The media industry prides itself on an ability to deliver excellent communication executions on behalf of clients. The means via which such executions are delivered necessitates a multi-faceted and collaborative approach between media agencies, creative agencies, clients and publishers all working toward a common goal. The goal is to provide the consumer with an execution that will impact, transform and inspire their hearts and minds to promote an action as desired by the advertiser on behalf of the client. How well this execution is delivered is dependent upon one critical factor, that of excellence in communication. You see, in the absence of excellent communication, there is also an absence of life and an absence of relationship. Without relationships, the foundational thread upon which our industry is built will disintegrate and any issue arising as a result of this disintegration is highly costly to media agencies and media partners alike. This is too high a price to pay, especially when in consideration of the fact that great benefits may be reaped from the utilisation of good and effective communication skills.
The benefits of good communication within this industry are multi-faceted and inclusive of the following:
- Shorter turnaround time from planning to execution to delivery – this will lead to wiser spend of monetary resources that would otherwise be spent resolving issues arising as a direct result of poor communication leading to business objectives and goals that are lost in translation.
- Opportunities for networking amongst media partners, thus acting as a facilitator to strengthened working relationships and friendships.
- Increased productivity, in turn leading to stronger employee morale and a greater sense of accomplishment and mastery over tasks.
- An opportunity to demonstrate that as employees and co-collaborators within the communications industry, we are fulfilling our role of being excellent facilitators of good communication. This will ensure that we are abiding by best practices at all times and consistently developing, cultivating and nurturing our communication skills to allow for the provision of excellent client service.
Whilst this list is not exhaustive and the benefits that arise from facilitating excellent communication are many, it is already abundantly clear that the aforementioned points are critical enough for the media industry to take note and ensure that good communication skills are fostered amongst all staff.
In closing, it is also imperative to understand an important and often overlooked aspect of what good communication entails – whether it be in the form of written word or speech. This aspect is to possess a proper understanding of the power of our words. When communicating, our words hold great power – the power to speak life and encouragement to others, or to bring discouragement and defeat to others. Therefore, it is wise to be mindful of our choice of words and consequently to choose our words carefully, for many a relationship has been destroyed by the careless use of words spoken or written in haste. Stop, think and select your words with care, keeping your message simple and to the point. Remember less is more and that carefully and wisely selected words can communicate a message more effectively than could otherwise be conveyed. The wise and thoughtful selection of words will not only act as a stepping stone toward success within our industry but also success in life and relationships in general.
Anna Koleth
Starcom MediaVest