12 Ways to Totally Ruin Your Communication Strategy
Claire Watson, ABC, MC, APR
Head of Internal Communication at Nokia Cloud and Network Services
Communication professionals strive to deliver measurable business results. However, results that demonstrate the value of communication aren’t that easy to come by.
It’s hard work to gather the information you need to inform your communication strategy. Seriously, without the brow-sweating, mind-boggling, deep dive into analysis you won’t have a clue where you’re headed. To deliver the kind of results that make difference, and put you and strategic communication on the map as a serious business contender, here are a few pitfalls to avoid.
1. Don't align your work with the needs of the business.
For a sure fire way to stumble, skip lightly over the business needs. Understanding the business and leveraging your communication acumen to develop a strategic approach isn’t just the starting point. It’s essential.
2. Don’t use research as an input to inform your work.
Forget the research and go with your gut feeling. Without research to inform strategic direction, it’s like shooting an arrow in the dark and hoping to hit the bull’s eye. It’s not going to happen. Even if you don’t have a budget for original research, there are other options available. Chances are data already exists in-house. Failing that, conduct secondary online research and benchmark against best practices in the profession.
3. Don’t collaborate with stakeholders or subject matter experts.
Go ahead. Ignore stakeholders. Forget consulting with subject matter experts. Do this and your best laid plans will likely fail. People support what they help to create. A lone wolf compromises results by not taking the time to hear what stakeholders and subject matter experts have to say. Incorporate their feedback and intelligence into your strategy. Guaranteed, it will be stronger. Besides, the last thing you want to risk is backlash.
4. Don’t see the business through the eyes of your audience.
What does the audience have to do with the strategy or its delivery? After all, you’re focused on the business, not the audience so why bother? Failure to see the business through the eyes of your audience is failure. See what they see. Understand why they think the way they do. Use that knowledge to inform your strategy and align the business need with the audience analysis.
Learn about the other eight pitfalls that can totally ruin your communication strategy in The Vault at the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence.
Claire Watson, ABC, MC, is the Vice President of Strategic Communication Management for Cropley Communication. Join our global family of communication professionals eager to ignite their communication careers.
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Communicator. Connector. Creator.
7yI'd also add: Don't define success. Any plan needs a clear idea of what success will look like, one that the team and management agree to and believe in.
Executive Director of Business Operations at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame
7yGood read, Claire. Thanks.
Versàtil, organitzada i resolutiva
7yCute, Claire, I enjoyed reading this article.
Communications Professional, Family Man, Hoops Fan
7yHonest queston: Why use negative words like 'totally ruin' in the title and 'don't' in every point, when you could easily spin a positive tone by using affirmative sentencing?
Internal Communications Strategist & Consultant at Greater Kansas City Area
7yThanks; this is all great information to keep in mind as communications professionals. It's also great information to educate those who work with us, but are not necessarily focused on the value of public relations and marketing to an organization.