1.1. What is communication 4.0?
Do you know how to communicate? This question might be very simple at first, but how we communicate and understand what is important when communicating, might lead us to bring some light to the process of ¨selling¨ our ideas to our audience. Whether you don’t have an idea yet or have an idea but face difficulties in spreading the words, we will describe practical tips to guide you to communicate better within your professional area.
When we think about communication, probably the first thing that comes to our mind is one person communicating a message to another one. Isn’t that right? That´s the way we have traditionally learned that communication works, as a linear process. However, many characteristics are immersive in our everyday communication, and we don’t pay attention to them, such as body language or active communication. Nowadays, the rise of social media and the Internet has dramatically changed the way we communicate with others and, how others communicate with us. For instance, two people reading the same article might have different perspectives and opinions, even if the article is the same. Is that even possible?
Certainly, it is, we can elaborate a message only by employing the signs we know, and we can only give those signs the meaning we have learned about them (Castro & Moreno, 2006). In other words, we interpret and communicate based on what we know and have learned. We tend to interpret the information we receive based on our perceptions, beliefs, experience, and codes.
To understand better how to communicate your idea, the first thing to carry out is a conceptual map. A conceptual map is a diagram of concepts that represents relationships between concepts and ideas. Take a look to this link to explore further what is a conceptual map.
For instance, when communicating there are several key points to be aware of, let´s explore further this concept in the first exercise.
Before we start, take a paper and a pencil, and draw a conceptual map of the communication process you expect for your business idea. For doing so, you can follow the example provided:
Communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and mutual understanding from one person to another (Keyton, 2011). The roadmap of communication illustrates the elements of communication. In the elements of communication, there is the sender, the message, the channel, the noise, the receiver, and the feedback. However, all these elements do not correspond to a linear model of communication, as communication might appear in different ways.
Do we communicate when we don’t speak?
¨We’ve all heard that 90% of communication is nonverbal, but is there any truth to this adage? The 90% figure wasn’t plucked out of thin air. It was Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language, who first broke down the components of a face-to-face conversation. He found that communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only¨ (Permian Basis, University of Texas).
How much of communication is nonverbal
For further information, check this lecture about how we communicate with our body:
Types of non-verbal communication
We tend to think that communication is a linear process, however, the process of communicating depends on several factors. Look at the next infographic to discover how many elements are interrelated in the process of communication.
The steps to communicate my business idea
Knowing how to communicate is an asset, but how do I communicate better? The first step is to understand who your audience is. You should determine which audience you currently have and adapt your communication to them. For instance, you might not use the same language and ways of speaking while speaking with friends or selling a product. Having said that, let´s explore step by step the characteristics that will improve your understanding of how your target audience is:
- User personas or buyer personas: These are simulations of people made to emphasize and understand who the target audience is. Essentially, they are used for describing people. A good definition by Interaction Design Foundation establishes that User personas are ¨fictional characters, which you create based upon your research in the present the different user types that might use your service, product, site, or brand in a similar way¨. Many companies (marketing professionals, and product designers) research first who is their target audience and how to proceed with the creation of a product. If you don’t know who your target audience is it could be extremely difficult to communicate strategically and effectively. Therefore, let´s create a user persona:
Step 1. Identify your audience or your potential audience. Imagine you want to communicate your business idea on the Internet. What would be the best way to approach your audience?
Tips and tricks: Use the following elements to describe your audience:
- Demographics: such as age, gender, or geographical location.
- Psychographics: Interests, motivations, struggles.
- Information Technology (IT) literacy: beginners, medium, advanced.
Imagine that your target audience is people who have never had social media accounts. Would social media networks approach them?
Step 2. Create your user persona:
- Photo
- Name
- Discoveries of the research phase (demographics, psychographics, and IT literacy)
Step 3. Validate it! Once created, the next step would be to validate it. Don’t consider your users as immutable papers, the motivations and struggles might change over time. Keep your target audience updated and conduct this process every now and then to consolidate how your users/audience is.
You can use the following template to illustrate who is your user persona: