Whatever it’s called… narratives, messaging, rhetoric or just plain communication… it can enthuse or confuse, inform or misinform. It can be predictable or surprising, dull or exciting, encouraging or discouraging.
There was this, for example, in what might be considered the ‘surprising’ communication category:
Climate awareness has come a long way, according to Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary, who concedes he was initially an environmental skeptic himself. When asked what made him change his mind, he replied:
We learn from our experiences. Frankly, 20, 30 years ago, we all thought environmentalists were a bunch of nutters, you know. Clearly it’s moved front and center, it is something that our customers and the people working here at Ryanair wants us to focus on, and we tend to be very responsive.
Mr. O’Leary discussed his change of heart during a CNBC interview.
JP Morgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, according to an article in Yahoo Finance, said:
If all of the government programs are spent wisely and efficiently, focusing on actual outcomes, the benefits will be more widely shared, economic growth will be more sustainable and future problems, like inflation and too much debt, will be reduced.
His words, it seems, would fall in the ‘encouraging communication’ category.
In Bill Hudson’s editorial series on vacation rentals, with concerns about residential properties becoming mini-motels, there was Rick Haley’s comment: “Not appropriate in their neighborhood”. With pros and cons — differing opinions — regarding what’s been described in media as one of the disruptive business models, the editorials are informative, with communication that’s somewhat discouraging, but, perhaps, not surprising.
But if you really want surprising and — in this case, encouraging — communication, there was the recent article in Axios about what’s being called the Problem Solvers Caucus…
…a group of Republicans and Democrats who are trying, as the name suggests, to solve problems. To reach across the aisle. To talk and work with one another… with Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s informative, surprising and encouraging words:
The American people want us to work together across party lines. We actually have to use our bipartisan muscles, or they will continue to atrophy.
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.