"Isn’t it funny, given what we do for a living, that we aren’t better communicators?"
I’ve said those words before. I know someone in your agency has said those words before. It wasn’t at the end, when I had a saleable agency, when we created strategic value for the Plc giant that bought us. But certainly in the early days, and many times after.
It’s said in a funny, ironic, or sardonic way. But it’s definitely not funny when it’s costing you time, costing you your people, or even costing you clients.
In my work with agencies, there’s often a broken line of communication. It comes in many shapes and sizes. Like, you made a big announcement at the company meeting six months ago and now you’re surprised (amazed!) that no one remembers the details.
Or, you made (in your mind) an amazing All Staff address, yet no one asked a single question at the end. No one said a word. A tumbleweed moment.
This isn’t an issue that’s unique to agencies. Our clients have it. Often that’s exactly what we’re there to improve. It’s a challenge in every organization. But in small to mid-sized agencies, it can be a killer. It can cause people to shut down, to leave, or to make a mistake that costs us badly.
How do we solve it?
We don’t shortcut the messaging. We may have been talking in the hallowed circles of board or management meetings for months. For years even. About some recurring aspect of the business. But our team hasn’t had the benefit of that background. They haven’t heard it before. To them it’s new. It’s the first they know about it. We need to give them the back story and all the supporting information, so that they can fully understand.
We can create FAQs – you should know by now that it can be scary to ask ‘the bosses’ questions in public forums. Not everyone wants to take that step, they might not ever share their thoughts like that.
Repetition is everything. Repeat it. Wait. Then repeat it again, in new, creative and imaginative ways. If it’s important enough for you to say, it’s important enough for you to repeat.
Use multiple channels. That’s the advice I give to clients. Start taking your own communications advice and living it. Say it out loud. Write it down. Put it in a video. Create a visual. You get the idea.