(This blog was
originally posted on August 2, 2016)
 |
| Photo by Rick Hustead |
My original “goal” for communicating on social media was for services
like Twitter and Facebook to help me market my services as a
hypnotherapist. To be honest, I was initially very reluctant to join either of
those services. It seemed like a false and impersonal way to get my message
out, let alone explain and assuage doubts about what hypnotherapy can do to
help a person achieve self-improvement goals. A lot has changed.
My website, www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com,
does the majority of “explanation” heavy-lifting for me. However, social media
has been very beneficial in helping me introduce myself and what I do to a
worldwide audience and market new hypnotherapy skills and promotional offers.
It has also enabled me to become socially active in causes about which I am
passionate—such as animal conservation, anti-poaching and helping to rehome
shelter animals—as well as connect with very good friends. In fact, I have
never even met some of my on-line friends.
Before the advent of social media, interpersonal connections were made
in the course of face-to-face encounters, introductions through mutual contacts
and well-placed advertisements in newspapers and magazines. These days, entire
populations of potential contacts are available at the touch of a button on a
computer or SmartPhone. It has truly never been easier to make a potentially
career-altering connection.
Indeed, there is a caveat to the benefits of having such widespread and
easy access. Social media is that these various outlets offer a chance to
express any and all feelings you want to share without offering an option or
warning to take a time-out before pressing that “send” button. Unlike
face-to-face or even voice-to-voice communication in which you have a chance to
perceive nuances in language and expression, there is no or very little opportunity
to make this kind of interpretation in 140 typed characters. (Facebook does
provide the option to use emojis to support the emotions behind the sentiment the
writer is trying to convey.) As Dr.
Alex Kappas liked to say, “I know you believe
you think you understand what I have just said; but I am not sure that what you heard is not what I meant.” Indeed, during
the course of a passionate written exchange it is easy to lose track of the
emotions and words that are being expressed and leave a long-lasting, sometimes
negative, impression that overshadows the original intent of the message.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified
hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors
from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. For more
information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an
appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2017
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