In my last post I described five spheres of communication: hide, allude, refer, state, act. Taking action is one of the clearest communication styles. How can you really be understood (or understand) unless there is action? Further to those thoughts is the concept of repeated action as related to finding your voice and making it heard.
I didn't really understand the power of communicating by action until I moved to the United States from Canada three years ago. Why were people so gung-ho to be advocates for causes, stand up for their presidential choice, and even fly their flag in their front yard? I wasn't sure I approved of the actions of the new culture I'd come to live in. They were stating things I didn't like and because they stated them so adamantly I felt compelled to comply to their opinions. I was used to people stating things so directly only about important issues while the American friends I met would be emphatic about even the smallest things! This struggle in part is why I write about this here. My own journey to finding my voice is not just found in alluding to it (like many Canadians are prone to do), but actually stating what I want and taking action toward it.
Water re-acting upon the shore at Point Reyes, California. ©2010 Bethany Vanderputten
React
"To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction." - Isaac Newton
How do I know you understand my endeavors unless you respond to me in some way? And how can I truly elicit a response when I am being a passive communicator? There are some people that enjoy circling a subject... but what does that do but bring frustration on your listener? (Unless, like I examined in my last post, they enjoy exploring a mystery).
This brings me to the next step: React. Re-act. Make the same action. Say the same thing. Again and again. There is power in persistence. If your audience doesn't understand you, or hasn't heard you the first time, say it again! Perhaps, depending on your chosen voice, this repetition on your part is a re-allusion, or re-referral. Whatever works! Just make it repeatable. As I am personally comfortable in allusion, I'll allude to a subject in one way, and then another, and then another. But every time I am "re-alluding" in the same subject. This builds trust with your viewer or your audience.
Re-hide. Re-allude. Re-refer. Re-state. Re-act. These are valuable steps to creating a strong voice. How can you find your voice and only say something once?! Use it. Practice it. In time your communication style will become clearer to both you and your listeners. But don't be afraid to use other levels if your preferred style doesn't get the message across to your intended audience. Some prefer more passive communication styles, and others more overt.
I believe the clearest form of communication is to act. And to clarify, re-act. (Just don't be surprised if your audience reacts in a more passive voice).
