Members only
The session started with a question, ‘Where 1 reflects less confidence and a system that is currently sporadic, and 5 indicates a high level of comfort and organisation, how confident do you currently feel with your comms planning?’
While the results showed an average comfort level of 3, throughout the discussion it became clear that there are recurring challenges across the profession, and a group of individuals keen to share their own tips and experiences.
The Challenges
1. Change. From industrial action to organisational changes, large undefined organisational wide change programmes is difficult to factor into strategic planning.
2. Time. Internal communications is becoming increasingly integral within organisations, and as such we’re busier than ever before. As highly organised individuals by nature of our profession, we strive to be organised and plan ahead, but with so much change within the profession, much of our roles are more reactive. How do we find the balance between structure and flexibility?
3. Lack of clarity. It’s challenging for internal communicators to be strategic in their planning when there is no clarity of business goals or what the wider organisation wants to achieve. If the business does not have a clear view of their priorities, how can we determine which communications add the most value?
4. Finding balance. In larger organisations it can be a struggle to ensure that all areas have an equally represented voice and are heard.
The Tips
1. One step at a time. Participants discussed the benefits of planning in sprints to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Determine the best way to divide your timings and then start in detail and then zoom out. For instance, plan in depth for your first 3 months, and then an overview of the next 3, followed by ideas and goals for the remainder.
2. Communication is key. Holding regular strategy or roundtable meetings including different departments and stakeholders can help to avoid clash and align priorities.
3. Prioritise. It’s important to set a process and boundaries in order to manage expectations. Don’t be afraid to question value, and establish a tiered approach where impact equals value.
4. Be strategic with employee voice. Listen to employee voice and let them lead conversations. Feed-back to the organisation with employee voice at the forefront.
5. Find what works. From process to tools, find what works for you and your organisation. Different channels and platforms work for different audiences and it’s a good idea to do an audit to determine what works for your specific role.
As the profession continues to evolve, there will always be new challenges for internal communicators developing strategy and plans. For those just starting out, we recommend exploring the IoIC guide to internal communication strategy which we will be updating early this year along with new measurement templates and matrices we will be creating to support our members with their strategy and planning.
