What is the right mix of clarity, emotion, and diplomacy? Communicate as clearly as possible and as emotionally as necessary – or the other way around?

Good communication conveys information in such a way that the recipient understands it the way the emitter intended. Good communication creates emotion, motivates, creates trust, and builds bridges between people, organizations, countries and different cultures, always appropriate to the event. Good communication creates good relationships and helps make our world a better one.

One doesn’t have to be a diplomat in order to be able to communicate well. But some principles and approaches that are self-evident in diplomacy can be helpful to good communication. What does diplomacy have to do with communication? A whole lot in my opinion.

For example the basic attitude of constantly asking oneself: Who is behind the functionaries or the target audience that I want to convey a message to or that I want to win for something?

We endeavor to stage communication as perfectly as possible, to develop communications plans, cascades, Q&A catalogs, to publish the perfect photograph, to create the coolest video. In doing so we sometimes forget the people we are actually trying to reach.

Before the diplomat tries to sell his message or to solve communication issues, he pays attention to the following: The person is at the center. Because each opinion maker, each opinion leader, each stakeholder is also a person with their own interests, tendencies, worries, hardships, and concerns. A diplomat considers this in his communication.

People want clear messages, presented in an easily workable way. This in turn requires empathy in communication, clarity in language, and the courage to emotionalize when fitting.

These and similar subjects were discussed as part of the conference “communicating and inspiring” on September 19, 2012 in Vienna, organized by SVWP in cooperation with the City of Vienna and the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI). The series of conferences “Anticipatory Communication” was held for the 13th time at Vienna City Hall.