Information and Feelings

When it comes to communication, there seems to be two overriding elements that drive it: information and feelings. People either want to pass along something they know or have heard or want to share their feelings about pretty much anything. "Honey, I just went to the store and bought buns and hot dogs for this weekend's cook-out." Or, just as timely, "I wish to announce that I am running for president of the United States? Or, "I think that new series on Netflix is awful."  All of us are either on the receiving end of these kind of statements or are the ones who are passing them along to others.

Some times, of course, what we share or hear may be much more intense or complex than any of those examples. Nevertheless, they represent the crux of all that is passed along between publics. Information and feelings. In terms of the effectiveness of what we share or receive, generally, it revolves around how understandable and timely the message is and how receptive we are to receiving it. These variables represent what you might term the packaging of each communique. Passing along a piece of information or sharing a feeling, though straight forward enough, may not go all that well unless care has been given to the crafting of the message and if the intended audience is properly primed or prepped.       

To me, this is where public relations comes into play. Communication is the core message. Public relations is the presentation of it. It is one thing to wish one's spouse a happy anniversary, for example, but another to do so with a gift and fancy dinner when the spouse is most likely to enjoy this kind of package. As communicators, which is what we are all, trying to figure out how best to share information and our feelings is what drives us every day. It really does not get much more basic than that.