Imagine you’re in a room full of people. They’re all talking about something you know is important. You know it affects you. You want to be part of it, to learn more, to understand. But no-one is speaking your language. And you don’t have time to learn theirs.
Sounds like a nightmare? Unfortunately, it’s all too common in the workplace, especially in times of change.
Organisations often have a complex work force make-up of people who take in information and understand it in different ways. Some are big picture thinkers and engage with the vision. Others prefer time and space to digest the detail. Some have English as a second language. Some are unable to access information online due to their role.
A ‘one size fits all’ approach to communication with your work force can lead to confusion, dissatisfaction and – ultimately – failure of all of your hard work on the positive change you are trying to make.
Taking the time to understand your audience, their capacity to take in information, how they best digest this information and where they would look to find it can have a lasting positive impact.
When building a strategic communications plan, I use the following pillars:
Know your audience
Do you have a geographically dispersed work force? Do you employ shift workers, site workers and workers without easy online access? Do your employees sit at a desk all day and have easy online access? Do they have time to engage with internal communication, or does their role require them to be constantly serving customers and clients?
Do you have a mixture of the above?
Sending an email with a large amount of detail, links to find further information and an opportunity to join a forum to ask questions will work for one audience, but not the other. Highly visual, simplified information on prominent display in the workplace may satisfy some employees’ need for knowledge, but not others. That’s why knowing your audience is a vital pillar of any successful strategic communications plan.
It’s not just the how, it’s the who
In most large businesses, strategic decisions are made by the board and/or executive team and day-to-day operations and people management are the responsibility of team leaders and line managers. This leads to vastly different relationships in the workplace, which should be taken into consideration when planning communications.
Significant changes to business structure, strategy and focus are the responsibility of the executive, and as such should be communicated by them to the work force. However, when it comes to how those changes will impact an individual, the employee is much more likely to feel comfortable with their line manager or team leader – who they see each day and have a good working relationship with – than a CEO or other executive. Their manager should have a good knowledge of the employee’s role and responsibilities and be able to distil the information into something that makes sense for them.
Which brings us to:
What’s in it for me (WIIFM)?
As with most communication, it’s often difficult to cut through the ‘noise’ and have your message heard. However, employees are more likely to engage with information when they can see how it affects them.
Getting to the point quickly, with clear, concise communication, gives employees the opportunity to understand where they fit in the bigger picture and know what the change means in the context of their work. They can then choose to delve deeper into the detail, or be satisfied they know enough – at least for now, and they know where they can find further information later.
Do you want action or reaction?
It is important to map out what you want the audience to do with the information you’re communicating. Are you looking for feedback? Do you need them to update their employee profile or take other action? Or just be informed?
Identifying this and making it as simple as possible for the employee to interact with the information, ask questions and take action makes for a smooth communication loop. Which brings us to the next pillar:
Communication is a two-way street
If you want employees to interact with the information you’re communicating and take action, even if it is just digesting and understanding, it’s important to create a communication loop to enable them to clarify and ask questions.
There is a variety of ways to do this dependent on the audience, including face-to-face or online Q&A sessions, feedback forms and online chat groups.
The important thing is that everyone is receiving consistent information and answers.
Which leads us to:
Timing is everything
The key is to ensure the right information is being communicated to the right people at the right time. No one likes to hear about a change that affects them second or third hand. Not only does it imply their employer hasn’t considered the employee’s situation and the impact the change may have, there is a high degree of risk that the message will get miscommunicated, leading to unnecessary stress and reaction.
By mapping out the steps of the change and aligning them to the strategic communications plan, you can identify the best way to reach your audience with accurate information at the right time.
And of course, things don’t always go to plan, but with a solid, strategic communications plan you know you’ve made your best efforts to get it right.
Closing the loop
Not only is communication a two-way street, but it’s also circular. All the best planning in the world isn’t going to help if you’re not listing to your audience’s feedback, adjusting your plans accordingly (where possible) and communicating back to the audience why/or why not plans have changed.
Your audience will then know their feedback is taken on board, and are more likely to be receptive and interactive in future.