Surfing the endless wave

Is it just me, or is everyone else getting a little heady from the pace of change in media…?

Touchingly, mobile phones now seem rather mature and traditional in technical terms, even though the technology is just old enough (25 years) to be handed down from one generation to the next.  And now they are merely one category in the exploding “device” market, which includes tablets, netbooks, e-readers, smart TV’s, etc.

Now we hear that google is entering the travel-comparison market with its latest, $700 million, acquisition (one of just 20 already this year, so far…), Facebook is getting into email and search, while influencers are taking over the world.

Yet in the midst of this maelstrom there’s one constant in which I find particular comfort. The common thread through all of these formats, iterations, developments, channels, and platforms, is the crucial role played by clear communications. 

Communication is – along with the ego and our capacity for abstract thought – what really sets us apart from any other lifeform on Earth. Our ability to endlessly debate, inform, and persuade through the (often) written word. If nothing else of course, it’s also a great way to spend some of your leisure and social time. Isolation is truly a cruel and inhuman punishment for this very reason.

My point is that there has never been a better time – for these social and of course commercial reasons – to be articulate; to be able to convey a message, share an emotion, or identify and bond as a community, group or tribe.

Reassuringly, improving and nurturing these communication skills is the exact business that we’re in. We hope that we can ride this tsunami of change and continue to help professionals and organisations develop and utilise the vital skills of the well-balanced argument, or the engaging and compelling  commercial message.

So it seems that perhaps you can be traditional and leading-edge digital at the same time, after all.