Hi Friend
What a banging week! I had three virtual presentations. Two of them were live broadcasts and one was pre-recorded. They were each uniquely cool. The first one was a groundhog day experience where I repeated the same message a few times live to the same company, different employees. We did that so the audience size could be manageable for Zoom breakout rooms. It went exceptionally well.
The second one was with an association whose members are spread out all over the U.S. We had a couple of moderators who would read me questions people wrote in the midst of my presentation. We still used Zoom, but I was unable to see the audience interaction. The third was pre-recorded, which I’ve come to love because of the chat interaction. This time unfortunately, it was less than stellar.
I hate to say that because my pre-recorded message is a production (as you know). I shoot it on location at the white water rafting place and edit in other footage. The captions take forever to get right. It’s been worth it up to this point. However, the platform we were on made chat clunky and hard to engage with the audience. I’ve never used this particular virtual service, but I wouldn’t recommend it. 😳
It’s quite curious to me because I did the same message at all three events. Yet each experience was legitimately totally different. The first I could visibly see the audience. The second I had a go-between with the audience. The third I could directly communicate with them, but through a strained process.
I would venture to say the audience experience was quite different too.
In communication, the conduit is as critical as the content.
When we have challenges with interactions between one another, rarely do we say “Let’s have this same conversation but change the location to a different environment.” Actually in almost all the communication training that goes on, it’s typically about active listening or thoughtful speaking.
Sure non-verbals come into play. Sure being conscious of our surroundings matter. Sure we address the differences between face-to-face, calls, texts and snaps. Now with the world still primarily in WFH-mode those calls, texts, FaceTime and Zooms, shape the outcome of clarity and understanding in a big way!
I talked with a CEO this week who initially was doing weekly videos at the beginning of quarantine. Then every other week. Then monthly. He shifted to writing a personal weekly update. Same guy, same kind of content, different medium. Think it translates similarly?
There are pros and cons to every platform we utilize. Do you know them?
“Communication issues” are always at the top of the list of an organizations difficulties. Heck it takes top place in personal relationships too. Certainly we’ve had conversations where we suggested moving from one setting to another:
“Can I call you instead of text?”“Can I come to your office instead of talking on the phone?”“Let me record a video to show you what I’m talking about.”
I suspect not enough.
How much energy do we invest in the surroundings and vehicle, prior to an interaction? It’s usually after it goes poorly we consider other approaches.
I like the word “vehicle” to describe the mechanism and environment in which communication happens. What if we created categories, like we do with actual vehicles, to predetermine HOW we were going to communicate to someone or about something?
SUV
MiniVan
Sports Car
Sedan
Luxury
ATV
Motorcycle
Hot Rod
Most of us are Camry communicators. The ultimate homogenized vehicle for all. It usually gets the job done. Unfortunately, when a luxury vehicle is required – elegance, attention to detail, exquisite subtlety, higher quality materials – sedan communicators see it as excessive and are uncomfortable in it. Or maybe an ATV is needed for difficult terrain, risky subjects or volatile individuals. You don’t want to be in a minivan for that conversation!
What if we set the tone in meetings and one-on-one interactions by stating our vehicle of choice. “Today I’m bringing a sports car approach to this meeting – it will be fast, precise and you might get nauseous at the speeds we attempt to achieve. Buckle up.”
Instigating Ideas
1. Create a pros/cons list of how you currently communicate.
2. Think about a recent interaction that went bad. Change where and how it happened – in your mind – to imagine a positive outcome.
3. Look at your upcoming week and attach a communication vehicle required.
We’d all like to think WHAT we say has the biggest impact. That’s why we take so long to craft the message. This week clearly showed me, the exact same contents effectiveness is ultimately determined by the vehicle we drive. Choose wisely.
I dare you to alter the way in which you communicate with someone about something, that historically has gone poorly. I’d love to hear how you change the conduit and environment attempting to achieve a different outcome. Put a vehicle identifier on it if you so dare. Please Share.