my name is Jeff Johnson and I am a
communication specialist that was not
really the goal for me graduating from
high school more like hey I’m Jeff
Johnson I’m a superhero I’m at the very
least President of the United States but
Here I am a communication specialist
helping those in the private sector and
government executives figure out ways to
develop high-level messages that when
targeted strategically at the right
demographic move not only market but
social impact that’s what I do and so
when I talk about disruption and
communication it’s really about how are
we communicating in a way that is more
effective to bring about impact in all
of the areas of our lives so when we
talk about that what is communication
communication is really just a process
it’s a process by which individuals
exchange information using a common set
of words symbols and even behaviors but
in the world we’re living in right now
and in America in particular we have
seem to embrace a new normal of
dysfunctional communication where we are
not really exchanging we’re hurling
catapulting in many cases ideas but not
really exchanging and so it’s imperative
at this time that we’re really in a
place where we understand that the
biggest as Shaw would say problem with
communication is the illusion that it’s
happened and we have done more talking
at this time in our history than ever
before with less communicating than ever
before more technology that helps us
send out messages with less energy to
actually receive information process it
and return and so we have entered into a
space of a echo chamber where we are one
organizing with those that
only what we believe and then shouting
at each other how great what we believe
is to have it reverberated all over the
place so that ultimately those in that
space
take it as truth because we have pushed
away every dissenting voice because only
one voice matters mine what this echo
chamber kind of communication does for
us is it puts us in a place where one
policy is not about how do we have
pragmatic policy makers that move
towards the development of legislation
that benefits the masses we have just
put in in place ideologue who are in a
space where they would actually rather
see the whole system burn down then they
would create relationships that build
results for the masses of people that
they serve and I don’t care whether
you’re on the left or the right we see
ideologue that are taking up public
space because it seems entertaining to a
population that actually is more
interested in a leader that says what
they want then delivers what they need
echo chambers put us in places where we
are afraid to talk about issues because
they’re so sensitive and we have gotten
so accustomed to only talking to people
in our own circles that when it comes
time to having a conversation
we’re only used to pontificating and not
listening how many of you have been in
conversations recently where you’re
watching someone wait to respond as
opposed to listening to what it is that
you’re saying and social media in many
cases doesn’t make it better because
social media has created a space where
we have empowered gangster digital
superheroes to leap low intellect in a
single bound
taking on all challengers anonymously
with few followers but but what this
does is it not only removes humanity
from communication
it feeds fear it feeds cowardice it
fears hate and anger and it puts us in a
situation where we are no longer looking
to communicate as much as we’re looking
to tell you why you’re wrong see
humanity is really about understanding
when we are when we see someone’s
humanity we are interested in
understanding who they are and not only
is this important from a communication
standpoint but it’s important because
when we have removed the humanity we now
are more interested in being right than
being understood and more interested in
debate than we are in communication and
conversation you know understands this
better than anybody else good husbands
good husbands understand without
question that I am no longer for the
sake of peace for the sake of love for
the sake of tenderness
did I say peace I’m no longer interested
in being right at all my wife’s in the
back of the room she will tell you that
we have worked tirelessly to be more
interested in do you understand what I’m
saying and can I understand you then who
was right or not we were both inspired
by this revolutionary movie called
Avatar where the people the Navi when
they come across each other and before
they go into communication they say I
see you Wow I see you how simplistically
profound because if I see you there are
things I won’t say to you if I don’t see
your humanity if I see you there’s a way
that I will talk to you that I won’t
talk to you if I’m just yelling at the
wall if I see you I want to understand
what makes you tick where you come from
why you think the way that you do versus
just telling you why what you think is
wrong and where you come from is is
often what you believe is less important
than what I believe I see you
this is important because one of the
things that understanding does in
communication is it removes fear and
when we talk about our communities and
communication fear is one of the things
that is blocking us from moving to
spaces not just politically but in
neighborhoods that are more effective
probably one of the greatest examples is
policing policing is one of the most
polarizing topics and if we’re honest we
