"Let us begin this exercise by clarifying your brand. As Jesuits, who are you? What are you? Tell me, who you'll never be!" Who is this, dude? My thoughts exactly. What does he want from me? From us. I attended the workshop to learn how to give an interview. Why is he asking this?

I looked around the room. There were many other Jesuits in the room. It was very likely that we were all wondering the same thing. What did I get myself into? 

The next day and a half provided answers for that and many other questions. Our guide in this process was Ian Hanna, a man with political savvy and plenty of media expertise. Ian clarified media in way that is accessible to sixth graders. "Effective communication begins with good branding." It is necessary to rethink the way an institution or group identifies itself. We need to know how people absorb information. We need to become better story-tellers.

I won't give away the essence of his workshop. You will have to attend one of his workshops to discover how to create a strategy for effective communication. He might accept chocolate cake as a bribe, but I cannot confirm that. All I can say is that Ian helped me clarify the way people consider information today. The workshop helped me think creatively about new ways to present the Gospel today. 

We are the Society of Jesus. We are in the PR business. Our client is our Lord and his bride, the Church. We are heralds of the Gospel. In order to preach the Good News, we need to contemplate and live that compelling message. We also need to understand the ways that people consume information today.

I am grateful for every opportunity I get to become a better instrument and channel. I want to learn to write in simple, well-crafted sentences. The Good News is simple and beautiful. The way we present it to the world should not be complex and unpleasant.