Full Communication Model Jacket

“This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one’s mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless.” – Full Metal Jacket

This is my communication model. There are many like it but this one’s mine. My communication model is my best friend. It is my job. I must master it as I must master my job. Without me, my communication model is useless. Without my communication model, I am useless.

Most in our profession would agree that strategic communications are both an art and a science.  I tend to favor the art side of that equation, but this is an exception.  We move swiftly from catalysts to talking points.  We have to.  But we are better prepared if we learn and refresh our understanding and appreciation behind how people actually communicate. 

It’s hard work, and not for the faint of heart. 

You can search for countless models, even full books, on how this works.  This is just mine.  And it is not all inclusive.  This is a snapshot of some of the essential considerations between sender and receiver.  This model works between spokesperson and stakeholders, husband and wife, customer and cashier, tall people and short people.  Everyone.

Medium.  In the 1960’s Marshall McLuhan taught us that the medium is the message.  In essence, just by choosing the medium, we begin to shape how the message will be received.  A trade magazine article would make a different impact that a newspaper opinion piece.  A press briefing is a different message than a Tik Tok video.   And how the sender views a medium is invariably different from how a receiver does.

Filters.  Wow.  If the sender is a Male-Baptist-Boomer-Conservative and the receiver is a Young-Asian-Transgender-Millennial, then there is much to unpack and understand.  This is further complicated when we understand that not all conservatives are the same, not all transgenders are the same.  Moreover, all of these filters are overlapping and deeply personal and individual.

Noise.  Sometimes noise is just noise.  I have had two calls recently when I could barely hear.  That’s tough enough.  But other types of noise interfere with our connection. If she is a boss in a bad mood that day and he is a sick and fearful employee, they have their work cut out for them to speak well, listen well, and achieve mutual understanding. 

Each of these are repeated for the sender and the receiver.  They are also often in flux.  No matter how well we learn and execute through the dynamics, the sender’s message is rarely exactly the same as the receiver’s perception.  But, by learning, understanding, and refreshing our knowledge of this model, we can get a little bit closer to helping these two merge. 

That’s just in your average, run-of-the-mill conversation.  In a crisis, urgency and reputation on one side paired with fear and despair on the other, make this immeasurably more difficult.  I will end here with another graphic and hope that the medium is the message and that a picture is worth at least 357 more words.