A Change Of Script

The last few weeks have been full of travel and meeting people for me. I was reminded of how much I enjoyed being back home and sleeping in my own bed after enjoying the hospitality of some lovely friends and hotels. The variety and newness that travel brought me also brought with it an appreciation for home and all that it offered. The family and familiar script of an ordinary day were underlined and I am filled with gratitude to have the wet licks of Cookie, the ease of an evening shared with Deepa watching mindless television, and the taste of home-cooked food.

The last few weeks for Deepa have been filled with all that I have written so fondly about and yet her script is different. As she recovers, she is housebound, and not yet allowed to venture out. For her, even going out into our garden for a walk is a change in script and something that she has been looking forward to. The home that fills me with gratitude, while being of great value and comfort, in her current state, appears to be a restrain for her, and she too seeks something different.

What is it about the human condition that makes us want what we don’t have? That makes us realise how much we value something or someone only after we no longer have them. My travels brought home the value of an ordinary day at home. Her being confined to home makes her value the chance to step out and explore the world. I guess it is a reminder that balance is what we must seek out. Too much of anything, even a good thing makes it difficult to digest. The first scoop of coffee ice cream for me is divine, the first bite of apple pie, and the eye-squeezed-shut taste of a good lemon tart are all wonderful in moderation. Have too much of any and not only does the value diminish but also the damage to the body starts showing.

I always try to find the connection between something that happens in my life and the work that I do. In the context of public relations and reputation building, I guess the analogy would be about too much visibility being a bad thing. Finding the right balance that makes you and your organisation valued and appreciated versus overexposed and criticised or under-appreciated is the key. How much is too much?

For me, two weeks of continuous travel was just right to bring home the value of home. For others, this could be different so there is no one right answer. Just the need to keep vigilant and ask the right questions seems to be the learning. Is the spokesperson getting too accessible to the media? Are they posting too much on social media? Does what they offer seem to be valued or is it starting to feel like the walls are closing in and nobody is listening anymore? The ability to truly listen and understand the pulse of an audience seems to be the answer that emerges.

The two worlds I love once again converge. Coaching is all about listening and asking the right questions. Communication is all about being heard and understood and PR is about creating meaningful engagement with different stakeholders. A change of script, and a change of environment, from time to time, seems to be what keeps the story fresh and interesting.

Photo by Bruna Branco on Unsplash