It's been my experience that I need to take full responsibility for the effectiveness of my communications.
A few years ago, I threw together a PowerPoint show, based on Randall Munroe's Communication comic[0]. I did it for an organization I participate in, that is full of some of the worst communicators I've ever encountered.
It astounds me, how people that get paid to communicate, don't understand the fundamentals.
Even with the notes, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Why would you illustrate communication problems with people who literally don't speak the same language?
It’s almost impossible to understand, just from looking at the comic. Some of his comics are like that.
I stared at it for quite a while, before it “clicked.”
Once it did, the message was obvious.
The PowerPoint was designed to be presented. It’s not particularly useful, just being read. It really needs a narrator that can explain the concepts.
The idea is that it’s possible to communicate effectively, even when it seems impossible, as long as we are willing to take responsibility for the message, and figure out how to make it work. In order to do that, we need to understand the message, the recipient, the context, and the medium.
It also shows how we can lose the message, when we get sidetracked by the messenger or the medium.
