First things first: What is communication?
In the literature, communication is defined as the exchange of information. This happens between one and a second person, groups or people and their environment.
Two levels make up communication.
Communication works on two levels: factual and emotional. Factually, content must be structured in an argumentatively clear and understandable way. This is referred to as being consistent and coherent in communication. The extent to which content must also be factually correct is a question of attitude. But: People live on emotions. As rational as we often pretend to be, we are not. Actions, convictions, purchasing decisions: we always make them from an emotional perspective. Successful communication knows about the power of emotions and builds on them.
Personal vs impersonal communication.
Not every content; every story is intended for all forms of communication. We distinguish between personal communication (verbal) and impersonal communication (e.g., texts and images). For example, some content is better told in person. But others benefit from impersonal communication by reaching more people faster, being time-independent, and emotionally amplifying narratives through images and video.
Repetition ≠ redundancy in communication.
Once something has been communicated, this does not mean recipients have got the message. People are bombarded with hundreds of messages daily and block out a large part of these messages to cope with this flood of information. Repetition in communication helps to get through to recipients. The content of the message may not change, but the form does.
Successful communication reflects the point of view in context.
Defining one’s position or that of a company is not easy. With increasing complexity, e.g. by decision-makers, the difficulty of doing this increases. To communicate clearly and quickly in complex environments, however, it is essential to know one’s position and also to define it in writing. Finally, clear rules and understanding are needed for everyone.
People, markets and consumers are different in a globalised world. Good communication reflects this. It touches the lifeworld of its recipients. Understanding the context is crucial for this.
In communication, not every channel is equally relevant.
Communication channels have different characteristics. Some are faster, some slower, some can handle more content, others less. Successful communication understands that the choice of channel is critical to the message.
Conclusion: Successful communication needs attention and structure.
Successful communication depends on continuity. Dealing with the communication of a company or an organisation is a task that must be carried out on an ongoing basis. Successful communication reflects this by networking its measures.
