Communication Best PracticeIn developing your communications strategy and plan, it is first of all important to understand where you are right now. It makes sense do do a situational

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Communication Strategy and PlanningToolkit

Overview

Great communicators are those who develop and maintain positiveand interpersonal relationships by actively listening, speaking clearly,being assertive, providing feedback and who demonstrate high degreesof openness and self awareness.

Leaders who communicate well will build great organisations byengaging those around them to ‘go the extra mile’. It is essential thatleaders:

Define the vision Describe the plan Build trust and Walk the talk

It also makes good commercial sense and enables: Effective stakeholder management Greater employee engagement & staff satisfaction Increased performance, profitability and value Improved brand and organisation reputation Improved customer experience and satisfaction

Leadership and Communication



Communis! communis! communis!The word communications comes from the Latin word communis - which when translated, means‘common’. Effective communication establishes commonality, or oneness of thought between theperson sending the message – the sender and the person receiving it – the receiver.

Channel &Noise

Encode &

Decode

Encode &

Decode

SendMessage

SendMessage

Receive

Receive

Outside the organisation, external communication is used to promote and protect company reputationand inform and influence shareholder and stakeholder perception. Inside the organisation, internalcommunication is used to control, motivate and inspire. Following the businesses formal structure orhierarchy, information flows in four directions: downward; upward; lateral or horizontal; and diagonal.

People achieve coordinationof everyday activities usingonly communication. Withits varying elements andinterrelationships, thecommunication processcan be a challenge foreven the most successfulorganisations, leaders andteams. As demonstrated bythe Shannon and Weavermodel left.‘The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished’

George Bernard Shaw

In developing your communications strategy andplan, it is first of all important to understandwhere you are right now. It makes sense do do asituational analysis (SWOT) or even acommunications audit. It is vital to seek feedbackon how your organisations and its leaderscurrently communicate both in terms of strengthsand weaknesses.

Use your situational analysis to inform yourstrategy and plan.

Once you’re aware of your current situation,identify what your communications aims andobjectives are.

These should be ‘high’ level strategic descriptionsof what you want to achieve and include tacticalways in which you plan to achieve the objectives inyour communication plan. Ensuring your haveSMART objectives will underpin and drive allcommunication activity, ensuring that it isconsistent and proactive.

Communication Strategy and Planning

Your audience are all stakeholders andshould be defined as anyone who has aninterest in and/or can influence orimpact on the success of a project orthe future of the organisation.

Being aware of who your stakeholdersare will help you to communicate.Assessing each group of stakeholdersneeds accurately will help in determininghow you might decide to plan andmanage your communications for eachof your audiences.

There is more information about howto effectively communicate withstakeholder in our StakeholderManagement Guide.

We have listed some of the keyaudience groups your organisation islikely to communicate to.

Identifying your audience



To achieve the best results people need to hear aconsistent message from all sources

Remember that information and communication comes from many sources

Operationalprocesses

Leadership

Internalmessages

Externalmessages

Colleagues

Regulatorsand

legislators

Fundingbodies

Banks

Governmentofficers and

bodies

Competitors

MediaAdvisoryGroupsPartners

Employees

Associates

Trusteesand

boardsCommunity

Groups

Suppliers

“To effectivelycommunicate,we first must

realise that weare all differentin the way weperceive theworld anduse this

understandingas a guide to ourcommunicationwith others.”

Antony Robbins

Consider the messages that the organisationalready has and/or needs to communicate. Usecommunications opportunities to shape yourorganisation’s image. If you want the public tosee your organisation as professional orcommunity focused then look for opportunitiesto display and communicate those qualities.

The Mission statement of an organisation setsthe identity and aspiration of the organisationand contains elements that key messages canbe developed from. An effective andappropriate mission is important for everyorganisation and has a direct impact on itscommunication activity.

‘The mission statement encapsulates thecompany’s identity in terms of what it is, whatmakes it special, what it stands for and where it isheading.’

MacDonald 1998

Shaping your message

The mission statement articulates the overall purpose of theorganisation. It is a precise description of what a businessdoes (its activity) and defines ‘why’ the organisation exists.

