Several years back I was talking to Rick Rashid at Microsoft Research about some of the work his team was doing. I can't remember how the topic came up, but he got on a tangent about Phase Transitions in Combinatorics and Computer Science, in which I could understand about every fourth word. :) But the basic premise was one that really resonated with me -- that in computer science there was a type of problem that got increasingly difficult (seemed unsolvable) as it got closer to a phase transition. But once through the transition, the problem suddenly became much simpler, and tools that previously had failed now were successful.
It was one of those meetings that really made an impact. Rick was talking about computer science and physics, and I was thinking about life and work. On the drive from Microsoft to the airport, and on the plane back to Portland, I kept applying this construct to work problems I'd had, as well as key career and life decisions. In each case, I could see some of the principles that Rick had been talking about at work -- the feeling of wrestling with a problem that kept getting more and more difficult, the increasing failure of the sets of tools or methodologies that had worked well previously and then a breakthrough that made the problem look easy in the rearview mirror. This insight, for me, was super valuable. For starters, it helped me put into context how I was *feeling* about problems as I encountered them -- it didn't make the problems easier, but gave me confidence that there were solutions out there. Unless there weren't, which was also true, but that's another blog post.
Which brings me to my main point -- it is clear to me that the communications field in general is entering into a phase transition. The signs are everywhere. Many tried and true strategies are no longer effective. Audiences are fragmenting. Bringing up the topic of PR measurement (or blog measurement, or the effectiveness of social media outreach in general) in a group of PR people is like starting a discussion with a bunch of salty Marines about the relative merits of the 9mm pistol compared to the .45....there almost always are blows exchanged somewhere!
And my phase transition sense tells me we are early days still...which means things are going to get harder before they get easier. But just as when a phase transition happens in the physical environment, while things might appear to be super different (water is the classic example -- liquid to solid, liquid to gas), the core element remains the same. So it's worth thinking about what is truly core to communications -- what will remain as we enter into our next stage.
My bet is:
- Demonstrating a deep understanding of influence and the influence model.
- Seeing the linkage between business decisions and communications outcomes, and vice versa.
- Finding ways to truly tell three dimensional stories that resonate with the intended audiences.
- Harnessing the inspirational aspects of communications (look for an extended post on this topic later).,
Other thoughts?
CAVEAT: I am neither a computer scientist or a physicist. Treat my understanding of phase transitions accordingly.