Do you find professional communicators are more or less engaged in politics than everyone else? My view is somewhat biased. The bulk of my career was spent in the corporate communications department of a Fortune 100 company and the leadership team loved to talk politics. Sometimes, it made for spirited debate and sometimes it hurt careers.
Political talk is tricky stuff. People are passionate about their views and their views might not comport with the views of their colleagues, the superiors or the organization. Often, people don’t know their company is taking positions on issues and people that are in the news every day.
As communicators, people want to engage and use their skills to be persuasive or provocative. But, sometimes the conversation doesn’t allow it and people try and force it. In the end, no one has said what they really mean, but the paid communicator is in a more difficult position than the accountant, the systems analyst or other colleagues that don’t get paid to be clear.
It’s not fair, but these small encounters, over time, help to shape views on how well people do their jobs as communicators – so be careful. Most importantly, know who your talking to and avoid conversations based on generalizations. There is nothing general about politics anymore. And, when in doubt, listen attentively, express healthy “curiosity” about issues that are important to you and transition your way out of the conversation as quickly as possible. Generally speaking, you’ll be better off for it.
