It is almost a maxim for any communication professional to suggest to a brand, person or organization that has contracted their services, who, yes or yes, should talk. Certainly, this is due to the fact that, since the rise of social networks detonated around 2008, the paradigm of how we consume information and relate to each other as a society has changed.
Organizations stopped controlling when and how they were talked about, social networks showed us, practically in real time and in color, how people grouped by interests and talked about things we have in common, being part of that moment, or not , organization, brand or person incumbent. This has led us to generate what we now call a noise network.
Since success is not in the quantity, but in the quality of an interaction, two people talking to each other do not necessarily generate a conversation; Now let’s multiply that by millions, those same voices that speak non-stop on social networks, the media, associations, search engines, congresses, conventions, events, etc., are a network of noise.
The success of a conversation essentially lies in speaking little and listening a lot; yes, listening is the true power of a conversation and it consists of devoting our energy, attention and intelligence to that task that demands concentration and can provoke respect and fidelity. When we know how to listen, understanding is generated, which creates significant agreements and bonds.
When asked what is the added value of a communication, public relations or government relations consultancy, I think that it involves the ability to help amplify the listening capacity of the interest groups with which our clients interact, even allowing swing the balance to one side or the other in your business environment and operation.
With this, the adviser can suggest opportunities for action that really promote benefits in the contribution made between the organization, its stakeholders and vice versa.
Conversation is a superpower, if done correctly. In professional terms, reputation management, communication strategy or public relations take on a new meaning, moving away from the traditional gadgets in force for the last 100 years. Capacities are expanded regarding the way in which we, as professionals in these areas, advise and generate value for an organization and its management team, but also for the people who are directly and indirectly related to them.
There are few spaces to have genuine conversations and there is an extraordinary opportunity to provoke them. Today, it is no longer enough to be a part of the conversation, we must be the conversation.
