Moving from Tactician to Strategist€¦ · Win with SMART Communication Objectives Strategic Communication Planning Objectives & Measurement Setting. 33 Building a Strategic Communications

February 20, 2020San Francisco

Strategic Communicator WorkshopMoving from

Tactician to Strategist

1

Communications Consultant & Trainer

AssessmentsLeadership & EE Comms.

Public Relations

AgencyCorporate

Independent

Julie Baron

2

Moving from Tactician to Strategist

§ Understanding your clients

§ Adding value to your communication efforts

§ Using the strategic communications planning process

§ Audience analysis & key messages

§ Channels & tactics

§ Measurement & reporting

§ Processes, standards & guidelines

Agenda

3

Introductions

Who are you?

Where do you work?

If there was just one thing you could change about employee communication at your company, what would it be?

4

Make a list of all the things you have been asked to do as a communications professional.

5

Exercise

§ Break into small groups

§ 5 minutes to create list

Who are your clients?

What type of relationshipsdo you have with them?

What is their level of communication knowledge?

6

Communication Value§ Companies with highly effective employee communication

§ 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers§ 47% higher total returns to shareholders than other companies do

§ 98% of highly successful organizations understand what key messages resonate with their top-performing employees.

§ 93% of highly successful organizations state they have a clear understanding of what messages resonate with new employees.

§ Effectively trained and informed managers are a resource that can create a communication culture and drive the behaviors needed to develop a competitive advantage.

7

§ Edelman’s Trust study signals growing importance of employee engagement and CEO activism, as employers are now more trusted than business, government, media or experts.

§ 75% trust “my employer”

§ Employers that work to build trust will reap the rewards.

§ Employees who trust their employer demonstrate: § 71% greater advocacy § 78% greater loyalty§ 74% greater engagement§ 81% greater commitment

Communication Value

8

§ Companies where managers are high-performing communicators benefit from 50% higher shareholder returns, more successful strategy and change initiatives, and improved employee engagement. (Gartner)

§ Organizations with high engagement levels post higher than average total shareholder returns. (Aon Hewitt)

9

Communication Value

Are you adding value to the business via your

communication efforts?

What’s most importantto the business?

10

11

§ Offensive, opportunistic

§ Planning

§ Connected to business goals

§ Strategic

§ Outcomes

§ Evaluation, measurement

§ Defensive, out of control

§ Order taking

§ Disconnected/unsure of desired result

§ Tactical

§ Outputs

§ Inability to demonstrate real ROI

Proactive Reactive

Communications Options

Key Information Required for Success

What’s the most effective way to

reach sales employees?

Do employees have the

information they need?

If only one thing could be changed about

communication, what should it be?

What’s getting in the way of good communication?

Do employees believe

information is shared openly?

What’s the C-suite perception of

communication?

Is the communication

team operating as efficiently as

possible?

Communications Assessment

12

§ SWOT

§ Where you stand in terms of capacity and performance

§ Broad or narrow focus

§ Large scale annual or small-scale pulse check

What’s a communications assessment?

13

The evaluation or measurement of the level of communication effectiveness at your organization.

Customer Touchpoint§ Introduce yourself/function; Remind some you exist§ Develop broader network§ Elevate importance of function§ Make business case for change

Understanding§ History§ Current situation (SWOT)§ Position in the marketplace

§ Baseline data§ Gap analysis§ Plans

Strategic Planning & Improvement

14

Benefits of a Communications Assessment

§ Uncover perceptions. What do they think internal comms does?

§ Make the connection. How well does communication tie to the strategy?

§ Get up close and personal. What are they prepared to do to improve communications?

Talk to Leadership

15

1. What is ideal communication?

2. What needs the most work now?

3. What’s comms dept role, your role and manager role in communication?

4. Are you a good communicator? What can you do better?

5. What do employees need to know but aren’t getting?

6. You rely on your managers to explain leadership decisions to their employees and give you feedback. How do you know that’s working?

7. What are you prepared to do to connect employees with the mission and values of the organization?

16

Leadership Questions

What stops managers from communicating in your organization?

17

It’s not my job!

