Do YOU suck at communication?

There are two core elements to any type of communication.


Firstly the "What". 
The communication payload is WHAT is being communicated. The meaning.

Note: "the what" is not how the communication is transferred.
  • It's not the spoken word.
  • It's not an email.
  • It's not a text message.
  • It's not an image. 
The communication payload: the What ... is the communication MEANING.


Secondly the "Who".
The "who" is both who the communication is from and to.

Of these two core communication elements, What & Who, I would argue that the most important by a large margin is the WHO.

When our mobile rings the first impulse is generally to look to see WHO is calling.

Who affects whether one will answer the call directly ... or not.

Who can vastly alter or change the Value of the payload. The meaning.

"I love you" means very little on this page. It's meaning is dependent on WHO.

What = Value  &  Who = Trust

The real or perceived value of any communication is built upon the level of trust the viewer attributes to whomever the communication payload is from.

Do YOU suck at communication?

Ask yourself whether there is enough of YOU in your communications?
Do YOU impart as much Trust as possible?


Trust

Trust is something that people give out according to their own sets of rules, but there are a number of things that commonly help people trust (you).

  • Time
Unless there is an event which undermines or destroys levels of established trust, trust is something that builds up between WHO over time. Familiarity helps establish trust.
  • Information
The more information trust points YOU provide, the more complete an understanding of WHO the communication has. Consequently the higher the level of trust possible with the communication.

You can't do much to speed up time, but you can and should do all you can to provide as many information trust points as you can.


Here's my twitter profile, which I try to make as information dense as possible, adding things which may be relevant to the person I am communicating with. This is something I do with every profile, and every communication.

Some common information trust points ...
  • Your picture - A real image of you has the most trust potential.
  • Your display name - This should be the name you would use in the real world.
  • What you do - What you really do.
  • What you like - What you really like.
  • Where you are - Include at least your regional or city level location. 

So ... How are your social profiles, all of them. Do they show WHO you are?

Do you do all you can to help others trust communication from you?
Or do you suck at communication? 

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