M. G. Arun, Bureau Chief, Indian Express reviews Decoding Communications

M.G. Arun (or MG) , is the Bureau Chief with The Financial Express since 2000. He is a veteran journalist and was with the Jasubhai Media Group for two years before that. 


Here's what he says about Decoding Communications: 


"Great effort! That's what I would like to tell you in short about the book.  It reflects painstaking research, a scientific attempt to decode communications and the various factors that make it work. At the same time, you have thrown in enough examples, anecdotes and instances that makes it an interesting read. It's not a book to read once and keep away. The research that's gone behind it should make it a good reference for professionals and starters alike. 

I am thrilled by these sentences:

Understanding trust is like understanding the DNA of relationships, as it gives an insight into the relationship between humans and everything else. Trust is like the universal platform of human engagement - understand it, and you will realize that it is the umbilical cord of every human connection.
----
The current day concept of focused communication (promotion) is, ‘Don’t tell it. Sell it’. Good communications, however, works towards idea acceptance. The more natural this process is, the better the acceptance. Therefore it should not seem or be forced. If an idea
has to be well communicated, the rule to use is quite the opposite, “Don’t sell it. Tell it.”
----

I totally agree. Trust is the essence of great communication. And great communication is all about understanding and empathy. Only trust, supported by values and uncompromising quality, can nourish empathy and understanding.

I liked your comment about people proclaiming to be "most trusted", when they have hardly created an awareness. They should learn from some household brands like Dettol, Godrej locks, Gillette blades, Vicks Vaporub. I trust them because my Dad trusted them too, I trust them because I know they are unique in that space, it's difficult for me to think of an alternative, and an alternative product would be far too 'inferior'. Advertising, huge retail push, product novelty - many things would have contributed for getting my 'mindshare', but then, there is one unique element that distinguish them - these brands have lived up to my trust - consistently. That's no communication gimmick. That's a great effort to provide that unflinching quality, over decades.

I do hope organisations realise that before they splurge on advertisements and promotions to be 'known' and 'trusted' by all! "

What attributes should Ethos, Pathos and Logos messages have?

(Extract from the forthcoming book Decoding Communications)

Book review: Preeti Vyas, Chairwoman of Vyas Giannetti Creative on Decoding Communications

VGC has garnered many accolades since its inception a decade ago. It was ranked as the top 10 design agencies in India  by Economic Times. VGC is also a prominent case study in Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad.

"Decoding Communications has been a great read. The parallels drawn between the evolution of human communication and the subsequent evolution of the communications media help setup what is an absorbing read for anyone looking to get a clear idea on the communications industry.

I do feel that students and professionals will especially enjoy reading this as it really helps the reader understand the many facets of communications and branding and does justice to each speciality. This book is a great example of demystifying communications. Simple, straightforward and downright logical."

Preeti Vyas, Chairwoman of Vyas Giannetti Creative, is widely regarded as one of India’ s foremost creative minds. In 1997 VGC was launched by her with the aim to transform the marketplace using Strategic Design and Communication solutions.

Preeti says ‘Only that design which is good for your business is good design. And we call it Designomics’

Her many achievements include: A member of the India Design Council, she is named as one of the leading creative minds of India by an Economic Times Report, she is ranked amongst India's Greatest Brand Builders by CMO Asia. Amongst the 25 most powerful women in India by Business Today. Amongst the 50 most influential women by Verve magazine. Award winning supporter of women entrepreneurs. Jury member at Cannes, New York Advertising Festival and Sri Lanka’ s first International creative awards. Indian representative at Indian Creative Showcase at Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Book Review: Mitch Kent, Global PR Head, Hay Group

The Hay Group is a consultancy that operates from 47 countries and has 2700 employees globally. It offers organizational and human resources consulting services; it helps its clients design organizational structures that are in line with business strategy, clarify roles and responsibilities, develop and retain talented leaders, measure the value of various kinds of work, and set up effective performance management processes.  The firm was founded in 1943 as Edward N. Hay and Associates. (www.haygroup.com)

Mitch Kent,
Global PR Head,
Hay Group

"Chandramouli has written a fascinating book about both the evolution of communications in humans and how that evolution has manifested itself in today’s world.  He understands well how consumers choose the brands they choose and how the art of effectively telling a story is one of the most powerful selling tools available today."

