How to Make Messages that Matter!
COMMUNICATION = COMMUNITY
Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing. – Rollo May
The majority of us spend little time talking to ourselves. Communications, words, language, and messaging are meant to occur between individuals, groups, and societies. We are meant to use our ability to speak, convey messages, and show symbols in order to connect with people! Communications require community!
BE AUTHENTIC! BE GENUINE! BE YOU!
Words are the voice of the heart. – Confucius
Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.
(Traveler, there is no road; you make your own path as you walk.) – Antonio Machado
Many people, nonprofits, and businesses can get so caught up in the latest trends, the most popular communication channels, and the sexiest, flashy, and newest features. Soon they forget the most important thing - BE YOU! At Blessem Communications LLC we’ll always encourage you to consider your authentic self; how you, your product, or your services are truly different; and what unique and genuine ways you can message to others. It all has to begin with what’s in your heart! It has to begin with the real you!
SEEK TO MAKE A CHANGE!
Very great change starts from very small conversations, held among people who care. – Margaret J. Wheatley
At Blessem Communications LLC, we believe that individuals, nonprofits, churches, and businesses who genuinely seek to make changes, can make changes. It begins with the words and messages you choose to put out there! It begins with those first, small steps!
BE COURAGEOUS!
When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak. – Audre Lorde
Showing your true, genuine selves can be unsettling. Communicating with authenticity can be frightening. Trying to make changes, or offer something new, can be scary! When you put yourself out there, there’s always a chance you can get hurt, bullied, attacked, targeted, or beaten down. Communicating with sincerity, heart, and purpose takes bravery! Blessem Communications LLC will always help you to discern your levels of comfort, risk, and courage!
SOME PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS LISTENING!
I was out here listening all the time / And though the static walls surround me. You were out there and you found me / I was out here listening all the time – “Are You Out There” by Dar Williams
Right now someone wants to hear, see, or experience the messages you wish to relay. Some are curious to see what you want to convey. Some are desperate to hear what you wish to communicate. Still others are longing to experience your unique message. Blessem Communications LLC works with you to best identify your target audiences, your chosen messages; and the most effective design, content and/or channels to reach those most likely to listen.
LISTEN FIRST! LISTEN BACK!
…my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak… – James 1:19 (NRSV)
Those you are trying to reach are NOT the only ones who should be listening! Following the principles from such methodologies as market research and inbound marketing, Blessem Communications LLC encourages you to consider and value the voices of those you are attempting to reach. Listen BEFORE you message, listen WHILE you message, and then listen again AFTER you message!
FOCUS ON PROBLEMS WITH POSITIVITY!
Sign, sign / Everywhere a sign / Blockin’ out the scenery / Breakin’ my mind / Do this, don’t do that / Can’t you read the sign? – “Signs” by Five Man Electrical Band
Many of you sincerely wish to address a “problem.” A problem in a person’s life, a company’s strategy, a church’s mission, a community’s effort, or a societal issue. We are here to help you in any of those endeavors. The big “problem,” however, is when an organization focuses solely on problems, or even creates problems that don’t exist (or barely exist), in order to obtain the right measure of key metrics such as membership, donations, sales, leads, conversions, and profits. The even bigger problem is our society is filled with “signs” constantly saying: “Give us your time, money, or talents and we’ll solve the problem for you!” Blessem Communication LLC cares about numbers! Numbers can matter a great deal! Numbers can represent knowledge, purpose, or meaning! We also wish to join those who are sincerely seeking to solve problems that people actually have! We love to work with those who promote positive solutions, growth, development or change even when we know we can’t always measure it quantitatively. We equally enjoy working with those who understand some problems are so big that we can only realistically do our own part!
“HOW” YOU SAY IT MATTERS TOO!
We become what we behold. We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us. – Marshall McLuhan
The medium is the message. – Marshall McLuhan
From the onset of human civilization, the methods and mediums we used to communicate and message to one another have rewired people’s minds, the way human institutions work, and the way the world thinks, acts, and believes. The mediums we choose to communicate are, in themselves, part of the message we are conveying to others. And the tools we use today are affecting all of us! For example, when you tell someone you can offer ONLY communicate via online chats or emails - and never through web conferencing, phone or in-person - you are conveying a message about how you think or feel about members of your chosen audience(s). You are telling them, without actually “telling” them, they are only worth a certain level of your time, energy, or efforts. You are inherently saying they matter, but only to a certain degree! At Blessem Communications LLC, we’ll educate you (and remind you) that HOW you choose to communicate always sends a message too!
