Communications-the art of influencing

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Early in the game, thanks to my mentor, I realized that communication is all about influencing. However,  with the advent of the Internet and the ensuing availability of hundreds of platforms and thousands of channels, the challenge is in ensuring that the message is heard and shared. Significantly, it has become more about minimizing noise.

Similarly, the business environment has evolved, along with it the dimensions of communication have changed—from trust and reputation management, to enabling transparency, change and crisis management. The lines that distinguished traditional communication disciplines have disappeared. It is replaced by a yet to tamed beast—integrated communication.

In fact, there is no B2B or B2C, it has become one mass—P2P (Peer-to-Peer) communication. Additionally, the seamless fusion of the real and the virtual worlds, namely the connectedness between people, data and objects (IoT) have quivered the pitch for communication practitioners.
Simply put ,the message is as important as the method by which it is communicated.

So, here are a few questions I wrestle with every day as a communication specialist:

• How to reach the right people?
• What are the tools to convey a message in the most cost-effective manner?
• Is there a standard method that will help me leapfrog the hurdles?
• What are the areas of communication that are changing and how responsive am I?
• Finally, how to influence the influencers?

Through Communication Speak, I aim to share the result of my quest and maybe provide a few pointers for fellow practitioners to follow.