Gourab Banerji, Additional Solicitor General of India, on Decoding Communications

"I have read Decoding Communications with profit and with interest.

Gourab Banerji

ADDITIONAL SOLICITOR GENERAL OF INDIA

It combines a theoretical basis for understanding communication with practical insights. It ought to be required reading for anyone in public life."

Understanding 'Popularity' better

(extract from the forthcoming book, Decoding Communications)

A person is said to be popular when that person is perceived as attractive or pleasant, and is widely liked. Popularity is used as a proxy for the publics’ estimate of one’s perceived social rank, and it builds from aspects discussed earlier, like self-worth, self-confidence and achievement. Brands, people, companies, children, even animals, actively seek social inclusion or popularity, and a ‘higher’ social rank. 

The importance of Popularity is reinforced in early childhood, especially in school, where Popularity means implicit inclusion. The other benefits of being popular are also quite evident which include friends, liking, positive reinforcement, building self-confidence. The lack of popularity brings the pain of social exclusion, and being subject to social-meanness or relational aggression, seen most in children who many times tend to be cruel without realizing it (and also in several adults who display aggressive social behavior).

When enough people have a strong positive attraction towards a Brand, it gains ‘Popularity’. A Brand’s memetic acceptance by a significant many, makes it Popular. However, Popularity, this social rank accorded by the audience, keeps changing as it is constantly being re-evaluated. Small wrong actions or even inaction (where action was expected) can diminish Popularity significantly. The key to building Popularity lies in appropriately creating and communicating the Brand Appeal, the intrinsic attraction-quotient that every Brand processes. 

(to know more on such subjects, please follow this blog)

Vinod Nair, MD, Network Advertising on Decoding Communications

[Network Advertising is an independent agency which has handled several prestigious clients. It believes in being the 'most respected agency'. Vinod Nair, heads the agency.]

Vinod Nair
Managing Director
Network Advertising

"Having spent over two decades in the wonderful world of communication and brand building, it is now evident to me that there is nothing exact in this field. Chandramouli’s book however is a fantastic attempt at demystifying the process of building a great brand. A brand as he says is the ‘manifestation of an idea’. Decoding Communications is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the process and the discipline of brand building – right from the stage of the conception of the brand idea to its nurturing over its entire lifecycle. It will not only provide valuable insights to the newbies, but also help get fresher perspectives to the experts in the field."

Sam Balsara's (Chairman and Managing Director, Madison Group) review of Decoding Communications

[Madison World is a 24-year old diversified communication group, with 24 units across 10 specialized functions of Advertising, Media, Business Analytics, Out-Of-Home, PR, Rural, Retail, Entertainment, Mobile and Sports; employing over 1,000 communication professional across cities in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The gross billing of Madison World is Rs. 30 billion.]

Sam Balsara

CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR

MADISON GROUP

“Decoding Communications is an excellent read for both students and practitioners of communication. It helps provide a conceptual framework to better understand what we do intuitively and why it works and sometimes doesn't. Chandramouli needs to be complimented on coming up with this alongside running two successful companies. The purpose of all business is to create 'Trust' and if it succeeds in doing that, business succeeds.”

Probir Roy, Co-Founder Paymate, reviews Decoding Communications

PayMate is a Mumbai based wireless transactions platform provider founded by entrepreneurs Ajay Adiseshann and Probir Roy. PayMate is funded by Venture Capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sherpalo Ventures and Mayfield Fund. Some companies that are a part of their portfolios are Google, AOL, Amazon, Sun Microsystems and SanDisk among others. PayMate has offices in India, USA, Sri Lanka, Nepal and UAE making it the single largest M- Commerce company in the sub continent, offering customized mobile payment solutions in each market with local partners. 

Probir Roy, Co-Founder, Paymate

“In the dynamic business environment of today where perception is often mistaken for reality. Chandramouli provides a ready-reckoner for the corporate chieftain to remain honest to the latter.