understand that both police and
neighborhood neighbor neighbors citizens
are afraid of each other they’re afraid
of each other in many cases because they
haven’t had conversation we had a
conversation with some young people that
said what does good policing look like
and a 13 year old a media was like I
know I know I know I know and I was
thrilled one because teenage boys
there’ii so don’t get that excited about
anything other than entertainment of
sports I said oh say I said tell me he
said I was watching it on TV with my
grandma
I saw him but I can’t remember his name
I’m like well tell me about him I’m like
what cop is this on TV he said it was in
black and white I’m like really it was
in black and white Andy Griffin I said
you got to explain this to me youngin he
said man listen he won’t even really
seem like he a cop all he do all day is
just build with people so he knows
what’s a threat and what’s not and this
13 year old watching Andy Griffith with
his grandmother could see what data has
already showed us that when you pull
police officers out of police cars and
have them walking the beat they talk to
more people on the route they create
relationships with people they
understand who in the community is
helpful and who in the community is a
threat and then when when crisis comes
they’re not as afraid because they’ve
built relationship with the community
conversation that that
feeds on understanding is so much more
powerful than conversation that feeds on
fear so Matt Turner said good
communication is the bridge between
confusion and clarity and that is the
truth when we are really communicating
we no longer are confused and hopefully
but I don’t see very often in this
current space is those that are actually
looking to find solutions and answers
versus spend so much time talking about
why somebody else’s won’t work in this
political climate and the midterms in
particular there’s so much conversation
about the shift in who would control the
house and not a whole lot of
conversation about what would they do
when they control it I’m so uninterested
in your arguing over an ideological
position in order to have power versus
how do you work together to create a
better nation with those you disagree
with see JD Vance wrote a book called
hillbilly elegy and for those of you
that haven’t read it I think it’s a
brilliant book that chronicles his life
growing up in Appalachian Ohio as well
it and his family grew up in Kentucky
incredible book in my mind but as I was
reading it it was talking about a family
that was violently loyal to each other
that was dealing with all kinds of
issues of under education and lack of
access to health care a family that all
they wanted above all else was to get
the next generation to be able to move
away from where they currently were
doesn’t really matter we’re just out and
they wanted something better normally
through education for children that were
coming up and as I was reading this it
reminded me of families I know in urban
communities all over the country but
that’s not communicated because in the
very society we live in
the narrative says that this little girl
is drastically different than this young
man that their families want different
things that they don’t believe in to
have the same values that one should
vote for Trump because the other voted
for Obama when the reality is they are
more alike than they are alike to Trump
or Obama and if they came together by
seeing each other and communicating the
power that they could have real
communication puts us in a place where
we’re no longer confused about who our
allies are and who our enemies are and
so what do we do how do we change this
first empathy over evaluation when you
see somebody stop evaluating what’s
wrong with them why they are the way
they are why they think the way they
think versus looking to understand
listen to hear versus just respond talk
to enlighten how many times have you
ever realized that I’m actually not
talking to help anybody understand
anything I’m just talking to get them to
believe what I believe and last but not
least communicate vision and commitment
the best communicators are those not
that make you positive that what
somebody else wants is wrong there are
those that make you see what currently
seems impossible as possible and they
show you their commitment to achieve it
not just pontificate on it are you
prepared to create ecosystem by sharing
power because that’s what communication
is sharing yourself with each other and
someone else sharing with you that in
the midst of it you’re building this
beautiful ecosystem where you understand
that even if I fundamentally disagree
with you we’re all a part of the same
ecosystem
I can’t thrive if you are dying I can’t
win if you are losing the greatest
example
before I get out of here for this kind
of communication it’s my mother
here’s empathy
here’s ICU here’s listening to hear here
is talking to enlighten here is giving
vision just with a smile now I’m not
telling you to go to work and treat
anybody like your grandmother or your
child I’m not saying that politicians in
some way shape or form should be
familial more than they should just be
focused what I’m saying is if we are
willing to communicate in a way where we
share power together communicating in a
way that we change the narrative from
simply you being right and me being
wrong then imagine what we could do
together thank you [Applause]
