Donald Trump wouldn’t last long in a corporate communications role. Pretty much every speech he’s given would have gotten him fired… but instead, after nine months and hundreds of potentially fatal one liners, he leads in the polls.
Communicators, particularly the corporate types, worry… alot. We tend to fuss over every word, how it’s delivered, and how it’s received.  When things go wrong, we freak out, worried about the potential implications. In the political arena, many will point to the scream that doomed Howard Dean in 2004.  However, what Trump’s campaign has taught us is that the world is changing.
I believe that more access and transparency of media (and how it’s created) has made people much more forgiving. We now live in a world of unpolished YouTube clips, fly by the seat of your pants live-streaming, and disappear as quick as they were created Snapchat snaps.  People understand how hard it is to perform on camera, and mistakes, misstatements, and mishaps are simply considered “authentic.”
One thing that’s been reinforced by Trump is that communications – even from leaders – don’t need to be as practiced and polished as they once were.  What has become increasingly apparent in this campaign is that people overwhelmingly prefer a message that’s “real” over one that’s been seemingly refined.
Finally, Trump has illustrated the importance of a bold vision and an attention getting headline. For Trump, the most glaring example has been the “wall” between the U.S. and Mexico. When he talks about it, people can envision what it might look like and understand it’s purpose. Trump doesn’t offer any details about it, only adding that “Mexico will pay for it!”
Whether it’s Trump’s wall or almost any Buzzfeed headline, it’s become obvious that people pay attention to bold headlines (even if the content doesn’t deliver). The lack of detail behind it allows people to craft their own ideas of how that vision will be achieved. However, there’s no doubt people will remember what the goal is.
These trends in communication have been in motion for a while, but I don’t think they’ve ever played out in such a visible way before. Whether or not you agree with his vision or his politics, we are witnessing a change in the way we’ve traditionally communicated.
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