TIMEWhere do I

get the information?

Don’t know how to connect

the dots.

No accountabilityTraining

Stage frightNo one told me to!What do I

communicate when?

18

Barriers to Manager Communication

§ Communications training

§ Leadership meetings, briefings and updates with managers

§ Email, with its obvious drawbacks

§ Manager portal on Intranet for collaboration and document sharing; remote access

§ Social or mobile channels for easy access to documents, summaries, key messages

§ Communications toolkits with prioritization, roles/responsibilities, timelines, comms tool options, accountability

19

Tools for Managers

Information Gathering

Objective & Measurement Setting

Audience Analysis

Key Message Development

Channels & Tactics Selection

Measurement & Reporting

Strategic Communication Planning Process

20

§ Strategic, consultative partners

§ Communication experts with businessunderstanding and knowledge

§ Solutions to business problems

§ Active support

§ Business outcomes

What Your Customers Really Need

Communicator as Business Partner

21


Digging Beneath Tactic Requests


§ Project scoping

§ Asking the right questions

§ Assessment of current situation

§ Timing

§ Resources

22


What questions do you need to ask your client to identify business outcomes your

communication plan needs to achieve?

23

Exercise

§ Small group work

§ 10 minutes to create list of questions

§ Be prepared to share/report out



§ Vision/mission/goals alignment

§ Links to other company initiatives

§ Current state of affairs

§ Challenges and concerns

§ Opportunities

§ Lessons learned

§ Know, Feel, Do24




25

Business Alignment/Linkages§ What business goal is this supporting?§ What are we going for?§ What will success look like?

Current State§ Whatʼs happening now? § Whatʼs current employee perception? Attitude? § Whatʼs risk of not communicating?

Challenges/Concerns§ What’s getting in the way?§ Whatʼs your biggest concern? § Any pockets of resistance?




26

Opportunities§ Getting the biggest bang for a buck!§ What’s one thing we could change that would result in

biggest success? § Does anything exist already that we can leverage?

Lessons Learned§ What’s been done in the past?§ What went well? § What didn’t work?

Know, Feel, Do§ Who needs to know, feel and do what? By when?§ What do you want employees to do more of or differently?


Building a Strategic Communications Plan

27

Business Background

§ Legal settlement costs increased 10% from last year.

§ Industry focus on compliance and ethics after several competitor issues widely covered in the news.

Business Objective

§ Reduce cost of legal settlements by at least 10%.


Practice Steps for Finding the Magic in “No”

How to Say “No” Strategically

28

§ Know where you want to spend your time, and where you do not

§ Be appreciative

§ Say no to the request, not the person

§ Explain why

§ Be as resolute as they are pushy

§ Remind yourself that saying no means saying yes to adding more value

§ Practice

§ Gather your courage




Audience Analysis





29

Define Communication Objectives

Strategic Communication Planning

30

Know.What does

my audience know?

What do I want them to

know?

Feel.How does my audience feel

about X?

How do I want them to

feel?

Do.What does my audience do

today with X?

What actions do I want them to

take?

Objectives & Measurement Setting

Win with SMART Communication Objectives

SSpecific

MMeasurable

AAttainable

RRealistic

TTime-bound

Set real numbers with real deadlines.

Make sure your goal is

trackable.

Work toward a goal that is challenging, but possible.

Be honest with yourself — you know what you

& your team are capable of.

Give yourself a deadline.

Say “I want more visitors.”

Hide behind buzzwords like

”brand engagement”

or “social influence.”

Try to take over the world in one night.

Forget any hurdles you may have to overcome.

Keep pushing towards a goal you might hit, “some day.”

Strategic Communication Planning

31

DO:

DON’T:


§ Improve client retention.§ Increase client retention rate by 25% in one year by

conducting a client listening campaign to learn where to add value for mature accounts.

§ Increase adoption rate of system X by 50%.§ Increase the adoption rate of system X by 50% within three

months by enlisting manager communication support and offering online training.

