Seven Big Things. Tune out the noise and strip out the distractions, and there are seven fundamental things you need to ensure great communications for you and your organization.
Communications can be simultaneously exhilarating and stressful. The stakes can be high. There are many moving pieces and forces out of your control. The good news is there is a roadmap to success: doing these Seven Things will put you in an excellent position to tell your best story and achieve your goals.
Whether you’re making a big announcement, trying to raise the profile of an organization or an issue, or navigating a crisis, adhering to each of these seven principles can help you thrive during any communications opportunity or challenge.
For each, I’ve included a series of questions to help you determine if you’re already doing these Seven Big Things.
Define clearly what you’re trying to accomplish. Are you trying to draw attention to a new program or initiative? Protect your reputation in the face of outside criticism? Gain support for public policy changes? Before you do anything else, take a step back to make sure you and your team know what you’re setting out to do.
Always highlight your mission and values. How does what you’re trying to achieve advance your mission and align to your values? Are you able to make a direct connection to your mission and values as you communicate with stakeholders? Can you use this as an opportunity to show, more than simply tell, what you stand for?
Recognize that no one can tell your story better than you can. Are you out there talking about your work and helping stakeholders understand you better? Or are you ceding ground to critics? Are others defining you before you can define yourself? While there are instances where, for strategic reasons, it may be preferable to remain quiet, the result is that you can allow others to fill an information vacuum and misrepresent your organization, programs and initiatives.
Identify and embrace the assets at your disposal. Do you have a checklist of all the channels through which you can communicate? Have you identified your strongest spokesperson(s)? Have you asked external validators and people who have benefited from your organization to share their experiences and perspective?
Deliver your message clearly, compellingly, and consistently. Is your messaging simple and digestible? Does it resonate with your audiences? Are your spokespersons well versed in your messaging and able to deliver it repeatedly across a variety of channels?
Know the audiences you need to reach, and meet them where they are. When you think about what you’re trying to accomplish, is it clear who you need to talk with to be successful? If they’re a younger audience that spends time on social media, do you have the tools to connect with them? Do you know how they consume news, including what media outlets they turn to for information?
Be ready for the unexpected and don’t panic. Knowing that there will be obstacles and potential setbacks, do you have a process in place to make decisions in real time and adjust as necessary? Are you able to get your team together efficiently if you need to change course? Have you built in flexibility to modify your strategies and tactics while staying focused on your goals and objectives?
If you’re answering ‘no’ to these questions and if you’re looking to get better at communicating about your good work and positive impact, then you’re exactly the type of client I’d like to partner with.
In nearly 25 years of leading communications - in Congress, at major non-profits, and on political campaigns - I’ve learned how important these Seven Big Things Are. I can work with you to integrate them into all of your communications endeavors.
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