Today I was fortunate enough to participate in “Focus on the Future: Global Engagement, Department of State-Department of Defense Worldwide Strategic Communications Seminar” (no link available). Some of our nation’s top public affairs officers, diplomats and communication leaders convened in Washington, DC to discuss the future of strategic communications domestically and abroad.
Discussions were both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Below are ten insights that I noted during the seminar that can be instructive to all of us immersed in communications, new media and 2.0. I’ve purposely left these insights unattributed to respect the privacy of the speakers and the sanctity of this “off the record” event.
- Strategic communications is a process, not a product.
- We’re in an intense period of corporate Darwinism.
- Be “preactive”–different from “proactive”–shape the story rather than be reactive.
- It’s not what you say that matters, it’s what they understand that matters.
- It’s hearts and minds, not minds and hearts: people are moved by their emotions, first and foremost.
- Define yourself to your audience before they define you.
- Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
- Make yourself easy to steal: put information out there that others will want to use and mashup.
- We can’t expect people to come to us; we need to go to them.
- The Digital Natives are restless…
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