How can you use analogies to help stakeholders understand your strategic plan?

Often times when you’re dealing in a specific business area or industry you can view things myopically. Taking the example out of your day-to-day and into something that isn’t helps creating perspective on the situation.

Frequent challenges when presenting a strategic plan to leaders and stakeholders can be found in the “why” behind the initiative. If you, as the strategic planner, thought leader, or change manager, have not obtained the buy-in of the decision makers as well as the broader population of stakeholders from the onset of implementation, then the strategic plan is set for a difficult path towards implementation. Analogies can be used to communicate the core elements of the strategic plan in ways that will connect to the individual audiences of leaders, stakeholders, and implementers that will be the backbone of a successfully executed plan.

Few things to keep in mind when picking analogies: - Base concept: Is the concept too vague or technical that it cannot be explained in direct language? If yes, then using an analogy is helpful - Relatable: Pick an analogy that most of your audience will be able to relate to. You want your audience nodding when you use a relatable analogy. - Simplicity: Ask yourself, can the audience visualize this in isolation with no further explanation? - Humor (optional): Will the analogy invite a chuckle or two from the audience since it hits close to a very familiar day-to-day challenge? Analogies when delivered right can help you build a deeper connection with your audience. It helps you take them with you into a journey of discovery!

I find that cars and automotive brands tend to be a universally understood item. “This proposal is missing the main driver of what we need…it’s like a car with no steering wheel.” Or, “It doesn’t matter that their speed in answering is faster than anyone else’s if the product doesn’t work. That’s like a Ferrari with no wheels. Speed doesn’t matter if you can’t go anywhere.”

Choosing the proper analogies to communicate with your stakeholders effectively is absolutely the key to successfully leveraging analogies to execute your strategic plan. Another way we have all heard this explained before is the old adage, “know your audience.” In some audiences, and even certain times of year, sports analogies can sometimes be one that you might hear used often. While, I might personally love sports and appreciate those analogies, that runs the risk of some not knowing sports, or possibly touching on team rivalry issues. So probably best to avoid any that could cause confusion or debate. Rely on analogies that will bring your audience together, unify their energy, and focus them towards the mission ahead.

I like to use them as an “ice breaker” or to break the tension in an intense negotiation. Analogies can get the point across while lightening the mood.

One of the approaches to effectively connecting analogies to strategic plan implementation that I have found to be successful as a planner and an implementer (in other words, on both sides) is by directly asking my audience to add to or even suggest ideas to take away from the examples in our strategic plan that are connected to the analogy. This practice gives the stakeholders a hands-on connection to exactly what the purpose of our ultimate strategic plan is to achieve, before they have typically even realized what they have done. Offering to even take away from my examples, offers an openness that this process is about everyone working together. I want them to feel like they own it just as much as I do as the strategic planner.

Providing the right examples at the right time is much like knowing our audience. Except with providing the right analogy for your strategic planning phase or phases, to the right audience, at the right time, means that you are using active listening throughout the entire process. Engagement and folding in the feedback of the stakeholders throughout the process will be key to maintaining relevance. This is important not just with the analogies that are effective on the first day but are also successful as implementation tools all the way through the last day and sustainment.

Too many analogies and people just lose the plot! I always try and prioritise clarity and simplicity over rhetorical flourish.

Over usage of analogies can very quickly isolate your audience instead of empowering them. They also can quickly become repetitive if overused, or come across as pedantic and not understanding like you want your stakeholders to think you are. You also always want to avoid clashes of culture bias that could create any form of conflict that could hinder successful collaboration between you and your audience; as well as within your stakeholder organization itself.