Definitions
Communication is the act of conveying a message. Innovation is the action of doing something different. One is to take your target audience to a common place: to know what you are presenting. The other is to take people out of the ordinary: to do things differently, to look for something new. And, once again, there seems to be no possible relationship between these two disciplines. Really?
Communication is the most primordial and, perhaps, primitive act of human beings. To make oneself understood, to inspire, to motivate, to involve is almost an automatic activity that we do not even realise we are doing. Automatic in the sense that we do it in different ways. So different that we don’t even pay attention to the act. We communicate through words, audio, text, gestures, symbols, expressions and so many other ways that I could spend hours here citing. Such a simple act, but one that requires a lot of technique, will and courage. Or have you never come across any study, book, article, conference, podcast on the subject and its different positions?
Their relationship
And what would innovation be if not finding ways to do the same thing differently, more agile, more assertive, more practical, more objective?
Innovation is a way of expressing content and positioning oneself. Whether at work, in personal relationships or in completely different environments. To innovate is to find ways to convey clear and objective messages, to make things happen and to express your opinion. It is about reinforcing your identity, showing who you are and what you expect. It is about breaking down barriers, bringing people together, inspiring them and taking a leadership role.
Like innovation, communication is about finding what works best for our audience. It is about making it happen and promoting it. It is about giving meaning, reason and existence. It is about demonstrating it, making it viable. They are different and complementary disciplines.
If you don’t communicate, you fool yourself
I made sense of this article with this phrase by Aberlado Barbosa, known as Chacrinha: If you don’t communicate, you’re fooling yourself.
In the 80s he innovated and made a difference. He used jargon, gestures, postures, images and controversial expressions. And he sent a different message to his audience. He gave meaning to so many things and changed the shape of society so much. He was a great Brazilian communicator, who serves as an example and inspiration to this day, almost 40 years after his death. May we practice innovation in our communication every day, so that we can make sense of everything around us. And this is my invitation to communicate and to seek, in our own way, to do things differently.
