Communication Planning
Service Overview
Leadership – whether it’s change leadership, maintenance leadership, or people development leadership – only works when the right message is communicated to the right people. At Flow, we have found that leadership is critical, but so is followership. If the leader doesn’t adequately communicate to inform or influence, their goals cannot be realized.
Whether our communication is tactical, such as directing resources to take specific action, or strategic, such as aligning the organization to a shift in organization direction, it always starts with a clear goal. As Stephen Covey often expressed, we need to start with the end in mind. The two necessary elements for effectively communicating with target groups and individuals are a clear goal and a well-reasoned plan.
Beginning with the end goal – the desired result of our effort – we will always want to articulate the specific message to get across, who is the target audience, what delivery methods will be effective with the audience (e.g., 1 on 1, broadcast, other), who will deliver the message, what timing to use including when and how often to communicate, and what challenges or objections we might face. At Flow, we partner with our clients to create the plan with all these elements, and coach those involved so they are comfortable with their task and ready to meet likely objections and resistance.
The other important aspect to attend to when communicating is recognition that people must get involved to be persuaded. Communication must have the element of “playing catch.” We put out a message and invite the recipient to process, question, and shape the message from their point of view. With strategic change communication, we generally are working to cascade a message in the organization, so this shaping process is important in order for our audience members to turn around and do the same with the people they manage or influence. In short, we are always modeling the communication behavior we want to see in our communication partners and followers.