Peers, clients, practioners and students who read this will not only learn about communications and brand building, but also about themselves. A Must Read”.

Attitudes in Trust

Our attitudes of Trust result from an intricate mix of instinct, perception and learned behavior, paradigms of which start developing just after birth. A child’s model for intimate relationships and trust begins with the love and affection demonstrated to it by the parents and others. The importance of instinctive responses of a mother cooing to the infant, or the parental response to the child’s failure, in building trust cannot be understated. These are the building blocks of creating a trusting attitude (or a lack of it) in the child and become the base for all future social interactions as the child grows. The act of ‘play’, one of the most important instructive tools for children, is also an important social school for the child, helping seed Trust in the child beyond the ‘known-and-comfortable’ family circle.

Trust is like a river, and its continuous flow is necessary for the trust bond to remain intact without drying up. Like water, Trust moves through paths of least resistance in the relationship and minute drops of Trust coalesce over time adding to the cascade. Once the critical-mass of flow is achieved, Trust becomes a living force, capable of auto-generating ‘life’ in the relationship. Since a constant flow is needed for trust to exist, Trust requires continuous replenishment, without which it will gradually dry up. Building trust is less an act of creating, and more an act of ‘accumulation’ as it crosses the barriers (of mistrust and doubt) transforming it to a strong and table bond.

So why does a trustor take such an enormous risk of making himself  'vulnerable' with no immediate and tangible payback?

Though it defies logic, there seems to be a natural tendency in the trustor to accept this vulnerability ignoring innate drives of self-preservation. In fact, if Trust were not among the most important aspects necessary for life and community behavior, it might not have become so indispensable and prevalent. 

Like everything else, the act of Trusting has its benefits and disadvantages. Though Trust makes one vulnerable, it visibly increases the trustor’s chances of survival and propagation of the individual as well as the community at large. 

(extract from the forthcoming book 'Decoding Communications')

John Goodman President, Ogilvy Action Asia Pacific & Regional Director, Ogilvy & Mather on Decoding Communications

Ogilvy Action is the World's largest activation agency and John is an Ogilvy veteran having worked in London, Prague, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tokyo and Bangkok during his 21 years with the agency. His experience crosses all core communications disciplines, and he has worked with almost every major international client on the Ogilvy roster.

John Goodman, President,
Ogilvy Action (Asia-Pacific),
Regional Director, Ogilvy & Mather

"Congratulations to Chandramouli on this valuable contribution to modern marketing communications...people will find it valuable."

Cover design of Decoding Communications - penultimate version

DECODING COMMUNICATIONS
Book cover - Penultimate version.4

DECODING COMMUNICATIONS
Book cover - previous version.3

The Left hand image is the last but one version of the cover design. The previous version to this is shown in the Right Hand image.

The final version which is being recreated (meaning redrawn starting from scratch) with the penultimate version as its base will have better space alignment,   with focus on aesthetics. If this grasps the imagination of this blog's readers, I am confident it will have a good impact on the book shelves as well.

The sneak-peek of the contents page

DECODING COMMUNICATIONS

Communications is a universal remedy. It helps bridge relationships, sustains knowledge, and also makes chance more predictable. Communications builds a nourishing environment for organizations, brands and individuals to grow. Businesses, brands and individuals, all need to understand communications better in order to impact their own futures.

Decoding Communications is a fascinating journey that turns everyday experiences into revelations, and it demonstrates how communications can help make best use of opportunities.

The book also covers  new communication theories like Trust Matrix, Brand Appeal, Organizational Maturity Model, and 4 Cs Leadership Model, explained simply to apply them in business lifecycles. Decoding Communications is an important read for all communicators – the brand custodians, spokespersons, communication agencies, teachers and students alike. 

The sneak-peak of the contents page of Decoding Communications is here for your exclusive viewing. I am thinking of putting up the synopsis of each of these chapters up for the regular visitors to this blog. 

Please write in in case you would like to view these...

