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Communication Planning Guide

How can I ensure that my organization's communication efforts actually make an impact and the results are lasting?

There are four "MUST"s you should follow when you put together a communication strategy. No matter what your situation - whether an isolated issue or a long-term concern - your communication plan must address the following four objectives. With today's rapidly changing business environment, communication can only be effective when you:

  • Involve your organization's senior leaders, supervisors in the planning process,

  • Reflect business strategy, organizational mission in all that you do,

  • Generate employee understanding, commitment through active participation in communication, and

  • Tell a consistent story - tell, tell and retell your story.

Are there any suggestions you have on how to be an effective communicator within my organization?

It's up to you to advise your leadership team and managers about effective communication. To ensure that you're providing them with valuable information, you should keep these guiding principles in mind as you provide communication support to your organization.

  • Be a student of your audience by researching their desires and understanding their views. You can do this by implementing a feedback process in all of your communication efforts or by launching a "listening tour" where you meet with employees representing all areas and levels of your organization. When you can back up your recommendations with credible "market research", your senior management team is much more likely to approve your plan.

  • Tie business issues, vision and values back to information about the marketplace and your customers. You always want to make sure employees understand that every step taken in your organization is driven by a sincere focus on customers.

  • Know your customers' -- both your management team and your employees -- communication needs. As an internal communicator, you may find yourself in a situation where your senior management team has lost perspective of the true audience - employees and/or customers. In this case, it's important that you understand the needs of not only your "ultimate" customer, but also what your management team is trying to accomplish. This way, you can balance the needs of both groups.

What is the most common mistake organizations make when communicating to employees?

One of the most common mistakes employers make when it comes to employee communication is taking a "reactive" approach to communication. Typically, reactive communications are one-way, planned communications that are top-down processes. And, in most cases, reactive communications have a negative impact on your employees, your organization and, in turn, your customers. Below are several "symptoms" of reactive communications. See if you recognize any of there characteristics:

  • No context for communication; just tells about an event, plan or activity, but doesn't tell why

  • Leaves audience to speculate on event's cause/significance (why is this happening?)

  • Tends to overload audience with raw information

  • Promotes view that organization is chaotic/unplanned

  • Fosters distrust of leaders

To put an end to reactive communication in your organization, you must develop a strategy that goes beyond just media - it must outline communication processes, programs, and systems to support a two-way, elastic communication environment.

What steps are involved in creating a communication strategy?

It's difficult to tell you the exact steps required to create a communication strategy without knowing a little bit about what you're trying to accomplish. But, there are several elements that are fundamental to any strategic communication plan. Here is an overview of these steps:

  • Learn about business and marketplace issues including key success factors, such as competitive factors or other factors driving change

  • Complete a communication/organizational assessment

  • Use assessment findings to identify business issues and communication needs

  • Translate information into communication objectives

  • Develop tactics to support objectives (i.e., messages, measures, programs/processes, calendar)

  • Plan for ongoing evaluation and feedback

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