Communication — A Battle of Arts and Science
I am writing this blog as a novice who has just started venturing out in the field of Communications, and i’m myself hoping that by the end of this blog I will understand what lies behind the field that has been intriguing me for ages.
Being a Literature student, I recall how the three letter word ‘ART’ would take up months of our class discussions as each attempt to define it would become a mere attempt to reduce its magnanimity. Art is indeed a very powerful word, to say the least. Myriad of great thinkers have devoted their lives in compartmentalising art and understanding its nuances. I recently indulged myself in the reading of Tolstoy and toured my way through his astute theories. He believes that art is a means of communicating emotion, with the aim of promoting mutual understanding. By gaining awareness of each other’s feelings we can successfully practice empathy and ultimately unite to further mankind’s collective well-being.
This explanation surely sounds familiar. Because if one had to sit and define what communication is the answer would also lie on the lines of what art is! The word communication is derived from the Latin word ‘Communicare’ which means ‘common’. Communication attempts to create a common ground to exchange information. Communication in itself is an art, because in its raw sense it evokes the feeling of empathy and mutual understanding. It also involves attributes like creativity for their expression and impact. The world famous song, ‘Communication Breakdown’ by Led Zeppelin speaks about how communication breakdown can lead to nervous breakdown and how herculean a task it is to communicate in words exactly what we feel!
Though in the modern professional sense, the role of communication has metamorphosed. We no longer focus on what is being communicated but also on how it is communicated. Scientific method involves the formulation of hypotheses, and turning them into theories that are objective. The more I delve into the world of communication, the more I can now understand how important Data Analytics and Strategic storytelling has been in building narratives in all professional communication fields like Advertising, Public Relations or Journalism.
The role of communicators in today’s world has become to keep the art in communication alive by artfully strategizing information through scientific considerations. Thus, the contention to label communication as a science or art is an age long battle which will progress with time.
