During the last few weeks of 2005, I was repeatedly reminded of the value of the oldest form of human communication. This form of communication is low-tech and high-touch. It can be enhanced by fancy strategic communication planning and the latest technology. But none of that is needed for it to work.
This technique is one-on-one communication as well as its potent variant, face-to-face communication.
As a child of and an alumnus of the mass media, I have always argued in a knee-jerk way that the exact opposite of the ways in which I was instructed and inculcated could turn out to be the most powerful. Mass media is one-way communication, tradtionally. (Yes, mass media now often embraces feedback, but the main thrust is one-way communication.) One-on-one communication is two-way.
Mass media is one-to-many communication, with all the foibles of trying to transmit one exact-same message to hundreds, thousands, or millions of recipients -- and hoping they each receive it the same way, as they perceive it. One-on-one communication is customizable, flexible, and offers multiple opportunities for clarification of message and perception.
I have often told clients that the right one-on-one communication on any given day is better than the most successful news release, news conference, or mass-media interview. It was a good line, but I'm not sure that I ever believed it to the depths equivalent to the frequency with which I said it.
Recent Comments