§ Raise awareness of the importance of travel safety.§ Ensure 75% of employees know the three most common

causes of business travel safety issues and how to avoid them.32

Win with SMART Communication Objectives

Strategic Communication PlanningObjectives & Measurement Setting

33

Building a Strategic Communications Plan

Communication Objective

KNOW§ 90% of employees know the compliance hotline

exists


FEEL§ 60% of employees trust the hotline protects their

anonymity§ 60% of employees feel a sense of responsibility

for reporting non-compliance incidents


DO§ Employees report non-compliance incidents to

the company hotline


34

Building a Strategic Communications PlanObjectives & Measurement Setting


KNOW§ 90% of employees know the

compliance hotline exists

Measurement


FEEL§ 60% of employees trust the hotline

protects their anonymity§ 60% of employees feel a sense of

responsibility for reporting non-compliance incidents

Measurement


DO§ Employees report non-compliance

incidents to the company hotline

Measurement

What are you currently measuring

and why?

35

§ Messages we send§ Processes or channels we use

Communication Activities

Audience Perception

§ Do they remember our key knowledge messages?§ Do they believe our attitude messages?

Audience Actions§ Do more of or less of X§ Do differently Y

Financial Impact on Organizational Goals

36

Measurable Objectives

üSatisfaction§ Do the audiences like the communication?

üEfficiency§ Did communications occur on time, within budget, use

the fewest channels to get the desired result?

üEffectiveness§ Do messages and channels achieve their objectives?

üOutcome§ How communications changed an organizational outcome§ Is there a change in objective reality, not just opinions?

Source: Angela Sinickas, ABC, Sinickas Communications, Inc. 37

Measurement Criteria

38

What measurement methods can we use to measure our communication objectives?

Exercise

§ Break into small groups

§ 10 minutes to create measures you will use

§ One for each (KNOW, FEEL, DO)

§ Be prepared to share/report out

39





Measurement





Measurement




Measurement

40





Measurement§ Pulse survey

knowledge question





Measurement§ Engagement survey

question§ Number of requests

for compliance guidelines




Measurement§ Data gathered from

compliance hotline reports

41

§ Surveys

§ Content Analysis

§ Benchmarking (questions answered by numbers)

§ Interviews

§ Focus groups

§ Observation

§ Pilot Study

§ Information Flow

§ Walk-arounds

§ Benchmarking (open ended questions)

Quantitative Qualitative

Measurement Tools

Focus Groups

42

§ 10-12 people

§ Manager only vs. individual contributor only

§ Good mix of participants

§ State confidentiality rules

§ Probing questions

§ Participation from all

§ Facilitator and notetaker

§ Compile feedback quickly while still fresh

Goals§ Understand & agree on business need or problem to be solved§ Agree on communication objectives § Establish scope and boundaries of work

Pitfalls§ Mistake client wants for client needs§ Jump to solutions or tactics too soon§ Overpromise or agree to unachievable objectives

The quality of your questions and your listening will determine your success!

43


Communicator as Business PartnerInformation Gathering

Questions or Comments?

44



Audience Analysis





45

§ Communication optimized for EVERYONE struggles to be relevant to ANYONE

§ Power is with the receiver who decides to:

§ Listen or ignore

§ Read or delete

§ Understand or take a different meaning than we intended

§ Act or not

46

Relating to Your AudienceAudience Analysis

Segment by:§ Job type

§ Level (sr. mgmt., middle mgmt., individual contributors)

§ Function

§ Division

§ Geography

§ Generation

§ Attitude

47

Different Ways to SegmentAudience Analysis

Audiences

SalesAges range from 25-55, majority hold bachelor- or higher-level education, prefer text messages, many don’t believe compliance is something to worry about

UnderwritingAges range from 25-70, majority hold high school or bachelor level education, prefer email and Intranet communication, many believe compliance is something to worry about

48

Building a Strategic Communications PlanAudience Analysis



Audience Analysis





49

§ Tailored

§ Concise

§ Jargon-free

§ Relevant

§ Compelling

§ Simple

§ Memorable

§ Relatable

50

Get the Attention of Your Audience with Targeted Messages

Creating Messages that StickKey Message Development

Most Newsworthy InformationWho? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Important Details

Lead

Body

Tail/FluffOther General/

Background Information

Story or issue with evidence, facts, and details

Most important information

Least important information

51


52


Supporting Messages Proof Points

What this means in practice is…

What it means for YOU is…

The reason it’s happening is…

What will happen next is…OR What I want you to do next is…

53

Creating Messages that StickCompliance breaches can have serious consequences

for our business, our customers and you.Key Message DevelopmentSupporting Messages Proof Points

What this means in practice is…If you see misconduct and don’t report it, you and our company could be fined. You could also end up in prison.

