From business to politics, the rails have come off communication. Somewhere along the way, we forgot how to speak clearly, listen carefully, and deliver a message that people can actually understand. Today, elected officials, business leaders, sports figures, media personalities, and even members of our own families struggle to communicate with clarity, purpose, and coherence. Everyone is talking, but very few are truly communicating.
I found this out personally a little over a year ago and again this week. Last fall, I sent admittingly… a harsh letter to my brothers in defense of our parents that are in their eighties and living on the farm with me and my lovely wife. Basically, it was a rant that went something like this…, “hey bro’s, they’re old” quit complaining and bringing your drama to them. Since that time, I’ve seen one of the brother’s multiple times now and not a word has ever been spoken about it. Not a retort, different opinion…, nada. The other two…, not a peep, not “hey, I resent that”, or “up your butt brother you offended me” …, Silencio! So, the nagging question is, was the message received?
Take three of the biggest topics dominating recent headlines, social media feeds, chat rooms, and news broadcasts today: Mid-term elections, AI Data Centers and now the Fauci Files…, Covid 19’s Grand Wizard and policy maker, remember that little fiasco. On one side, we hear constant declarations about winning the AI race and maintaining technological leadership. On the other, critics immediately frame Data Centers as symbols of corporate greed, environmental destruction, or the rise of an elite ruling class. Regardless of where you stand on either issue, something important is being lost in the shouting match: the message itself. All of it intertwined with political positioning, posturing, with no real messaging and clear communication. The same thing happening with the rise of socialist candidates in the upcoming mid-terms and now the unveiling of the Fauci Files. My question is: what’s the message here. So many chirps, no real substance.
The problem is not always the subject. More often than not, it is the delivery.
Last week, I wrote about Gen Z and shift toward socialism. I referred to a good portion of that generation as the “swipe culture” mentality…, a society that lacks creators and is conditioned to consumption of all things including information in seconds and move on even faster. But perhaps the deeper issue is that we have also created a culture incapable of delivering or receiving complete messages. Every story arrives in fragments. Every issue is reduced to talking points. Every debate is compressed into a headline, a meme, or a fifteen-second video clip. The full context is rarely provided, and anyone who asks for what legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey called “the rest of the story” is often immediately labelled a racist, Marxist, or just outright dismissed, or attacked.
Whatever happened to simply talking?
The art of face-to-face conversation is disappearing. The ability to sit across from someone, look them in the eye, and have an honest exchange of ideas has been replaced by texts, chats, emojis, short videos, and endless streams of digital noise. We have convinced ourselves that being connected is the same thing as communicating, when in reality the opposite may be true. We are more connected than ever before and more disconnected than ever before.
Communication is not typing a quick response. It is not firing off an emoji. It is not posting a slogan or sharing a headline that confirms what we already believe. Communication requires listening. It requires patience. It requires the willingness to hear a viewpoint we may disagree with without immediately reaching for outrage. We used to be able to hear a point or counterpoint and decide for ourselves and form our own opinion then just move on, or as we say around our home “let it go.” Not today in America. As an example; You will never convince me that there are more than two genders. Yet, when this discussion arises people will scream at me literally until they collapse trying to convince me otherwise. If someone wrote a well-communicated paper, or actually spoke calmly with facts and science, I would listen and understand the message. It wouldn’t change my mind this late in the game, but I would walk away knowing their position clearly with respect to communicate a clear argument. With that being said, I cannot recall one debate on this subject without it being a screaming match or explosive behavior.
Everywhere we look, people are screaming. Politicians scream at each other. Commentators scream at viewers. Social media users scream at strangers. Families scream across dinner tables. Yet very few people stop long enough to ask whether anyone is actually being heard.
America…, and frankly much of the world, has lost the ability to communicate clearly, precisely, and effectively. We have become reactive rather than thoughtful. We respond before we understand. We argue before we listen. We choose sides before we know any of the facts. Then we wonder why trust in people, institutions, businesses, government, media, and even our own communities continues to erode.
What makes this even more frustrating is that the solution is not particularly complicated. We need to just slow down. Communication is not a race to see who can post, text, or respond first. Listening must once again become as important as speaking. Before reacting to a headline, a political statement, or a social media post, people should seek context and understanding. Ask questions. Gather facts. Challenge your own assumptions before attacking someone else’s. No.no…, today it is full on in-your-face 24/7. The messaging isn’t working, yet every day, rinse and repeat.
We also need to return to direct conversations. A ten-minute phone call often accomplishes more than a week of text messages. A face-to-face discussion can resolve in minutes what endless email chains and chat threads often make worse. When people hear tone, see expressions, and engage in genuine dialogue, misunderstandings decrease and solutions become easier to find. Just this week, I saw a commercial from AT&T that showed a share ride driver looking back at his passenger and said, “if you have time to scroll, you have time for a call”. What a great idea. Get back to basics people., good job AT&T. In fact, just this week…, I took an Uber from the auto repair center to my office and had a nice meaningful chat with a full-time teacher and part-time driver, Crystella from Magnolia, Texas. In a little over forty-five minutes, I learned more about the frustrations of teachers and challenges with kids today from a soft-spoken well-educated person that actually changed my outlook on teachers as a whole. I came to realize my entire perspective of the education system has been manipulated if you will, by Randi Weingarten and the national unions spouting their rhetoric all over media for the last decade. Yet, there I sat and listened, asked questions and received feedback changing my view. Come to find out there are teachers who genuinely care and want to teach. Additionally, they are not all pro this-or-that or all pro-LGBTQ+ either. They have husbands, children and real normal lives. They don’t all agree with that garbage those national union leader spout all the the time. They just want their jobs and to make a difference. See what the media can do to manipulate your opinion.
