• The Way of Delivery: Separating Presentation from Content

    by Alexander Becker on September 05, 2006 | Link

    In social interaction of any kind, it's never about what is said but it is always about how the message is delivered. Marshall McLuhan's the medium is the message works in one-on-one communication just as well as it is applied in its original media context.

    Nobody pays attention to the actually exchanged content. To exaggerate just slightly, there is only so much content to communicate but there is a whole world of accompanying emotions, feelings, there are infinite possibilities for your conversational partner to perceive your communication before even receiving the actual content.

    The social human being is amazingly fine-tuned and extremely alert when it comes to replies, the recipient's reactions, and the specific means of delivery. Almost all disputes -- think about the last argument you witnessed or were involved in -- are about how things are said. It's never about what it is you care about, and always about how and that you do care about things.

    When you remember a conversation, the most sticking fact is the way it was conducted. You recall positively any interaction when it takes place in a positive manner or in a friendly atmosphere -- even when the subject isn't pleasurable at all.

    Unfortunately -- at the same time and from a slightly different angle -- fortunately, it is the case that manner is more lasting because it is socially more important than matter. Please note that we are talking about observations from the real world, this is not the way life is supposed to be or an idealized version but a reflection of everyday experience.

    Whatever you say, leave the best impression you can. Deliver with tact, carefully chose your tone and your voice, pay attention to your gestures and to your posture, for your body language often transmits more meaning than the simultaneously spoken word, do not hesitate to smile and whatever it is about, you will at least get away with it.

    I am not suggesting to falsely smile or pretend to be cheerful when in reality you are not. The opposite is true: Completely separate style from content, the presentation is not the message. The semantics are reserved and exclusively contained in the tangible part of the message.

    While it is true that you cannot communicate a message -- content -- without any stylistic means -- presentation -- it is possible to exchange presentation or style without content. Think politics, think marketing, think -- I should be able to create an article like this one without including any real content, made up and consisting of nothing more than stylistic devices...

    Erik Spiekermann is absolutely right when he states that you cannot not communicate. On the other hand, you can perfectly communicate nothing and still have valid -- yet empty -- communication. The difference is that empty communication is guaranteed to receive more praise than meaningful content.

    Tags

    If you liked this post, please take the time to bookmark it on del.icio.us or vote for it on Digg. Thank you! You can also get free updates , send feedback, or browse the archives for more.

Subscribe to WOW to have the latest articles conveniently delivered for free. You can also subscribe to WOW by E-mail.

Previous Posts

Free Download

Peer pressure, vanity and behavior, motivation tricks and hacks, success and pain, and how to excel, Celebrate Your Beauty -- whatever it takes. Download your free ebook.