Relationships are hard. They require trust, support, and open, honest communication. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and that got us thinking about the perils of miscommunication. We’ve all been there. If you’re not on the same page, enthusiastic about where your relationship is headed, or you just gave your allergic partner a box of chocolate-covered nuts (whoops!), it quickly becomes clear that communication has broken down. While we don’t recommend you whip up an outline of your proposed communication channels to give to your special someone, we do recommend it for your business. Particularly during times of change.
Keeping up with technology is a challenge for businesses.
Modernization and tech enablement can be costly and time-consuming uphill battles for everyone involved. Just like in a good relationship, effective communication is crucial. If you want your business to successfully navigate the growing pains of change, a solid communication plan is a requirement.
So, here’s our little Valentine to you!
7 tips for building a successful communication plan.
-
Know your starting point.
Assess your business’s current methods of communication. Are they effective? Where are the bottlenecks? How can they be alleviated? Knowing where you are helps inform how to get where you need to be.
-
Know your audience.
If you had known about that pesky nut allergy before, you could have just bought flowers. Know who you are building your communication plan for. Understanding who your stakeholders are and what they need facilitates buy-in and keeps everyone engaged in the process. Make sure to outline clearly defined communication goals but be open to suggestions.
-
Know when to communicate.
Consistent and regular communication is important. Decide the frequency of communications and make those goals clear to everyone involved. Continue to monitor productivity and adjust the plan as needed. Don’t forget to consider communication escalation procedures to handle critical or time-sensitive issues when they arise.
-
Know how to communicate.
Consider what communication channels you will utilize. Don’t be afraid to tailor how you communicate to meet the specific needs of individual teams or departments. Some people respond better to in-person meetings rather than online, for example. Remember, not everyone is at the same skill level and the learning curve for different methods of communication will vary.
-
Know how to support communication.
Use internal teams to support your communication channels. Consider appointing leads to handle messaging within their departments. Who understands the best way to communicate with a team better than a member of it? Leads can then report regularly to the project manager to keep everyone on the same page.
-
Know how to improve.
After the project is implemented, don’t rest on your laurels. Keep an eye on outcomes and plan for adjusting where needed. Where can communication be improved? Have new bottlenecks emerged? Is additional training needed to promote success?
-
Know when to get help.
Maybe it’s time to consider leveraging an expert. Modernization, particularly tech upgrades, can be tough to navigate on your own. Change Management specialists can help you and your internal team develop a sound communication plan that will help streamline those upgrades to your business.
It’s always a good time to get your business on the right track.
Want to know more about how we can help you develop, execute, and support a plan to modernize your organization? Contact us.
Red Sky has over 15 years of experience working with clients to strategize, manage, and streamline their businesses.
At Red Sky – We can help.