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mandy.thatcher@melcrum.comJanuary 23, 2008
Dear Source Reader
Uncertainty about how to get started can be the biggest barrier to developing a robust internal communication strategy, warns Barbara Fagan-Smith in Melcrum's new Practitioner's Guide to Strategy & Planning for Internal Communicators.
"The first thing to remember about strategic planning is almost counter-intuitive – don’t delay, just plunge in," urges Fagan-Smith, CEO of ROI Communication and author of the new guide. "Many people often get bogged down worrying about getting 'all their ducks in a row' before getting started, and end up perpetually putting off any real action."
The key to getting started, says Fagan-Smith in the step-by-step guide, is simply identifying and gathering all relevant stakeholders in a room. To identify who these people are, consider the following issues:
1. What do you want to get out of the plan?
What is your goal – your desired outcome – from the whole process?
2. What is the scope of the plan?
- Is it to cover a single project or initiative in the business, or to design the entire departmental strategy (e.g., an annual communication plan)?
- Is it organization-wide, or just concerned with one business line or region?
- Is it multi-disciplinary or "purely" about internal communications?
- How will the scope affect who should be involved in the planning process?
3. What is the plan’s timeframe?
- If it's short-term (e.g. 3-6 months) how might it influence, or be influenced by, corporate activities that are planned to occur after it?
- If it's long-term (e.g. 1-3 years) how might it influence, or be influenced by, corporate activities planned to occur while it's still being rolled out?
- How will the timescale affect those who should be involved in the planning process?
4. Who is the plan for?
- Are you creating a plan for yourself (i.e., as a management tool) or for your team (i.e., for them to use as a roadmap for their work)? Many might answer "both" but privately only be interested in the former outcome. Given this, what will you do to ensure it is useful and that everyone feels they have an ownership stake in its success?
- Are you creating a strategic plan for you and your team to own and execute? Or is it a strategic plan for the organization, in which you and your team will be facilitators and enablers?
Once you have really considered the answers to these questions, you are ready both to put together the plan for the meeting, and to select the right people to join your endeavour.
See you next week!
P.S. Take advantage of the special introductory offer on Melcrum's new Practitioner's Guide to Strategic Planning for Internal Communicators.
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Study also shows 93% of senior execs see correlation between corporate culture and performance.
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We have a perenniel problem on Black Belt – we get people from a wide range of backgrounds and with a mix of experience. And we have to make sure that they all leave with a good experience. But we've always had a problem helping those people who hope there is a new Holy Grail of IC.
If they're tough at the top, start elsewhere
Alex Manchester, Melcrum's Social Media Newsletter, January 8, 2008
Getting support and resources for social media initiatives can be a tough job. The direct ROI of blogs, wikis, and RSS is difficult to measure (and some say we shouldn't try). But, saying it’s tough to measure won't measure up with your executive team.
Consistency at heart of award-winning Australian intranet
The Internal Comms Hub, January 21, 2008
Easy navigation, simple design and robust operation prove key features.
The Source
for Communicators is a free resource for corporate communicators
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