There is no nicer profession than being a communicator, and the best part is that we are all communicators! One of the axioms of Watzlawick's human communication theory states that "no communication" is impossible. But there is much more to communication: there are elements that can give us hints about its effectiveness or, at least, our interlocutors' level of interest. It is in this sense that I invite you to do the following exercise: analyze LACNIC23 - LACTLD Assembly from a communication point of view.
1. Offering something new
As I see it, this is one of the important elements of an effective communication. A novelty is a powerful "attention magnet".
I have had the opportunity to participate in many LACNIC and LACTLD annual events, but this one was special for several reasons. First of all, it was the first event with Oscar Robles as LACNIC CEO. He has always been involved in every regional Internet meeting and discussion, but this was an opportunity to see him successfully conducting and closing the 23rd LACNIC meeting, which took place on May 18-22 in Lima, Peru.
Second, it was also the first time that an ICANN President and CEO participates in a LACNIC/LACTLD annual event. And for Fadi Chehadé, it was his first time at an event from one of the five Regional Internet Registries in the world. "It is an honor to have chosen LACNIC" were some of his first words in his presentation of May 21. We thank LACNIC for highlighting this participation in his closing communiqué.
Left to right: Rodrigo de la Parra, Fadi Chehadé, Alex Dans, Carlos Alvarez, Albert Daniels, Rodrigo Saucedo
2. Placing the event or the story in a broader context
It is not only about the LACNIC-LACTLD event. It is about the broader turning point that links this event to a series of other events and discussions about the future of the Internet.
The proximity in time of this meeting with ICANN 53 to be held in Buenos Aires on June 21-25 was another distinctive element. Both events come at a moment that is crucial for the IANA stewardship transition process. All proposals, from the number, name and protocol communities, will be discussed in that meeting, which paves the way for the development of a consolidated proposal to be submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA), US Department of Commerce.
Our regional vice-chair, Rodrigo de la Parra, highlighted the need for all to get involved in this global discussion, learning about parallel processes, accessing quick links of interest, following up regular updates, and/or being a member of one of the community groups. In that sense, our regional and global social media accounts accompanied and supported the discussions that were taking place in the rooms, sharing additional resources like the web page dedicated to the transition processes and the video about the IANA jointly developed by LACNIC and ICANN, which was played during the event. The transition was also discussed in the interviews with the local and regional media. Thus, Rodrigo de la Parra was interviewed by the newspaper Trinidad Guardian, an important Caribbean medium. On the other hand, Fadi Chehadé was interviewed by Caretas (main weekly magazine published in Lima since 1950), El Poder (focused on opinion leaders, considered the most influential magazine among businesspeople, journalists and politicians), and El Comercio (the oldest newspaper in Peru and one of the oldest in Spanish, with a print run of 120,000 copies).
3. Inviting to continue the discussion
Have you ever heard about "active listening"? It is about focusing on the interlocutor listening to him/her and leveraging the opportunities offered in the dialog. Thanks to the participation of Gonzalo Navarro, a member of the ICANN Board, this skill was put in practice during the Internet governance tutorial, in which he was able to explain in a simple way to participants the transition processes our organization is going through hand in hand with the community. It was also put in practice in our booth during the event, where Albert Daniels (Global Stakeholder Engagement Manager, The Caribbean) resulted a very valuable resource for many participants who wanted to learn more about ICANN; and also by Rodrigo Saucedo (Project Manager, Latin America And The Caribbean), who took advantage of several networking moments to outline the regional strategic plan developed by the community.
And now we invite you to continue the discussion in Buenos Aires. See you soon!
