Why,
not what?
Where does the real
skill lie in business communication today? Is it in the gloss
of a magazine, a web site or even a .PDF document? Or is it in
the satisfaction of having met a real need to use communication
as a tool to move your organisation forward?
So often organisations
focus only on the former - and any communication ‘strategy’ is
merely a plan of deliverables.
I’m often asked to
quote for a newsletter – be it in printed or electronic form –
and my normal response is to ask: ‘Why are you communicating?’
Frankly, it’s a response
that often throws the prospective client. Their focus is on what
needs to be communicated and how to do it rather than why there’s
a need for communication in the first place.
Exploring that need
regularly has interesting results and all too often sees the brief
redefined to cover how communication can support leadership, change
and organisational development.
This may not necessarily
help Leapfrog in the short term – my habit of pointing out to
clients why they shouldn’t be focused on the mechanism has cost
me more than one tactical job in the last few months.
However, I’m convinced
it’s a more honest approach, and one that will build longer- term
benefits for my business and that of my clients.
Of course, once one
looks at ‘why’ and examines the objectives behind any planned
communication, one can plan what’s necessary to achieve those
objectives effectively.
Then again communication
isn’t all about strategy, and much of my work is about helping
clients to build and implement the right communication tools to
support the business need – and heck, that might even include
a newsletter.
But what really matters
is the context in which that newsletter is used. Is there the
right visibility of leadership? Are the paper promises actually
lived up to in the organisation – and is all the activity tangibly
supporting the business aims?
It pays to turn standard
journalistic practice on its head: start with ‘why’ before even
thinking about ‘what.’
Mark Shanahan
