“I see you…” – the power of Acknowledgment

I was reminded last week about the power of Acknowledgement courtesy of a group of people who I call my “useless friends”. Let me begin by telling you how wonderful it is to have these kinds of friends. They are people who you have no particular “use” for and yet you love to hang out with them. We are a group that signed up for a course called ‘Conversations that Matter’ – Being at full potential. Useless friends are often connected by a shared interest that unites them and brings us together, but other than that common thread that connects, there is nothing else that binds. These kinds of friends are amazing to have as there are no demands and no entanglements, just a sharing of space and enjoying each other’s presence.

This group was examining the difference between #Gratitude and #Acknowledgement. What emerged for me was that acknowledgment was not qualified with a judgment of good or bad. It simply says “I see you… I hear you”. In comparison, gratitude is layered with seeing the good the world bestows on you. Sometimes it’s possible to go through a bad experience and be grateful for what it has taught me. But if I jump straight to gratitude without acknowledging the bad experience, I could be missing a really important step in self-discovery and healing.

The dots connect in my head and I see how powerful acknowledgment can be in the context of public relations. Let’s take for instance crisis communication best practices. I often tell my clients that they need to “own the problem” even if they have not created it, especially when they are not at fault. Acknowledging the unfairness of the situation and accepting responsibility for finding a way forward is what the situation demands. From this place of acknowledgment and acceptance emerge actions that will aid in eventual recovery. Getting stuck in “we did nothing wrong…” or “they are to blame and being unfair…” is failing to acknowledge the brand or company’s reputation is being eroded and something needs to be done and done fast.

Another way the power of acknowledgment shows up in PR is in terms of engaging with a difficult stakeholder who has antagonistic or polarised views. To say “I see you…” and “I hear you…” does not mean I agree with you. To respectfully engage with another, whose perspective does not match my own is often all it takes to keep a dialogue open. At its very essence PR is about creating and maintaining two-way engagement between an organisation and its publics. Acknowledgement sits right at the heart of life and the profession of PR.

I am reminded of the term “Sanibonani” a Zulu greeting that means “hello” or “I see you” and is used when addressing more than one person. I wrote about this in 2019 and this is what I said back then “It’s what we all want. Team members, Family members. All the people we meet. They want and value your undivided attention. Your honesty. Your acceptance of who they are and your understanding of what they want.” I am reminded again this week, the first step is rooted in acknowledgment, everything follows from there.

Article originally published in Reputation Today, on December 10th, 2024 #LeftBrainRightBrain