In 2018, fines exceeded $100M. Fines for individual employees ranged from $10K to $1M.

What it means for YOU is…Call the compliance hotline if you see misconduct, knowing you won’t need to give your name.

All calls are treated anonymously.

The reason it’s happening is…Trust in our industry is at an all time low given the recent news of competitor X. We’re under increased scrutiny by the regulators, media and public.

Y research states our industry is the least trusted industry.

What will happen next is…OR What I want you to do next is…

Know the compliance guidelines and how they affect your work. If you see something, say something.

Read the compliance guidelines found on the Intranet. Talk to your manager or HR if you have questions or concerns.



Audience Analysis





54

§ Potential impact of issue for organization

§ Message appropriateness

§ Channel strengths & limitations

§ Interactivity level

§ Impact on employee behavior

§ Resources required

Aligning Channels with ObjectivesMaximize Effectiveness Using a Mix of Channels & RepetitionChannels & Tactics Selection

55

56

Communication Channel MatrixChannels & Tactics Selection

Channel Format Purpose Audience Frequency Speed to Delivery

New Hire Orientation

E-mail

Newsletters

Intranet

Closed Circuit TV

Mobile

Events (Townhall Meetings +)



Audience Analysis





57

§ Compare and contrast

§ Recognize and celebrate what’s working; be transparent about what’s not

§ Identify low hanging fruit

§ Uphold anonymity agreement

§ Share plan to maintain what’s working and improve what’s not

§ Offer actionable recommendations

§ Package information in easy to understand written and graphic form that underscores strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

Using Your DataLink Data to Business ObjectiveMeasurement & Reporting

58

59

Communication Department Tools

60

Message Delivery

§ How would you like to deliver the message?§ Example: 1:1 conversation, email, Aon Avenue article, video,

Yammer§ How will you send your email?

§ Example: Leader mailbox or Eloqua

Message Approval

§ What stakeholder approvals do you need?§ What languages are required?§ Do you have success measures for your specific program?

Timing

§ When does your program launch?§ What other dates or milestones do we need to consider?§ Are there other activities we should consider when planning this

(integrated messages, scheduling around, etc.)?§ Are there existing materials that you would reference?

Overview

§ Communication Lead§ Date request received§ Date scoping discussion held and names of attendees§ Relevant information from request form

Project Team

§ Confirm project team members and their roles§ Identify project stakeholders

Key Messages

• What do you hope to achieve with the communications?

• What audiences do you need to communicate to?• What are the key messages you want to convey?• What are the actions you want the recipient to take?• Confirm the level of change to colleagues.• What is the timeline you want to communicate?

Scoping Discussion Project or Program NameUpon receipt of a Communications Request, the Communications Lead will schedule a Scoping Discussion with the project team. The questions asked

during the discussion may vary based on information included in the request form, the nature of the project, or evolve from the discussion itself.

61

Questions or Comments?

62

63

Moving from Tactician to Strategist

§ Communications matters more when it’s strategic

§ Be a business partner first

§ Ask the right questions

§ Use KNOW/FEEL/DO

§ Don’t wait ‘til the end to define and implement measurement

§ Put yourself in your audiences’ shoes, starting with your client!

§ Create messages that STICK

§ Measure and improve

§ Report data linked to business objectives

Today’s Key Messages

[email protected]

+1-847-525-3043

LinkedIn: juliebaron1

Julie Baron

64

http://communicationworks.biz

Thank you!

65

Documents

Moving from Tactician to Strategist€¦ · Win with SMART Communication Objectives Strategic Communication Planning Objectives & Measurement Setting. 33 Building a Strategic Communications