Can you hear me now?
I have been reflecting on the change … trying to determine when the switch got thrown, why, and what it means. Did I miss the memo?
Seemingly suddenly, almost anytime you’re in public in the U.S.– whether in a coffee shop or an airport, on public transportation or sitting on a park bench – it seems as there is someone nearby having a loud conversation on their phone, sometimes on a speaker so you experience the entire conversation. Sometimes it’s a work-related Zoom call in progress, or it’s someone watching a video or a show loudly on speaker for all to hear. At the same time, they’re most often seemingly unaware of how their behavior affects others, or momentarily absorbed in their own digital world.
What’s changing isn’t just how loudly we communicate, but how hard it’s becoming to be heard at all.
Some may view the new environment as more a shift in social norms and civility. Others may see it as some natural evolution of the new digital realities of connection that emanate from the ecosystem of social media, mobile communication, hybrid working, and the sometimes-exhibitionist or voyeuristic psychology of the modern age.
Whatever the sources, if the public sphere is becoming this noisy – literally and metaphorically – what does this mean for leaders trying to understand and connect with their audiences, such as employees or customers?
Some stakeholders may be seeking refuge in their own “bubble,” with a diminished interest – at least episodically – in the broader world around them.
The natural human tendency to put one’s own interests first may be being magnified in a world where people may feel overwhelmed or unable to process everything coming at them.
Many may have honed their ability to tune the world out and are perhaps testing others to do the same.
It certainly means that if you have something to communicate you need to:
Have clarity about your message: Be intentional about where you are trying to focus your audience …
Be creative, in the quest to both be noticed and be deemed relevant …
Convey a value proposition that has the power to resonate with an individuals’ own interests …
Earn the trust of those with whom you want to connect regularly.
As we all reflect on how to communicate more effectively moving forward, we know that it will only continue to get more difficult and important. In a louder world, clarity, empathy and earned trust are no longer optional – they’re the only ways to be heard.
