Things are not as they were
(This is not about the US election!)
Hello…
It feels like there’s more diversity in perspective than at any time in history, and with that comes an important communications consideration.
A critical contributor to successful communication is context, both for our audience and the content we’re communicating. But context today is far less predictable than it was five, 10, 15 years ago and it’s up to us to adjust our comms accordingly – whether it’s a conversation with friends, a stakeholder meeting or an all-employee broadcast.
Back when I started working in the corporate sector in Australia, you could pretty much assume that the majority of mid-senior level stakeholders within the business read the relevant articles (headlines, at least) from the major national business newspaper each day. When I worked for the City of Melbourne Council, the same applied for the city’s two predominant newspapers.
Today, so many people are turning the volume right down on mainstream media sources, often focusing only on what’s absolutely necessary for their work. Increasingly, people are choosing the channels and mediums they prefer – while being served up a personalised feed of ‘news’, content and advertisements carefully calibrated by an algorithm designed to capture maximum attention, retention and engagement. Even for those who still love the daily paper or evening news, unless they’re completely shunning newer forms of media their sources of input are most likely broader than what they would have been a decade ago.
An astonishing example (sorry, just one reflection on the communication campaign from the US election!): the three biggest media events of the campaign were the debate, and Harris and Trump’s respective appearances on the Call Her Daddy and The Joe Rogan Experience podcasts. Trump’s podcast episode on the Joe Rogan experience has been viewed more than 48 million times on YouTube alone. According to Professor Scott Galloway, globally respected economist and marketing expert, the audio was likely downloaded an additional 15 million times. To put this into context, typical viewership for CNN news (as referenced by Galloway) is below one million, and CNBC less than 100,000.
My reference is not your reference
I too like seeing what my social channels serve up for me to spend too-long scrolling through, and absolutely love long-form podcast conversations.
These shifts in media consumption are not new, but the impacts are changing the game faster than ever.
Our contexts are becoming more divergent by the day.
Gone are the times where you can assume, at least to some extent, that your peers, colleagues or friends share a comparable context with you. I often have no idea what my friends are talking about because my culture references don’t match theirs – and vice versa.
This is a deep topic but today’s tip is simple: make sure you spend a few minutes thinking about your audience’s possible different context(s), and construct your conversation, email, memo or meeting with this in mind, perhaps including a relevant, brief frame-up or reference example to set the scene for your message. Be clear.
As a foundation for a meeting or large-group conversation, it can also be helpful to acknowledge the many different viewpoints that people bring to a given setting. Or to ask people about their views on a topic, if your context allows!
And remember to lead with empathy, because you really never know the full extent of someone’s context.
I hope this was helpful – I’d love to hear any thoughts in the comments.
Larissa
PS.
Due to some unexpected capacity over the coming month, I have two offers that might be of interest (one paid, one free):
1. I have three places open for what’s becoming my ‘signature’ communications coaching offer: a 1:1 program to help you communicate with more impact. It comprises four 75-minute sessions and is based on some formulas that have proven super useful with my clients, but tailored to suit individual needs & circumstances. Given we’re heading into the crazy Christmas season, for those who sign up this year I’m including an additional two sessions (at no cost) that can be used throughout 2025. If you want to know more about this, contact me via email: LW.Communications@Outlook.com
2. When I started this newsletter, one of my goals was to give more people access to communications coaching. So I’m also offering five free 45-minute sessions (virtual) between 25 November and 13 December this year (no sales pitch included - it’s a genuine freebie). If you’re interested, please email me to let me know: LW.Communications@Outlook.com and I will respond by Tuesday 19 November 2024.
Over the past 2.5 years, I’ve helped my clients land investors for projects, secure jobs and promotions, gain traction with their teams, lead media interviews and go from freezing in the spotlight to regularly appearing on the speaker circuit. If you’re interested in working with me in 2025, please reach out.