Storytelling and Media Influence in Building Public Trust
In her interview, Jeanine Turner, Professor and Director, Communication, Culture & Technology Program (CCT) at Georgetown University, delves into the complexities of communication in the modern world. She discusses the challenge of maintaining personal connections in the age of mass media and emphasizes the significance of storytelling for conveying meaningful, evidence-based narratives. Trust, according to Jeanine, hinges on the credibility, compassion, and relationship one shares with another, with communication playing a critical role in its development. She also touches on the influence of fake news, suggesting it contributes to increasingly insular communities. The interview further explores the limitations of multitasking in the digital age and its adverse effects on relationships. Lastly, Jeanine expresses concerns about the blurring lines between human and automated interactions due to advancing technology, highlighting a future where distinguishing between the two might become increasingly difficult.
Author of the book “Being Present”
As our ability to pay attention in a world of distractions vanishes, it’s no wonder that our ability to be heard and understood—to convey our messages—is also threatened. Whether working with our teams and customers or communicating with our families and friends, it is increasingly difficult to break through the digital devices that get in the way of communication. And the ubiquity of digital devices means that we are often “multicommunicating,” participating in multiple conversations at once. As a result, our ability to be socially present with an audience requires an intentional approach.
This increased strain on attention has never been more clear than during the global pandemic when our homes suddenly accommodated both work and family life. What are our options when facing professional communications at all hours? Do we ask for the technology to be put away at the dinner table? Establish other ground rules? What about using digital communications to our advantage—how can we facilitate information-sharing amid a world where we are overwhelmed with content?
Drawing from fifteen years of research, interviews, and experience from teaching students and executives, Jeanine W. Turner offers a framework to navigate social presence at work and home. By exploring four primary communication choices—budgeted, entitled, competitive, and invitational—Turner shows when and where to employ each strategy to most effectively allocate our attention and command the attention of others. Each chapter includes concrete strategies and concludes with reflection questions and exercises to help readers further explore these decisions in professional and personal relationships.
(From: Georgetown University Press)