Developing a mission statement involves defining the answersto key questions:

1 ‘For whom’ – our customers/clients2 The ‘why’ – the problem our organisation solves3 The ‘what‘ – the change of ‘status’ we can make4 The ‘how’ – the business we are in

Approach:

Discuss each of these key questions and create a singleoverall statement as your response and which can beused as your company mission statement.

Remember: A mission statement should be comprehensive,

succinct and easy to understand.A mission statement is individual to every organisation

Developing a mission (purpose) statement



A vision is a guiding image of success. It is the pursuit of this shared image of success thatinspires, motivates and guides people to work together.

The vision statement tries to answer the question ‘where are we going?’ and describes thelong-term direction. It results in a shared sense of direction and motivation.

It is a statement about what your organisation wants to become and should resonate with allmembers of the organisation and help them feel proud, excited and part of something muchbigger than themselves.

Language:Is it worded in engaging language that reaches out and grabs people?

Is it worded to give employees a larger sense of purpose – so they see themselves as ‘buildinga cathedral’, rather than laying the stones’, ‘putting the man on the moon, rather than makingthe nuts and bolts that fasten the rocket together?’

Vision criteria: Is it futuristic? Does it provide a powerful picture of what our business might look like in3-5 years?

Purpose-driven – does our vision statement give our people a larger sense of purpose? Inspiring – will it create a vivid image that provokes emotion/excitement? Does it build and capitalise on our company’s core competencies and USP’s? Is it worded using language that will engage and excite those around us?

Questions to consider in developing a vision statement: What can we see our future looking like? Is it compelling? Will it challenge and inspire the business to stretch its capabilities to achieve its purpose. Does it describes what the organisation will look like when it is functioning effectively

Developing a vision statement

Communication is a process and assuch it has elements andinterrelationships that can beexamined in a structured way. Eachstep of the communication cycle canbe summarised as a series ofquestions:

1. Why do I need to communicate?2. Who are the target audiences?3. What do I want to achieve?4. How should I communicate?5. When is the best time to

communicate?6. How will I measure success?

By considering the process outlinedin this diagram you can plan andmanage how you deliver yourcommunications more effectively.

The communication process



Why

Who

What

Review

How

When

Communications Plan

Calendar Channels Messages Audiences

Plan &Deliver

Develop KeyMessages

Organisation Strategy or ProjectCommunicationObjectives &Strategy

DetermineStakeholder

Needs



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We all wish we were better at communicating and the good news is that communications skills can belearnt and we have found some tips for you:

1 Are you an aggressive, passive or assertive communicator? The goal is to be the latter. Get toknow yourself – maybe assertiveness training would help you hone your communication skills.

2 Whether you are writing or talking, always tailor your communications to suit your audienceand your relationship with them. Use words they will understand and common references theywill appreciate. Be warm but respectful.

3 Keep to the point. There's no need to be abrupt, but you do need to be concise and direct.Don't hide the key to your conversation in the middle of inconsequential chatter. Don't pre-sume your listener has some psychic way of knowing what's important.

4 Pay attention to the role body language pays in communicating your message. Be open, not de-fensive, in the way you stand.

5 Watch where you position yourself in relation to your client or colleague. Some experts believeour 'communications zones' are culturally programmed - but a new business contact may feeluncomfortable if you stand as close to them as you would a trusted colleague. Be sensitiveabout giving people space.

6 Listen, listen, listen.

7 Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand or need further details. Remember aconversation is an interactive event, not a one-way dialogue

8 It helps to end a business discussion by summarising the main points and the decisions reachedby the participants. Clarity now will help save much time further down the line.

9 Plan tricky phone calls beforehand by deciding (but not scripting) exactly what you want to sayand the goal of the call. It helps to stand up and smile when making an important call.

10 Remember to give feedback to show you've been listening – even if it means summarising whatthey've said and repeating it back to them. Not only does this reassure the speaker that theirremarks have registered with you, it also confirms that you have understood what they havebeen saying.

*Source Personnel Today 28 October 2009

Top Tips for developing your own communication skills*

Documents

Communication Best PracticeIn developing your communications strategy and plan, it is first of all important to understand where you are right now. It makes sense do do a situational