	C   O    N    T    E    N    T     S
Introduction	Sigma bonds to Ethos & Pathos
1	Communications
2	Trust – The basis of everything
3	Trust in Business
4	What is a Brand?
5	Brand Appeal
6	Sustainable Communications
7	Perception, Thinking and influence
8	Propaganda
9	Public Relations
10	Why must organizations communicate
11	4 Cs Leadership Model
Conclusion	Tell it, Don't sell it
	Glossary
	Bibliography

Dr. Frank-Jurgen Richter's thoughts on 'Decoding Communications'

Among the early reviews of Decoding Communications from Dr. Frank-Jurgen Richter, Chairman, Horasis: The Global Visions Community (http://www.horasis.org). 


[Prior to founding Horasis, Dr. Richter was a Director of the World Economic Forum. During this time he has developed an extensive experience and knowledge on the world's economic, business and political scene and of its key players. Under his leadership, the Forum's Summits in Asia and the Asia part of 'Davos' have evolved to facilitate the exchange of expertise between leaders in business, government, and civil society.]


Dr. Richter writes: 

"Decoding Communications uses analysis, humor, and compelling storytelling to explain the magic of communications. Rigorously researched, this is the indispensable guide to impact individual and organizational destiny."

About Horasis:

Horasis: The Global Visions Community is an independent international organization committed to enacting visions for a sustainable future.

Horasis is a visions community - together with our members we explore, define, and implement trajectories of sustainable growth. Horasis provides strategic foresight to public and private entities who envisage growing into global and sustainable organizations.

Horasis hosts annual meetings to advance solutions to the most critical challenges facing corporations today. Participants jointly identify globally relevant business issues and develop sophisticated and interdisciplinary solutions. Participants then leverage these solutions to enhance corporate performance and long-term growth.

Among the participants are the Chief Executive Officers of the world's most respected corporations as well as key business leaders from emerging markets. Also participating are renowned thought leaders and relevant public figures including heads of government and ministers.

Horasis is using its unrivalled history of partnership with corporations from emerging markets to create a powerful platform for cooperation between emerging and developed markets. From the first meeting in 2005, annual gatherings have been held around the globe. The flagship events are theHorasis Annual Meeting as well as regional summits focusing on China, India,Russia and the Arab world.

Phase by phase steps of the cover design

The book cover design started with a concept sent by Hemant (Bacteria Designs). It was finally decided that the cover of Decoding Communications would be a symbol made of words and symbols. We needed symbol units that could become a part of a larger symbol - the book cover itself.

My scribbling habit was finally put to some use and I doodled out some symbols that represented concepts in the book. I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I sent the phone-camera snap of the doodle to Hemant soon after it was done. Then on his request, I further sent some sentences and 'equations'  that would help create the cover.

The initial thought that Hemant had was to draw the design on a blackboard with chalk. He even said, "I think slate-chalk will be better as it will give a better feel". First on paper, then drawn to scale on blackboard. And then finally photographed. That was the plan.b

He took these symbols and then roughly drew them (with an electronic pencil) on a diagram of a face replacing all the facial lines with words and sentences. The very first draft that we saw looked like the picture below on the right. I never could visualize without having something do visualize with and so it was very helpful. It gave an idea of what could be expected.

After this there was one more draft made. And this one looks like the picture on the left.  The face became more artistic, the symbols more real. The title Decoding Communications was typefaced in yellow. Hemant's version is that this makes a 'no-nonsense' combination. His next pencil drawing was scanned, reversed on the computer and given the effect that you see (the idea of blackboard and chalk was dropped after trying it out).  This was getting closer to what we wanted. Much closer.

If this works, from my point-of-view, the masterpiece has already been created. While the full image viewed in entirety looks like a face (Greek actually), every written word and drawn symbol is a critical concept from the book itself.

One part I particularly like in the version given above are the eyes - they represent what metaphors are. Its actually the metaphor that shows the Neils-Bohr atomic model  explained by the solar system. The right eyeball is the solar system and the one on the left is the atom with electrons moving around it. Nice.

After this version was touched up, more symbols added, lines corrected, contexts created, the draft was finally approved.