communication specialist that was not
really the goal for me graduating from
high school more like hey I’m Jeff
Johnson I’m a superhero I’m at the very
least President of the United States but
Here I am a communication specialist
helping those in the private sector and
government executives figure out ways to
develop high-level messages that when
targeted strategically at the right
demographic move not only market but
social impact that’s what I do and so
when I talk about disruption and
communication it’s really about how are
we communicating in a way that is more
effective to bring about impact in all
of the areas of our lives so when we
talk about that what is communication
communication is really just a process
it’s a process by which individuals
exchange information using a common set
of words symbols and even behaviors but
in the world we’re living in right now
and in America in particular we have
seem to embrace a new normal of
dysfunctional communication where we are
not really exchanging we’re hurling
catapulting in many cases ideas but not
really exchanging and so it’s imperative
at this time that we’re really in a
place where we understand that the
biggest as Shaw would say problem with
communication is the illusion that it’s
happened and we have done more talking
at this time in our history than ever
before with less communicating than ever
before more technology that helps us
send out messages with less energy to
actually receive information process it
and return and so we have entered into a
space of a echo chamber where we are one
organizing with those that
only what we believe and then shouting
at each other how great what we believe
is to have it reverberated all over the
place so that ultimately those in that
space
take it as truth because we have pushed
away every dissenting voice because only
one voice matters mine what this echo
chamber kind of communication does for
us is it puts us in a place where one
policy is not about how do we have
pragmatic policy makers that move
towards the development of legislation
that benefits the masses we have just
put in in place ideologue who are in a
space where they would actually rather
see the whole system burn down then they
would create relationships that build
results for the masses of people that
they serve and I don’t care whether
you’re on the left or the right we see
ideologue that are taking up public
space because it seems entertaining to a
population that actually is more
interested in a leader that says what
they want then delivers what they need
echo chambers put us in places where we
are afraid to talk about issues because
they’re so sensitive and we have gotten
so accustomed to only talking to people
in our own circles that when it comes
time to having a conversation
we’re only used to pontificating and not
listening how many of you have been in
conversations recently where you’re
watching someone wait to respond as
opposed to listening to what it is that
you’re saying and social media in many
cases doesn’t make it better because
social media has created a space where
we have empowered gangster digital
superheroes to leap low intellect in a
single bound
taking on all challengers anonymously
with few followers but but what this
does is it not only removes humanity
from communication
it feeds fear it feeds cowardice it
fears hate and anger and it puts us in a
situation where we are no longer looking
to communicate as much as we’re looking
to tell you why you’re wrong see
humanity is really about understanding
when we are when we see someone’s
humanity we are interested in
understanding who they are and not only
is this important from a communication
standpoint but it’s important because
when we have removed the humanity we now
are more interested in being right than
being understood and more interested in
debate than we are in communication and
conversation you know understands this
better than anybody else good husbands
good husbands understand without
question that I am no longer for the
sake of peace for the sake of love for
the sake of tenderness
did I say peace I’m no longer interested
in being right at all my wife’s in the
back of the room she will tell you that
we have worked tirelessly to be more
interested in do you understand what I’m
saying and can I understand you then who
was right or not we were both inspired
by this revolutionary movie called
Avatar where the people the Navi when
they come across each other and before
they go into communication they say I
see you Wow I see you how simplistically
profound because if I see you there are
things I won’t say to you if I don’t see
your humanity if I see you there’s a way
that I will talk to you that I won’t
talk to you if I’m just yelling at the
wall if I see you I want to understand
what makes you tick where you come from
why you think the way that you do versus
just telling you why what you think is
wrong and where you come from is is
often what you believe is less important
than what I believe I see you
this is important because one of the
things that understanding does in
communication is it removes fear and
when we talk about our communities and
communication fear is one of the things
that is blocking us from moving to
spaces not just politically but in
neighborhoods that are more effective
probably one of the greatest examples is
policing policing is one of the most
polarizing topics and if we’re honest we
understand that both police and
