The Medium is Just as Important as the Message

Only a handful of people "get me" in conversations and vice versa, no matter the setting. For the few that do, I don't have to be strategic in my interactions - whether interacting on Facebook (or other social media), or by email, phone, or in person - because it comes naturally. For the rest of my social universe, it's absolutely critical that I consider how my message and intent will be interpreted.

After two decades of working in human resources and marketing communications, I continue to learn from others and my own missteps in communicating effectively across organizational hierarchies, cultures, personalities, disciplines, roles, and markets. It's worth noting that this list grows everyday. And, to that point, I'm finding that actually connecting with others, through the panoply of interactive options available to us, requires a refresher in the fundamentals of interpersonal exchange.

Over the next few weeks, I'll share insights from my research on organizational and personal communications that demonstrates how quickly we can gain or lose trust simply through our words and by the medium we choose to express them. The key to this point is whether your daily interactions are driven by habitual convenience or thoughtful consideration.

Do you add or subtract value in writing?

The written word carries a lasting significance beyond the spoken word. And understandably so. Today, a message of any kind can be easily interpreted, reproduced and distributed in the blink of an eye. Global boundaries to business and socialization no longer exist in the information age, only context and voice – in our writing and communication across cultures. This blog examines the art of extending meaningful conversations beyond the verbal experience to strengthen relationships in the written interactions we often take for granted.