“I’m in the area, I’ll call into your place in five minutes.”

These simple words can cause mass hysteria and panic. Whether spoken by the in-laws, a close friend or the creepy IT guy, they are cause for concern. All of a sudden we are in a mad rush to wash the dishes at the kitchen sink, change the channel from Dr Phil to Discovery Channel and scramble to put some pants on. We can’t let any visitors in the house looking like this!

It’s natural to hide how we really live and who we really are. This can be done by portraying a perfect domestic life, borrowing more money than we should or suppressing an online personality. It’s not that we’re doing anything wrong. We just have an ideal image we like to portray.

And it is the same for companies tackling the new age of being open, honest and transparent. As communication strategists we want to rip the walls down and invite everyone in to see the world in which our clients live. However, more often than not we see the walls crack rather than crumble. They are too slow. They are too scared. They just don’t get it.

But some big companies are just like individuals. They need to know that everything is in order and they are well equipped to handle the situation. So rather than get frustrated, make sure you give them warning that their customers are on their way to visit and they expect a warm welcome. Help them with their dishes, flip the channel and find them some pants. Now they are comfortable. Then, rip the walls down and let the fun begin.

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