I was looking at my email and counting how many items of the usual 10 or 15 per morning are from people I care about or even people I know. Usually about 1 or 2 only. I realize that my blog may be classified as impersonal and/or boring and/or irrelevant to anything that matters to you. But if I write directly to you, you will probably be more interested in the content of the message. The email I get that is not personal falls into two categories: requested news and comment and unrequested advertising.
Just about my favorite TED talk is the one by Ernesto Sirolli called "Want to help somebody? Shut up and listen!". He and his first group went from Italy to Africa to help and his talk explains what it usually takes to help people do something. He was offering something but his talk explains that you have to get to know the people to know what might help them. You have to hang around with them and understand their way of living. He explains that when you blow into town and advertise all over town about your informative meetings, you shouldn't expect the best people to attend. They have their own ideas and you have to fit your aid into their trust, their expectations and their ideas.
Sirolli talks about visiting with people in their favorite cafes and gathering places. Most businesses and organizations don't have the leisure or patience to do something like that. So, they try to tell people about their great products, their great prices, their great bargains and "deals" using some sort of advertising.
Today, a wide variety of methods and media are being used to communicate with people. If we are going to tell people about what we are offering, we can try to use mailed paper, radio, or tv but we might try skywriting or communicating by text, email or web site. We might try many ways of sending a message and the message might be tailored or colored or laid out differently for different media. My insightful friend asked a panel of four professional communicators what their job titles were but they couldn't tell him. In the words of a recent announcement, organizations today are often involved with a "range of media".
Put those words in a Google search and you might be surprised at the number and variety of ways that there are. Given that some people check their phones for text messages but don't turn on their computer much and virtually never look at their other email addresses, getting a message to them is not easy nor guaranteed.
Notice the difference between "telling" people and "listening" to people. True, there are many, many attempts to get 'feedback' but most that I have seen are artificial and too structured. If I have nothing to say, don't ask me to rate my experience on a 5 point scale.
You may be aware that writing teachers have been saying for years to "show" rather than "tell". Maybe it would be good to show me why using your shovel or eating your grapes would be the better choice. I wonder if your grapes are actually more expensive and less tasty than his, if it would be a good idea to just say so and beg people to buy yours, for the sake of your business and your hungry kids.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
Twitter: @olderkirby
