The ‘hero’ of corporate communication – Male fairy wren bird

If we say something to people irrespective of their state of mind, naturally people might just ‘hear’ and then forget. Therefore, it not just the message that should have relevance and meaning, the alertness and attentiveness of people is important while landing the message. If people are not alert and attentive, whatever be the message, it is likely to elicit no response.

The corporate bosses often draw the attention of people by calling them for meeting, regular appraisal and discussions etc. But are they making the people alert and sending such messages when people are really alert, is the question that beg an answer. Unfortunately, most people are bog down to ‘what they want to say’ than when or how such messages have to be told. During annual meetings and performance review meetings, people often invest days to weeks for preparing artful presentation materials, do rigorous rehearsals for hours to days and improve and improvise the content. They are always busy with how to ‘show’ and ‘showcase’ their work than anything else.

The most important and but more often neglected aspect is the management of ‘how to play the trick when people are alert’. Nature has the best example for the corporate to learn. The male fairy wren, a small beautiful bird knows the above management approaches far better than any one in corporate.

This bird is widely distributed in different parts of the continent – Australia. Research findings have proved that the male birds often engage in its 'vocal hitchhiking' or singing to female birds especially when the predator makes its call. When the predators make their presence through making distinctive calls, the prey animals become alert. Smartly the male fairy wren takes advantage of the female's heightened attention to court.

When the female is attentive and alert, naturally they will be attentive and alert to the courtship appeal of the male bird. When the bird is alert, they are naturally expected to pay attention to the display of the male bird far more seriously than when they are casual and careless. This management tenet only the male wren employs to find its success.

The male wren does not simply engage in the act of inviting the female bird to court with. They engage in such an act only when the female bird is alert and attentive. The call of a predator will naturally make them alert and hence the male bird exploit such occasion.

The corporate people instead of focusing only on the content, how they can lands the contents effectively and meaningfully is what they should primarily focus. Only an alert audience will listen to the message and only when one listens, learn and learned alone do things wisely and smartly.

Only when one do things wisely can make difference. If this subtle aspect of communication is not understood, the communication will never bring right response. Do not blame either the content or the audience; remember you alone have missed to catch the alertness of the audience. Learn from a male fairy wren as how smartly it catches the attention of the female bird and become successful.

Be smart and be wise, to become so, learn about nature is the simple HR message the beautiful, small fairy wren shares to corporate.

Dr S Ranganathan