Leaders, in particular, have a responsibility to improve their communication. Whether they are CEOs, C-Suite leaders, politicians, coaches, pastors, or community leaders, their job is not simply to speak…, it is to ensure they are understood. Too often, leaders rely on slogans, talking points, carefully crafted soundbites, and buzzwords. Real leadership requires explaining not only what is happening, but why it matters, what the consequences are, and how decisions impact the people affected by them. Clear messaging is not a marketing skill. It is a leadership skill.
-You want support of the Iran war…, fine Mr. President…, I agree because I know the history and so does everyone else over the age of sixty. Explain, why it’s necessary with more depth and understanding to the other 80.8% of Americans. -You say were in a race with China over AI and need to build more Data Centers…, elaborate in detail American leaders to the 49.3% who are wigged out about all of it, and not in tune with the digital infrastructure and the necessity it is to Americas future. Use small word please! Help us understand.
Perhaps most importantly, we must relearn how to disagree. Communication is not about winning every argument. It is not about destroying the other side. Although for many people with inflated ego’s it’s has become a national sport. You see it in business, politics, every day. It is supposed to be about exchanging ideas, understanding different perspectives, and finding common ground when possible. A society that cannot tolerate disagreement cannot solve its problems. Progress has always depended on vigorous debate followed by compromise and action. The moment we stop listening is the moment we stop learning.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence continues advancing at an astonishing pace. Machines are becoming better at processing information, identifying patterns, and generating content. Yet as technology grows more sophisticated, our ability to communicate as human beings appears to be diminishing. We cannot allow convenience and speed to replace clarity and understanding. This is particularly disturbing as more people use AI. You receive an email or white paper then enter a query for an summary the ask to generate a response. The result often is even further misunderstanding. AI cannot factor the personality traits, emotion or specific characteristics that all of us humans are made of. It’s cold, it’s impersonal, so responses must be proofed and tailored for individuals.
The irony is that we do not suffer from a lack of information today. We are drowning in information. News is available twenty-four hours a day. Social media updates arrive by the second. AI can generate endless content in moments. Yet despite having more information than any generation in history, understanding, compassion and empathy seems to be in shorter supply than ever.
That is why clear messaging matters.
Clear messaging is the foundation of trust. When messages are confusing, incomplete, contradictory, or intentionally vague, people fill in the blanks themselves…, often with suspicion, misinformation, or fear. Whether discussing AI, Data Centers, energy policy, immigration, education, gender pronouns, or family matters, people deserve communication that is honest, direct, and complete. Facts matter, but so does delivery. A great message is one that people can understand, absorb, and act upon.
The most effective communicators throughout history understood this principle. They did not simply throw information at people. They connected facts with purpose. They explained not just the issue, but why it mattered. They made complicated subjects understandable without oversimplifying them. They informed, inspired, and persuaded without screaming. A good example was the election of Barrack Obama twice. While I didn’t vote for him, I understood the attraction. He was calm, delivered good messaging whether his ideas were sound with fact or not. He came across with clear direction.
Words matter. Delivery matters. Whether you strongly support an idea or fiercely oppose it, the ability to communicate effectively determines whether a message creates understanding or simply becomes more noise. Clear communication fosters discussion. Discussion creates understanding. Understanding makes compromise possible.
The answer is not more shouting. It is not more slogans, hashtags, talking points, or outrage. The answer is simple: slow down, listen, think, and talk. Put down the phone. Turn off the endless stream of noise. Have a conversation.
I lost this battle this week myself. I was overwhelmed, stressed and frustrated trying to convey a message to my business partner(s) about a project we’d devoted to for almost three years of engineering and understanding and now trying to find the parts, pieces and factories to build a workable prototype. It ended in a huge mess based upon a new assumption of data sets and commercial desires. In started off good and end with lots of shouting (Me). Upon conclusion of the endeavor, I found myself beat down completely and very resentful that I was being basically being called out for being cautious which is not normally my personality. What should have happened was a clearly defined outline from all that could have been discussed from everyone’s perspective. Instead, the entire week was wasted with improper messaging and now divisions of priorities. My view was also changed about these persons, whom I care a great deal about. Always worried for their wellbeing, health, family life, and emotional state. That’s all now damaged. All that anyone had to do was wait it out, soak it in, formulate the correct message that would be understood by all parties involved…, we blew that assignment! I’m trying…, but now it’s going to more difficult and harder to trust because of the way I was spoken to. I am real-life work in progress.
The biggest takeaway is, we are not all going to agree. We never have, and we never will. But if we can learn to communicate clearly, honestly, and respectfully, we may discover that many of our problems are not caused by disagreement itself…, they are caused by our inability to discuss those disagreements effectively. This avoids resentment, building walls within ourselves a group or organization or just with people in general. I’ve always tried to be a person that has some humility. I may lead a business, but I try to be sympathetic to what is going on with my coworkers, business partners and such. When I see stress among them, I walk softly and check on their well-being often times allowing the work or assignment to lapse as oftentimes life situations throw curveballs that make it even harder for the person sending communication or receiving it that much more difficult. Unfortunately, those situations usually bite you in the ass when you’re in the same situation. If I’m stressed nobody cares, if I have a personal problem nobody cares. If I’m sick or worried, nobody cares. This is why the messaging matters. AI doesn’t have feeling, humans do.
America does not have an information crisis. It has a communication crisis. Until we learn how to deliver the message with clarity, honesty, and intent, the message itself will continue to get lost in the noise.
And right now, there is far too much noise and far too little communication.
Until next time,
Chris Koch
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