Deconstructing the Synergistic Experience

To think of the foolhardy confidence with which I paraded around before taking this class throws me into perilous fits of vertigo. Communications, I would think to myself, is my specialty. The stringing together of words to form sentences and sentences to form paragraphs was where my poise was rooted; it was what helped me stand straight through the monotony of everyday living. Paragraphs acted as my very currency. Now, my confidence, that false confidence, has been shattered; the shutters in the dark attics of my mind were wrenched back, allowing fantastic light to pour in. I tell you this to show the intense pressure you put on me, asking for a mere two key pieces of information when my education has covered such an awesome spectrum. However, I endeavor to please.

I found the most intriguing subject matter was the knowledge imparted on us regarding consulting, specifically how to engage clients who are not interested in a communication plan. Through all the courses I have taken in this program I have constantly hungered for practical information that seemed readily applicable to a career within Public Relations. I am the last person (or at least in the back half of the queue) who would dare denounce theory. However, when ‘doing’ is ones objective, being told ‘how to do’ can most beneficial. I learned, through this segment of the course, the importance of embarking upon a client relationship with confidence in both the ability and necessity of a communication plan.

By nurturing the feeling of confidence as a communicator, and in communication planning, I would be more effective at addressing situations in the workplace. By understanding the benefits of a communication plan, and allowing oneself to feel comfortable walking away from an over eager client (one more interested in tactics than measures), allows me to make wiser decisions for both myself and for a client I am working with. That is, if a client were to ever choose to work with me.

The second key piece of information I have taken away from this course, and one that I have already found myself applying within my other courses, is the difference between communication objectives and organizational objectives. I have found that without a healthy dose of vigilance the distinction between these two types of objectives is easily neglected. While organizational objectives aid the company and its progress, they are not things that can be dealt with solely through communications. Communication objectives aid in organizational objectives, but are their own entity. Through the completion of communication objectives organizational objectives might be aided, but the distinction between the two remains important.

An understanding of the difference between these two types of goals is of great benefit while working within an organization. If a communicator were to take on an organizational objective, the chances of failure become quite high. Instead, and in order to build credibility for the communicator, achievable objectives, which are attainable through communications, must be set. By understanding the distinction between organizational and communication objectives, ensuring the later are chosen, and finally making these objectives achievable, a communicator does a service, not only to themselves, but, to the profession as a whole.

While these two points have been key, and greatly cherished, towards my education, they are only two shades within the spectrum of my learning. By looking at only these two points, as in looking at only the green and the blue in a rainbow, we miss out on the beauty that makes up the entirety of this class. The intermingling of anecdotal observances with the straight-forward tips and tricks regarding the writing of communication plans are really what gives this course its luster. So, while the points I have shared remain my most memorable, I prefer to step back and view this experience as the mosaic it is: nothing standing out as paramount to the display, but instead a synergy of colours creating a knowledge more powerful than any single piece of information.