ABSTRACT
Work on interfaces designed for elderly users reminds us that 'Active listening is a way of counseling that involves listening characterized by empathy, genuineness and warmth. Interfaces that can listen and divine the meaning, or meanings, of what is being said to them, and build on what is being said to them, would present PR with unexpected new media. Listening interfaces, then, can help organisations adapt their operations and their PR to what they hear. Some of those interfaces and their possible effect on strategic communication will be discussed in the next section, which deals with interfaces that learn. The goal of a more natural and co-operative working relationship between human and machine must include interfaces that adapt to machine learning. Strategic communication cannot overlook the fact that as we extend ourselves through such interfaces, which are essentially media for handling information, the media is extending itself further into our biochemistry.
