Articulation
may be its core, but try defining communication and most people are at a loss
for words. Understanding communication is even tough. I should know; I’ve
been in the business for decades!
 |
Sunil Gautam
Founder, Hanmer MSL |
Years
ago, when India’s communication industry was taking baby steps, nobody thought
it would take the strides that it eventually did. Today, the industry is worth
millions of dollars and marketing messages are in your face no matter where you
go and what media you consume – billboards dot every pavement, there is
advertising on buses and trains, and the internet, TV and mobile phone are all
carriers of commercial messages.
The
importance of effective communication is now immeasurable in business and in
personal life.
Surprisingly,
then, few books on the subject have been written by Indian authors. Rather, I
should say, not too many good books have been written on the subject by Indian
authors. Most of them read like boring textbooks, offering few insights or
fresh perspectives.
This
is where Chandramouli’s ‘Decoding Communication’ scores. A treatise, it
studies the foundation of communication, the projection of trust and the need
for businesses to tell their stories effectively. It engages and fascinates in
equal parts.
It
explains why communication is more than the mere transmission of a message from
sender to receiver. From a brand perspective, it is often the difference
between success and failure. What else is a brand if not “the manifestation of
an idea”?
It
is clear to us in the industry that the manner in which businesses talk to stakeholders
has a profound effect on quality, productivity, and – most importantly – on
trust. The irony is that this is rarely conveyed effectively.
Decoding
Communication succeeds where others have failed. Stressing that communication
is a science, Chandramouli asserts that its “equilibrium” is not dependent on facts and
logic alone. If it were, humans would be “little more than single-tracked,
logic-blinkered, mechanical automatons”. Communication, then, is the sharing of
a common meaning between sender and receiver. In other words, it is about
persuasion. Effective communication leads to understanding, which in turn leads
to trust – “the umbilical cord of every human connection”.
Any
book by Chandramouli would be incomplete without a chapter on public relations
(PR). After all, he founded Blue Lotus Communication – which has made a mark in
PR for technology, healthcare and finance firms – and i9 Communication, a
fast-growing PR firm in the lifestyle and entertainment space.
Chandramouli
hits the nail on the head when he says, “Tell it, don’t sell it.” He points out
that PR is an “attitude” that forges trust, and story-telling is the best communication
approach.
What
it boils down to is the communication process. Understand that and you will
become an effective communicator. And, it’s the effective communicators that
usually succeed.
Is
‘Decoding Communication’ recommended reading? Let me communicate this as
effectively as I can: Yes."
