Destination...Communication

As a marketing and communications professional, communicating to and for my clients is my main objective. And, in today’s world of communication overload it is more important than ever to understand how and why we COMMUNICATE.


The verb communicate’s origin is [1520-30] Latin for commūnicātus, to impart, make common. Whether that is: 1. To convey information about; make known; impart. 2. To reveal clearly; manifest. 3. To spread to others; transmit. 4. To have an interchange, as of ideas. 5. To express oneself in such a way that one is readily and clearly understood. 6. To be connected, one with another: *

We communicate first and foremost to be understood. Secondly this communication enables us to be connected with others. No matter how we convey or impart information it is essential to be clear. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Think before you speak,” which is good advice when communicating orally. Conversely, taking the time to thoroughly review your written communications whether it is an email, hand written note, proposal, contract, tweet or post will make all the difference in how it is received.

This review obviously includes checking your spelling and sentence structure but more importantly should include re-reading the information to be sure someone who knows nothing about the subject could discern the gist of what you’ve written. So when communications can be as short as 140 characters and can be read by thousands of people every word counts. This is not to say communications should always be short because explaining or describing things may need more words to be understood.

Plus if that were the case…I’d have been cut off 1,541 characters ago!
*Definition and origin from www.dictionary.com The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.