Perhaps you have noticed many of my life lessons come from the movies. I’m not apologizing just pointing it out.
There is a lot of confusion and miscommunication going on these days around the pandemic, testing and of course most importantly the vaccines. We, the humble public are relying on scientists and public health experts to give us good reliable information. The scientist et all are unfortunately not natural communicators. They are compelled to give us a “balanced view” and that means the good and the bad.
In the movie Pretty Woman, Richard Gere’s character tell the Julia Roberts character,” I think you are wonderful”. Her response is so on point it makes you wince. “It’s easier to believe the bad stuff”.
It is amazing to me that individuals hearing the same message will come away with completely different interpretations and nine times out of ten the tendency is to believe the bad stuff. There is nothing more important than knowing your audience and delivering a crystal clear message.
This has never, ever been more important than right now when the bad stuff is easier to believe. Let’s dust off those Communication degrees folks and get to work.