Five Lessons a Road Trip Taught Me About Communication
I’ve just returned from an incredible road trip across the American Southwest, where I experienced all of the standard travel fare — beautiful vistas, local culture, culinary treats, motion sickness, and occasional arguments with the GPS. But, surprisingly enough, I also relearned several lessons about communication.
Lesson #1 — Clarity
On the way to Canyonlands National Park, I took a brief detour to see Newspaper Rock, a site showcasing ancient petroglyphs created between 650 and 2,000 years ago. I was amazed by how legible the glyphs were; they stood the test of time both physically and representatively. The majority of the ancient symbols were as clear as modern emojis, easily recognizable windows into the vernacular of the past. Later, in Taos, I came across a small café that advertised its offerings with customized hieroglyphs of an ice cream cone, a sandwich, and a cup of coffee. Both the historical and the contemporary symbols (and even unfortunate examples of modern graffiti) clearly transmitted their intended messages. As writers, do our words translate across time and culture? As designers, do our web icons do the same?
Lesson #2 — Editing
An avid Iphoneographer, I took every opportunity to snap memorable shots along the journey. Bighorn sheep, slot canyons, Monument Valley, trains, the Georgia O’Keefe museum, shops, and sunsets all served as Instagram fodder. Hundreds of photos clogged my phone, threatening to overwhelm my storage capacity. What’s a sentimental photographer to do? Edit. Ruthlessly edit. I made space by deleting 90% of my photo cache, keeping only the worthiest shots. The chosen few made their way to Photoshop, where they reached their full potential. Just as in photography, editing is essential for writers and speakers. To some extent, most of us are longwinded speakers and verbose writers. In order to keep the attention of a distractible audience, editing is an essential skill. An outside opinion is useful here; when I struggled to make cuts, I looked to my travel companions for assistance. Once edits have been made, we can focus on perfecting the remaining content.
Lesson #3 — Engaging Content
In Page, Arizona, I had the opportunity to attend a riveting performance of Native American dances. The dance that most resonated with me and the other attendees was the Hoop Dance, an absolutely mesmerizing exhibition where rapidly moving dancers formed a multitude of shapes using just their bodies and a stack of hoops. I learned that Hoop Dancing is a highly competitive activity where dancers are judged based on speed, creativity, precision, timing, and showmanship. As a result of such engaging content, members of the audience were unable to turn their eyes away from the stage. Engaging content is equally important for writers, speakers, and designers. Without it, even the most beautiful words, the best presentation skills, and the most beautiful designs all fall short.
Lesson #4 — Logical Progression
Hiking is one of my favorite activities, especially in locations where the scenery is as stunning as in the Southwest. Unfortunately, my love of hiking is matched only by my lack of any perceptible sense of direction. On well-maintained paths, this deficit isn’t an issue; signs and cairns lead the way. But in their absence, I tend to land in all the wrong places — on a ledge, amidst thorny cacti, a mile away from my intended destination. Hypothetically. Unfortunately, the results of poor trail markings can be dire; every year, too many hikers perish after getting lost in national parks and similar settings. While rambling essays or speeches won’t kill your audience, you’ll lose them nonetheless.
Lesson #5 — Timing
Albuquerque, New Mexico, is known as the Hot Air Balloon Capital of the World. In fact, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the world’s largest hot air balloon festival, as well as its most photographed event. (See Lesson #2.) The festival spans nine days, but I only arrived in time for the final morning. After I woke up in the dark at 3:30 am and waited for three hours in near-freezing temperatures, the much-anticipated mass ascension never happened; it was called off due to gusty conditions. Timing is everything. On my last day of vacation, I returned to Albuquerque for my first ever hot air balloon ride. Once again, I woke up before dawn for the event, only to discover that it was canceled due to unsafe weather conditions. Timing. It’s essential not only for takeoff but for effective communication. Knowing when to insert a joke, when to change cadence, when to pause, or when to use a certain tone can send your message soaring to the sky rather than crashing to the ground.
Lesson #6 — Be Epic!
The Great American Road Trip is the stuff of legend, and we can all aspire to be equally legendary communicators. Go forth and be epic!