neighborhood neighbor neighbors citizens
are afraid of each other they’re afraid
of each other in many cases because they
haven’t had conversation we had a
conversation with some young people that
said what does good policing look like
and a 13 year old a media was like I
know I know I know I know and I was
thrilled one because teenage boys
there’ii so don’t get that excited about
anything other than entertainment of
sports I said oh say I said tell me he
said I was watching it on TV with my
grandma
I saw him but I can’t remember his name
I’m like well tell me about him I’m like
what cop is this on TV he said it was in
black and white I’m like really it was
in black and white Andy Griffin I said
you got to explain this to me youngin he
said man listen he won’t even really
seem like he a cop all he do all day is
just build with people so he knows
what’s a threat and what’s not and this
13 year old watching Andy Griffith with
his grandmother could see what data has
already showed us that when you pull
police officers out of police cars and
have them walking the beat they talk to
more people on the route they create
relationships with people they
understand who in the community is
helpful and who in the community is a
threat and then when when crisis comes
they’re not as afraid because they’ve
built relationship with the community
conversation that that
feeds on understanding is so much more
powerful than conversation that feeds on
fear so Matt Turner said good
communication is the bridge between
confusion and clarity and that is the
truth when we are really communicating
we no longer are confused and hopefully
but I don’t see very often in this
current space is those that are actually
looking to find solutions and answers
versus spend so much time talking about
why somebody else’s won’t work in this
political climate and the midterms in
particular there’s so much conversation
about the shift in who would control the
house and not a whole lot of
conversation about what would they do
when they control it I’m so uninterested
in your arguing over an ideological
position in order to have power versus
how do you work together to create a
better nation with those you disagree
with see JD Vance wrote a book called
hillbilly elegy and for those of you
that haven’t read it I think it’s a
brilliant book that chronicles his life
growing up in Appalachian Ohio as well
it and his family grew up in Kentucky
incredible book in my mind but as I was
reading it it was talking about a family
that was violently loyal to each other
that was dealing with all kinds of
issues of under education and lack of
access to health care a family that all
they wanted above all else was to get
the next generation to be able to move
away from where they currently were
doesn’t really matter we’re just out and
they wanted something better normally
through education for children that were
coming up and as I was reading this it
reminded me of families I know in urban
communities all over the country but
that’s not communicated because in the
very society we live in
the narrative says that this little girl
is drastically different than this young
man that their families want different
things that they don’t believe in to
have the same values that one should
vote for Trump because the other voted
for Obama when the reality is they are
more alike than they are alike to Trump
or Obama and if they came together by
seeing each other and communicating the
power that they could have real
communication puts us in a place where
we’re no longer confused about who our
allies are and who our enemies are and
so what do we do how do we change this
first empathy over evaluation when you
see somebody stop evaluating what’s
wrong with them why they are the way
they are why they think the way they
think versus looking to understand
listen to hear versus just respond talk
to enlighten how many times have you
ever realized that I’m actually not
talking to help anybody understand
anything I’m just talking to get them to
believe what I believe and last but not
least communicate vision and commitment
the best communicators are those not
that make you positive that what
somebody else wants is wrong there are
those that make you see what currently
seems impossible as possible and they
show you their commitment to achieve it
not just pontificate on it are you
prepared to create ecosystem by sharing
power because that’s what communication
is sharing yourself with each other and
someone else sharing with you that in
the midst of it you’re building this
beautiful ecosystem where you understand
that even if I fundamentally disagree
with you we’re all a part of the same
ecosystem
I can’t thrive if you are dying I can’t
win if you are losing the greatest
example
before I get out of here for this kind
of communication it’s my mother
here’s empathy
here’s ICU here’s listening to hear here
is talking to enlighten here is giving
vision just with a smile now I’m not
telling you to go to work and treat
anybody like your grandmother or your
child I’m not saying that politicians in
some way shape or form should be
familial more than they should just be
focused what I’m saying is if we are
willing to communicate in a way where we
share power together communicating in a
way that we change the narrative from
simply you being right and me being
wrong then imagine what we could do
together thank you [Applause]
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