thoughts, one always hears the opposite sentiment expressed: "I want to make the world a better place." or "If I can make life at least little bit easier for my children, then I will be happy." Thank goodness for that. Thank goodness folks, generally, are striving to make our tomorrows better than our todays.

This, then, leads me to the title of this blog entry: chiweenie. What, one may understandably ask, is that?  It is the result of  crossbreeding a chihuahua and a dachshund. Believe it or not, people have actually done that and, as a result, we now have chiweenies roaming the earth. No doubt, such a decision was made to try and make a better breed of dog, something cuter, more lovable, and easier to handle. All I can say to that is not all efforts to make the world a better place are successful or well thought-out. Nevertheless, I will begrudgingly concede the hearts of those who created the chiweenie were in the right place.

These kind of efforts represent building blocks; men and women working hard to build onto and fortify the foundations of life that have been put down before them. This certainly applies to communication. Scholars and practitioners before me devoted much time and intellectual energy toward creating ways for people in my generation to better understand and carry out our communication efforts. From my vantage point, they did well. We have an array of theories, books and case studies from which to draw as we plan our own efforts to connect with and motivate others. Hopefully we are doing the same for the next generation even if an occasional chiweenie is part of the mix.   
    

New Office Building

The prospect of getting a new office is always exciting. It represents a change that could be positive. The office may be bigger than the one you currently have. It may be more conveniently located such as closer to the lunch room, the elevators or even to the big boss. Or it may have more windows, thus giving you more natural light. But whether any or all of these changes happen, moving from one office to another is generally pretty straightforward and not all that complicated. After all, we are talking just one person. It is a singular effort that only affects others indirectly. One move. One person.

What is much more complicated is the prospect of moving multiple persons into a new office building. This takes a great of coordination, cooperation and planning. Who gets what office? Who gets moved first? What steps need to be taken to ensure there is no loss or misplacing of personal property? These are but a few of the fundamental questions that need to be addressed in the undertaking of a task involving multiple people and numerous moving parts. Such is the reality of any effort that affects multiple people directly. One move. Multiple people.

This is not unlike any act of communication when the goal is to reach and motivate or influence many. Much like the prospect of moving into a new building, it can be exciting and morale boosting. At the same time, there is also the prospect of error and missteps if people do not plan well or work together in good faith. For a significant communication effort to go well, writers, designers, planners and customer service folks all must have a clear understanding of their role, the timing of their part, and have no confusion as to what the ultimate goal is of the plan in which they are involved. A breakdown among any of the participants can compromise the entire effort. One campaign. Far reaching success or setback.