It’s been a couple of weeks since I last blogged – and I can’t believe how quickly time flies! You may have noticed that the blog was down for a couple of days, and some of you had the pleasure of viewing a message from Mohammad. It seems that some malcontents from Morocco decided to hack into my server and post a video message decrying Western civilization (or something like that, I really didn’t watch or listen).  I was disappointed to see that my hackers were from Morocco, because it’s a country I have visited and loved. Last summer, I spent a couple of weeks in Casablanca (or Casa, as its affectionately called by its residents) and loved the place, the people, the culture and the food! But I digress…

I often comment about the power of the Internet to communicate strong, compelling messages. In this case, that power was misused – and the communication lost on me! I wonder if the group who hacked into my servers and posted their message thought for a moment whether they would be successful in whatever their purpose was.

See, that’s the whole issue – communication is all about relating a message to another person in a way that s/he understands. If s/he doesn’t get it, you’re attempt to communicate has failed. What the Moroccan morons (seemingly) failed to understand is that breaking and entering into my domain, stealing what’s mine, and then trying to get me to listen to their message was not going to work. They may have had a very valid point to communicate, something that I may have – in another time and circumstance – listened to.  But their methods were distastful, and therefore the message was lost on me.

Which brings me to my final point:  While millions of dollars are spent on therapists’ couches, in Human Resources offices, and in “ginormous” advertising and marketing campaigns – it seems that the ability to effectively communicate is an art form that few have mastered. It makes me wonder what the secret to great communication is.

Could it be as simple as really understanding WHO the other person is, and communicating in a way that is meaningful to him?