Juan-Carlos Molleda on nuance: “How to interpret global issues with local lenses”
This article is part of #CommsConversations, a LinkedIn series where I talk with peers to unpack what it means to build (and rebuild) trust within the organizations we work, communities we live, and institutions we rely on.
The word “nuance” appears a lot in my day-to-day work, mostly because of the challenge of nuance in a world that presently doesn’t appreciate this concept. So, unsurprisingly, it appears again in my conversation with @Juan-Carlos Molleda.
Juan-Carlos is focused on global corporate public relations and serves as the Dean of the School of Journalism and Communications at University of Oregon (go Ducks!). He’s a published author, scholar – and a friend. He joined me to talk about the role of communications within a global landscape, and how the idea of trust shifts depending on international context and norms.
They key take-away for me is to maintain a sense of humility and when it comes to understanding localized opinions, admit that you don’t know what you don’t know.
You can catch our conversation here.
It was great to talk with Juan-Carlos, and these are three snippets that stood out most to me:
- Building trust with employees in a global landscape
“Authentic information from employers, evidence-based information with employers, sometimes these really go a long way to be able to ease the confusion and ease the manipulation that they can face outside the organization. Employers have an opportunity, but especially if you really have authentic communication that speaks to your values and to your true self.”
- Shifting context as trust travels
“Something is happening around trust that is different than before, before trust was understood through the lenses of your local context, but now with technology, we have what is called cosmopolitan audiences.”
- Understanding nuances
“It's not just about language, but also tone, issues of importance, and expectations, and also how to interpret the global issues with local lenses.”
One of the things that struck me at the end of the conversation was that the more you think globally, the more you have to be willing to admit that you don't know anything locally and that you have to bring a sort of humility that says, I don't care how many times I've been to these places, I will not fully understand the local nuance. And, since nuance is core to what we do as communicators, I need to not only work harder to understand it, but collaborate with those regional experts that can teach me.