Blog Post by Joe Babaian

Does intent matter in the world of authentic communication?

Today, as every day, I am inspired and encouraged by the depth of community collaboration and growth here at #hcldr and our extended communities – great folks in such a wide and diverse group!

This got me thinking about communication versus broadcast – not just in the tech community online but in our entire extended community. I don’t feel this phenomenon is restricted to just tech by any means.

Take a look at this photo and immediately think of the top three feelings you have in response. I’ll start with mine:

1. One-way communication

2. Exciting Information

3. Loud

We’ve all been in this situation – a rousing speech, a great panel, an inspiring “meeting” that seems to be all about broadcast and not so much about authentic communication or conversation. Of course, we agree that educational situations can include a lot of seemingly one-way communication initially – but if we want maximum effectiveness, even these interactions should and must become mutual. If they don’t, are we getting and sharing the maximum value?

It’s a challenge of leadership, #empathy, and authenticity to make the jump from excessive broadcast to actual communication. I love this definition of communication:

Two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information, news, ideas and feelings but also create and share meaning.

This idea of communication is much more than exchanging information but creating and sharing meaning. This is about as far from simply broadcasting our ideas as possible. I love and value the intake of new and inspiring information – there is no doubt – but who among us hasn’t watched an outstanding panel and was itching to have a conversation with some or all of the speakers?

I saw this great definition of authentic communication that resonates. Does it move you as well? We’d love to hear your comments and engagement!

Let’s take these thoughts and ideas into the discussion tonight as the #hcldr community and our friends come together for our weekly conversation.

Please join us Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at 8:30 pm ET as we discuss the following topics:

• T1: How do authentic, engaged conversations enhance healthcare in the face of rapid change and innovation? Examples?
• T2: What impact does the broadcast method of conversations have on engagement and further discussion? Is content king or does quantity make up for the deficit?
• T3: What are some secrets to authentic communication and what are the tangible benefits?
• T4: How might communities and organizations respond to the need for more authentic communication in the face of more-is-better?

Image Credit: Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash