Communicating for Change: Focus, Clarity, Transparency

The Word Factory - B2B & B2C content marketing, brand journalism and consulting
The Word Factory - B2B & B2C content marketing, brand journalism and consultingContent marketing & brand journalism consultant & producer, freelance journalist, writing coach, national speaker
Communicating for Change: Focus, Clarity, Transparency
ProblemsWith
andSolutionsFor:
Focus
Clarity
Transparency
And a lightweight tool
for operationalizing.
Photo by UNU-WIDER - Creative Commons Attribution License http://www.flickr.com/photos/63315541@N05 Created with Haiku DeckType to enter text
I see you every day.
I know you.
I know how you think.
Photo by UNU-WIDER - Creative Commons Attribution License http://www.flickr.com/photos/63315541@N05 Created with Haiku DeckType to enter text
We’re all in this
business together,
so we MUST have
the same needs for
information.
Photo by Allspire - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License http://www.flickr.com/photos/81132162@N03 Created with Haiku DeckType to enter text
Effective
communication does
not rely on
convenient
assumptions or easy
labels.
Let me tell you
a story
“Why don’t they
understand?”
Focus
facilitates results
Without Focus
•Mission creep
•Phoning it in
•Going rogue
•Low commitment
What influences your
audience?
If you don’t know the
purpose of the work, you’re
throwing away potential
performance gains and
opening the door to
unnecessary risk.
Purpose
Focus
•Objections & Q’s
•Values & needs
•Voice that resonates
•Purpose
The most successful
communication is
purpose-focused and
audience-focused.
Clarity
fosters understanding
Without Clarity
•Miscues
•Confusion
•Uncertainty
•Less momentum
Plain Language
•Efficient
•Precise
•Light on jargon
•Not boring!
Clarity
•Mission
•Purpose
•Definition of done
•Metrics & results
No matter how clear
something is to you,
it must be clear to
your audience to have
the desired impact.
Transparency
builds trust
Without
Transparency
•Lack of trust
•Suspicion & skepticism
•Frustration
Why?
Transparency
•Processes
•Decision-Making
•Rationale
•Relationships
People don’t
trust change
so they need to
trust you.
Operationalizing
Focus, Clarity and
Transparency
•List audience influencers
•Clearly define purpose
•Clarify main idea & details
•Record rationale
Capture Your Thinking
Capture Your Thinking
Use the C-P-A to:
•Plan projects
•Map out content
•Articulate rationale
•Explain processes & relationships
The C-P-A is such an
easy way to evaluate
focus, clarity, and
transparency that
there is no reason
not to use it.
Communication
Shapes Culture
•Defines direction
•Speeds buy-in
•Establishes purpose
Focus
Communication
Shapes Culture
•Establishes authority
•Supports healthy debate
•Improves decisions
Clarity
Communication
Shapes Culture
•Builds trust
•Reduces friction
•Drives collaboration
Transparency
Every significant
communication
is an opportunity
to improve
organizational
culture.
Questions?
Communicating for Change: Focus, Clarity, Transparency
Communicating for Change: Focus, Clarity, Transparency
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Communicating for Change: Focus, Clarity, Transparency