“The current decline in traditional broadcast and the rise of the new wave of broadcast proves this to be true,” he explained. “Video on demand, TiVo, and other DVRs allow the consumer to watch their television when they want. The Internet has always been about personalization via bookmarks and opt-in e-mail, but now we see the development of new browsers such as Firefox, which allows the consumer to further personalize their Internet experience by customizing the interface and the method of interaction to make them comfortable.”

Why do I share all this with you? Because it all speaks to expectations. Employees are getting used to consuming (external) information the way they want it. If internal communication offers no choices, other than what senior management dictates or the lawyers permit, communication seems static, one-size-fits-all, irrelevant.

As we’ll discuss at my web workshop on Tuesday, October 18, this is the biggest challenge facing communicators because of new technologies: Employees expect customization. They expect choice. They expect to participate and create content as well as read it.

The conflict lies in the fact that communicators’ entire existence has been based on the opposite of all of these: We’ve been in the business of mass marketing (one message for everybody). And in the habit of control (review by layers of lawyers). And proud of how polished communication is—perfectly crafted, beautifully rendered, ideal, without flaws.

The next decade is going to be difficult, as we communicators (and the senior managers who pay our salaries) have to learn that it’s a brave new world inside our organizations, as well as out there in media land. As Cory Treffiletti puts it, “’What about me? What do I want? . . . are the two statements” that will drive communication in the future.

Are you ready?