Communications for Non-Communications Majors
I was a political science major in college, where I tried to avoid classes in math and sciences with great fervor. Yet at my small liberal arts school, there was a science requirement in order to graduate. So I ended up taking one of the “science for non-science majors” classes – which allowed non-numerates like me to avoid failing Organic Chemistry and instead take a very basic version of something along the lines of, say, Astronomy. (It was a bit of a knife fight to get into these classes!)
I recently reflected on this experience because here at Sloane we’ve received several client requests for a program that I’ll call “Communications for Non-Communications Majors.” In other words, a module for professionals outside the communications function at an enterprise, focusing on what we’re calling ‘communications for the modern era.’
Why Is This Happening?
Well, first off – everyone is a communicator today. At a time when companies are doing more with less and the lines between roles are increasingly blurring, people need to be able to share their ideas across an organization in effective, persuasive ways.
We also live in a text-based communications environment. From Slack to social media to group texts to that old standby, email, we all live in the world of written language – no matter our role. How can we make the most of it?
And in the midst of this cacophony – you have just 47 seconds to make your point. Research from UC Irvine reveals that's the average attention span today.
Plus, remember that you're not just competing within your industry or company for attention anymore. You're competing with Netflix, TikTok, breaking news alerts, and every other piece of content vying for your audience's mental bandwidth.
Appreciating, Simplifying and Flagging
This is why it’s so important to:
• Appreciate the time pressures your audience is dealing with and be sensitive in how you communicate
• Simplify your message without dumbing it down
• Use tools like flagging to signal to readers: “This is important! Pay attention!”
In fact – the key principles that PR/communications pros live and breathe by can be incredibly helpful for non-communications folks.
This is probably why the non-communications pros we’ve worked with have been so excited to have this discussion! Everyone is feeling the pressure of limited time, heavy demands and fractured attention spans. And people can always work on communicating in sharper, crisper and more impactful ways.
The Value of Better Communications for Everyone
Companies that invest in getting better at communicating across the board will see value through greater productivity, more effective idea-sharing, and people across the organization simply understanding one another better. (Maybe some additional empathy and grace can be a positive byproduct!)
We’re looking forward to our next series of “Comms for Non-Comms Majors” discussions – and we’re always happy to talk about how it might be helpful for your organization.
John Hartz is President at Sloane, where he specializes in reputation management, corporate positioning, and integrated PR strategy.
Interested in learning more about communications? Connect with us today.
