One of the fundamental aspects of communication is not that you must clearly send the message, but that it must be clearly received as well.
And yet, despite over a week of protesting, miles of press coverage and extensive discussions on the subject, a significant part of Great Britain is still wondering why on earth people are protesting in tents outside St Paul's Cathedral in London.
They chose the site, apparently, becuase it was situated near to the London Stock Exchange. Their protest is supposed to be part of an anti-capitalist protest. However their message has been completely lost in the melee, and it's all down to one fatal flaw in their communications plan: their choice of site.
Media coverage has been singularly focussed on St Paul's Cathedral, it's requirement to close because of the protestors, the loss of its income in the period of closure, it's leadership (or lack thereof), and the confusion as to why the protestors are there in the first place.
In fact, it is now unilaterally being referred to by the press as the "St Paul's Protest". As messages go, we could say this one has completely lost its way.
The protestors should pack up, go home and think again if they want to get their message across without being subject to further ridicule and satire and remember: when you are trying to make a point, communicating clearly is essential. Otherwise it's just noise.
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