It’s communication, mostly, that helps us understand or misunderstand… or makes us hopeful and joyful, or hopeless, sad, aggravated and angry.
It can unite us, and divide us. It can be accurate, or inaccurate, honest, or deceitful. Uplifting or discouraging.
Let’s use the word — ‘clarifying’ — as an adjective to describe communication, in an article about COVID vaccines, that was just published in the Daily Post. Here’s an excerpt from the story:
The vaccines are doing what they’re supposed to do – keeping people from getting really sick, not keeping them from ever getting infected – but that hasn’t been communicated well.
That’s what Anne Sosin, a policy fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth College, mentioned in a Kaiser Health News article, written by Rae Ellen Bichell.
Ms. Sosin’s clarifying words — her clarifying communication — addressed some growing confusion over the vaccines, and COVID breakthrough illnesses. She also mentioned some frustration about “the ‘finish line’ language used by many politicians.”
We’re apparently not yet at the finish line. COVID isn’t in our rear view mirror, just yet.
Speaking of clarifying communication, Bill Hudson brought clarity to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration drought report, in his editorial series, “A Drought is a Terrible Thing to Waste,” when he explained what the words, “vapor pressure deficit” — that are mentioned in the report — might actually mean.
“This, I believe, is a scientific way of saying that things dry out faster when it’s hot outside,” said the Daily Post editor.
A communications colleague of mine, a long time ago, might have described words like ‘vapor pressure deficit,’ as 25-dollar words. They sure sound impressive, but what do they actually mean?
And, while we’re talking about communication… I’ll bet almost every screw up, every misunderstanding, every time-wasting, spirit-crushing, pain-in-the-rear problem you’ve had to untangle involved communication.
Like those times you’ve desperately needed to reach a real person in a business firm’s customer relations, or tech support, department, and, calling the company, you can’t reach an actual human being.
Because, there’s a robotic voice on the line giving you a bunch of phone menu prompts to figure out. And you can’t, because not one them is clarifying.
And then, out of sheer frustration, you’re actually yelling into the phone, hoping some human may, somehow, hear you. But what you’re hearing, instead, from the robotic-sounding voice on the line, is; “If you need to have the menu selections repeated, please press 4 on your keypad.”
That’s communication, for you…
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.