Effective communication isn’t simple. If it was, everyone would be doing it (you see, just there, a horrible cliché – proving the point that communication isn’t easy!)
That said, there are a couple of things you can do to make your life a little easier.
Know where you’re heading
There’s no point in saying something if you’re not sure why you’re doing it. After all, how are you going to achieve anything if you don’t know what success looks like?
As part of your annual planning process, make sure your communications objectives, strategies, and tactics are all formed (not sure on the difference between the three? Here’s a useful article to help.) All communications should have a clear purpose and reflect your overall business objectives.
Bottom line: If your activity doesn’t help you achieve your objective, don’t do it.
Say something worthwhile
Many companies talk into a void. Endless press releases, social media updates, videos, all without any point.
Every communication you release should have a very clear call to action – what do you want people to do, think, or feel as a result of what you’ve said?
If you don’t have a clear answer to that question, then look at your objectives again and come up with one.
Trust your people
Engaged and knowledgeable employees are the guardians of your company’s reputation. What do your employees say about your company? What do they say about you? No amount of media relations will save your reputation if your own employees are inadvertently briefing against you.
Give your employees the tools they need to represent your company in their day-to-day – help them understand where they fit into the bigger picture, give them high-level messages so they can talk about sensitive issues, allow them the freedom to have an opinion.
Are you having issues with your communications strategy? Maybe you’d like some advice on how to make your communications more effective? I might be able to help.
Beaumont is a communications agency based in Lausanne, Switzerland. We work with clients all around the world to change the way they talk about themselves – helping them create engaging stories that motivate action.