Communication works with single minded propositions, providing a conversation value, aiming at doing good, and trying to establish a relationship.
People have to watch communication deploy before their eyes, and be aware of the nuances. Communication is crucial so that people understand and even end up loving what they are hearing.
Listening to people is crucial so that people remain interested in what you have to offer.
Dominance is just as important as relevance. And new always gets attention, and it’s a good way to work for dominance. Supernormal stimuli awake interest, but we have to be aware that sometimes they can be intimidating. Stimulation of instinct is very powerful, such powerful that it can even nullify our own will, or trigger it towards very directed targets.
The goal of some communication messages is going from image to icon, from what you see to the representation of what you aim to.
- We are vain.
- Make it complicated.
- Relevance is as important as dominance.
- Supernormal stimuli help with that.
- Attract attention.
- Drive awakening.
- Use them ‘slightly out of context’.
- Transform them into iconic design language.
- Tool or weapon?
PS: my gratitude to Babah Tarawally for the translation tips! [original talk in Dutch].
Connected Development Festival 2015 (2015)
If you need to cite this article in a formal way (i.e. for bibliographical purposes) I dare suggest:
Peña-López, I. (2015) “CDF2015 (III). Margot Bouwman: on the power of communication” In ICTlogy,
#146, November 2015. Barcelona: ICTlogy.
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