IT IS sometimes important for us to present our ideas in a manner that suits the recipients of our message. To paraphrase Mao Tse-Tung, our message should be conveyed in a manner that is "not alien to the experiences of people" and by "using their own language." Depending on given situations attending the receivers, the message could be either simple or elegant.

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Communication could be either simple or elegant

To clarify our point, let us cite two contrasting examples:

Ninoy Aquino captured the imagination of the people of his time with the simplicity of his language and ideas, which he expressed, either in written or verbal terms, in rhythmic staccato.

He painted his ideas and concepts on the canvass of the people's consciousness by using simple words, brief sentences and short paragraphs. Yet, he succeeded to electrify the whole nation.

In sharp contrast, President Marcos, armed with elegant language which is heavily punctuated by sophisticated terms, catapulted himself to national prominence. His sentences and paragraphs were kilometric, to the effect that mimicking him could leave us harping for breath. But still Marcos has been very successful in swaying the multitude and in stirring the people's heart.

In fact, with the way he conveyed his message, he had been able to plunge us down into slavery and make us appreciate our chain for a very long time instead of scorning it. Some of us even thanked Marcos for chaining our hands.

Ninoy and Marcos have had one thing in common: The power of the message that they convey to people. Their messages carry in them a propelling force that push people to act according to the message that they wanted to convey, regardless of whether it was for good or for bad.

In the legal field, Justice Isagani Cruz and Justice JBL Reyes are considered among the greatest legal writers in the history of the Philippine Supreme Court. As ponentes of various Supreme Court's decisions, they are both admired for their awesome power of communication, yet, surprisingly, their writing styles are diametrically contrasting.

Justice Cruz is known for his quite notorious propensity for writing long decisions, using highly sophisticated words and phrases. His prose is long and poetic and, in many instances, he passes on Greek Mythology to drive his legal points. In sharp contrast, Justice JBL Reyes writes in simple terms and in short sentences but his legal logic is so beautifully crafted that he fascinated lawyers and law students, alike.

Types of communication preferred by entrepreneurs and diplomats

Let us now proceed to other areas of discussion. Among entrepreneurs and diplomats, the best models for effective communication are those written by people initiated in the art of technical writing.

Almost always, messages crafted by technical writers are succinct and proceed directly to the point. These messages are deliberately designed to be so sharp and so concise that they delve only on central point and nothing more. In this type of communication, rationalization of things, especially those things that strike at the people’s emotion, is considered as taboo and is entirely unacceptable.

Of course, the logic for this is simple. A neutral and innocent-like message is not vulnerable to misinterpretation and cannot, in any way, irritate the individual’s sensitive nerves.

Weaknesses of technically-crafted communication

However, a technically-crafted communication has its own shortcomings. In fact, it’s perceived strengths operate, in some cases, as its own weaknesses.

Diplomatic writers have a tendency of preparing one-sentence or one paragraph messages (they call these notes), expressed with total innocence vis-...-vis the environment and with utmost neutrality to contending forces and issues.

In business and diplomatic fields, this type of communication is considered to be very effective and desirable. But it is not effective in the arenas of organizational development, social advocacies, social mobilization and social reconstruction works.