Bring out the Hi-Fi
Fidelity of communication refers to the number of signals a medium can contain. A low-fidelity option like a telegram has very few signals to interpret the meaning. A high-fidelity option like an in-person meeting has a ton.
In pre-digital times, there were three basic options for communicating:
- Live meetings
- Phone calls
- Corporate memos
Today, we’ve got it all. Instant messages, emoji, channel posts, recorded video, live stream, email, TikTok, stories, and more.
Imagine a sound engineer going from a switch with three settings to a 100 channel mixer.
That’s what we are asking from digital leaders right now. Mastering digital communication requires the skills of a professional sound engineer.
- Start with a simple text message you must interpret.
- Add emoji and suddenly the meaning changes or enriches.
- Add audio and now you get signals like tone, accent, and pauses.
- Add video and now you have body language and facial cues.
- Add real-life and now you are reading the energy in the room and true eye contact.
Low-fi messages are durable, quick, and don’t require scheduling.
Hi-fi messages contain lots of meaning and offer more genuine connection.
A skilled digital communicator needs to know how to work the board.
- Turn up the fidelity when you sense some aggression in the tone of the email you are typing.
- Turn it down when you notice you are getting distracted on video calls and need to take a walk while you talk.
- Turn it up when you catch yourself trying to be witty with a sarcastic comment that might be misinterpreted.
- Turn it up when people are feeling isolated and lonely.
- Turn it down when they are feeling burned out.
On our podcast, Nancy Duarte mentioned how communicators need to think beyond just about matching the medium and the message. Now you’ve got to read the room as well and find out what people need from this message.
Digital leaders have a lot to learn, and unfortunately there’s no going back to simple switches. The best communicators have a good feel for the board and know how to bring in new elements as they come.
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