Redefining Intimacy

Dear all of you,

Most New Year’s resolutions involve weight loss so this is not meant to offend. When I think of all of me, a resolution or least some resolve to lose a little weight may be in order for this blogger. Not a lot, just enough to make my new jeans more comfortable. Now, back to you, I mean, all of you.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “of” is a preposition used as a function word to indicate the component material, parts, or elements or the contents <throne of gold> <cup of water> <all of you>. When someone attempts to greet you in the globally inclusive way, all of you, I doubt they are referring to the component material or parts of your corporeal presence. They are just ignorant or being lazy.

Lately I’ve really noticed an upswing in the use of “all of you” by broadcasters and well, lots of folks who try to address multiple people simultaneously. Prior to email or Facebook (or blogging as the case may be) the average person never really had a way of addressing multiple people with a single message. Most of us had never written a newspaper article or spoken to a large audience via electronic media, or for that matter addressed an assembled group in an auditorium.

In the radio business we talk a lot about the intimacy of the medium. We are most affective when addressing a single person in our audience. “Good morning, thank YOU for tuning in. I hope YOU can stick around for the Shostakovich coming up.” It seems obvious and logical that we would communicate to the one person and play to the intimate traits of this magical medium. There is an art to communicating through a mass medium and having it still feel personal to the end user – the one person. DJ’s still need reminding that when they open a microphone they are not addressing a room filled with people, though they are (and they know it) talking simultaneously to thousands of people at any given time. The person sitting alone listening feels a visceral connection to the person on the other end of the communication. Email, radio, TV, newspaper, and social networking sites are the same. You can talk to many but there’s a unique opportunity to engage the one.

Recently, watching CNN as Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd read a statement live on TV to explain his decision to step down from his seat in Congress, he stood in front of a large group of supporters and friends outside his home and a large television audience. Even though he faced many and was cognizant of many more viewing on television, he spoke to one person: you. “Every six years over the past three decades, I have invited you to join me at our home to share in my decision to seek election and re-election to the United States Senate.”

His expression of his decision to end a life of service was most effective because he understood the power of the medium to connect himself to a single person, a single voter. He concluded by saying, “Finally, once again, thank you for the opportunity you’ve given me to serve.”

Listen for this phenomenon. Watch for it on television. Look for it in email.

Remember, we do not convene as a group to read our emails (or blogs). We read them alone. Our most memorable moments when listening to the radio are alone.

Here’s to you and me. May we have a great new year full of clear communication, intimacy, and magic!

Onward & upward!

All y’all.