Communication - the heart of any relationship and an issue that we spend countless hours trying to improve. Without communication, you have no relationship. If you have no relationship, then you have no feedback. If you have no feedback, then you are essentially flying blind.

I believe we are experiencing what Covey calls a Paradigm Shift with communication, and I like to call it the Communication Conundrum. Yesterday, I moderated a session about ways Manor, Texas is tapping into new forms to communicate with citizens electronically. They are doing amazing things, especially for a city of their size. However, one of the questions is "are they leaving some citizens behind?"  As we move forward into an electronic age, how do we continue to communicate with older residents who may not have laptops, ipods, and a desire to read the paper on a Kindle?

I have a Council who continues to want to spend $25K per year to place a 1 page insert into our local paper 1 time per month. I just don't know if that's the best and most effective way to reach people for the cost. So, what do you do? Do you do both until print dies completely and there are no more dailys?  The future is electronics but you can't ignore all your residents - you need that relationship, especially since those are the folks who vote!

I'd be interested to hear what others are doing to address this issue. May we live in interesting times. Have a wonderful day at the Conference.