The varied reactions to the iPhone 5 unveiling are a great reminder to all communicators:
Communication never happens in a vacuum.
No one — and I mean no one — watched the Apple keynote event and evaluated the new phone strictly on its own merits, without any bias or prejudice.
Whether you were impressed, thrilled, intrigued, disappointed, bored, or outright critical, the seeds of that reaction were planted long before September 12. You filtered the phone and its unveiling through your experiences, expectations, values, finances, etc. and you drew the conclusion that seemed obvious to you.
You did this because communication never happens in a vacuum. Audiences simply do not render themselves as blank canvases unto a communicator — not because we’re necessarily unwilling, but rather because we’re likely incapable.
Now, if you can accept this idea when you play the role of audience (as with the iPhone announcement), what does it mean for you when you play the role of communicator?
Scott McClellan is the Editor of Echo Hub and the Director of Echo Conference. You can follow him on Twitter: @scottmcclellan.