Hemant is now working to redo the entire design in pencil (see right hand side image). This is likely to develop into the final version. This image will be created such that the face has a high aesthetic appeal. After this, it will be reversed on the computer, with blackboard-chalk and more effects added. Then we'll have the final cover design.

Who said you should not judge a book by its cover?  

A good book needs a good editor

I never thought this would turn into a how-to blog, but it does seem to be going that way - fingers tugging the mind! But if you promise to keep me on my toes, I promise to limit the how-to parts to just a few.

Most think that authoring a book is about writing it. That's only half the job. The rest of it is in the editing, designing, publishing, distributing, promoting, etc. And its quite an overwhelming world out there. And to bring clarity, it is important to discuss the most important of these first - the editor.

The first partner I searched for was an editor. A good editor serves the role of a partner to the book who not only knows the language the book is written in, but also understands the subject. For business books, if the editor is an avid reader of books, blogs and journals on the subject it adds even more value to the editing. The more the editor represents the prespective of the subject the better the editing.

In the case of Decoding Communications the reader is a typical communicator. A CEO-spokesperson, an agency professional, or a student. So I naturally needed an editor of all three profiles rolled in one. After several unsuccessful attempts, in 2011 beginning, I zeroed in on one. One who fit the profile quite well, and also did a good job of it. He was a little slow for an impatient me - but that was more because he was an editor-by-moonlight, than because of lack of will. But what he churned out was good, so I trudged along.

Chapter one was fairly swift, and the second came at the speed he promised. But as we went on to Chapter Three the flow became painfully slow. By Chapter 4, I had had several meetings with him urging him to speeden things up. But the exact opposite happened. He finshed fourth chapter and became totally incommunicado. Vamoosed!

Stuck mid-way.

You get comfortable with one style of editing, and as an author it is quite a challenge to adjust to a different style. So, having just 25% of your book edited, is like not having started at all. To maintain the style, structure and flow, you have to get the entire book edited all over again with the new editor. In editing, its all or nothing.

I started my search for an editor in the genre of my book again. I was looking for people who could edit communications, marketing or even general business as a last resort. No luck for 6 months - though I met a few, none passed my test of editing Chapter 1.

Then finally, I sent out one more last sms to an old friend, asking her to recommend an editor to me. She smsed back, "Ahem... Me? :-) ". That's how Pritsikha Anil became the editor of Decoding Communications.

Chapter check over, she went about the book's editing with energy and enthusiasm that completely rejuvenated me (and the book as well). Chapters going back-and-forth, ideas being discussed, and cuts and tucks adding to the final flavour of the book. And the final outcome gave me complete satisfaction as an author.

The book, Decoding Communications, is about thoughts and ideas. The editor is one such important idea stimulant for the book. Once you find a good editor, most of your post-production is automatically taken care of. If anyone is using this blog as steps to take for their own book, I would only suggest this - 'Choose your editor with the greatest care. Rest will take care of itself.'

On naming a book

Its taken three years, almost every weekend and holiday, and several weekdays; but the 50,000 words are finally over. Edited and ready for design flow.

A book never finishes in the same way that one imagined it at the start. The words begin to have a life of their own, tugging the fingers to type words that the mind has yet to comprehend. The title too, never remains the one that the author started with. It evolves and molts, till you finally see one that feels right, and start feeling comfortable with it. And usually, that one stays. 

As chapters keep getting added and shuffled, the name comes back in question. Of the three ways to name a book (i.e. in the beginning, in the end, or letting it evolve as the book-writing happens), starting with a title comes with more than a little trouble than the rest. 

Each time you make a structural change in the book (of which there are plenty!), not only does the name come into question, but all the contexts within the book with regard to the title also have to be changed. This is often, the most unnecessary time spent on the book. So, I would ideally prefer to name the book in the end. 

But, naming the book in the end, has a bigger issue (at least for me). I cannot seem to think unless I have a title to start with (and naturally it also means that I cannot allow the name to evolve as I write). So the method I adopted, was to begin with one. 

It changed. At least 6 times. And each time, wherever the context of the content referred to the title, that too had to go through a change. But finally, I have managed to settle onto the final name for my book on communications. 

Decoding Communications - that's what it is finally called.