The comms approval process

The comms approval process

If you’ve been through the comms approval process a few times, you’ll know: the pain is real.

Getting through layers of people to edit and sign-off a piece of content – whether it’s a video, a design, a press release or other copy – it can be excruciating.

They’ll drain all the life out of the thing, and then tell you to?make it go viral.

Stay strong.?You’re not alone.

Keep fighting for what you know will make the content engaging and useful to the audience.

It might take the diplomacy skills of a hostage negotiator, but it matters and will be appreciated by the people who have to read or look at your content.

You CAN beat the comms approval process!

Name: "Cartoon: the comms approval process. Starts with a laptop and on the screen it says: A lovely bit of content (in draft). IN: ?? [drawing of colleagues face] adds irrelevant & boring detail ?? [drawing of colleagues face] suggests a blurry, dark photo ?? Comms: OMG NO ?? [drawing of colleagues face] asks to add a quote ?? [drawing of colleagues face] adds capital letters to words that should be lower case ?? [drawing of colleagues face] adds some jargon and buzzwords ?? Comms: replaces bullsh*t with Plain English ?? [drawing of colleagues face] wonders if we’re dumbing down ?? [drawing of colleagues face] removed the little joy left ?? Comms: makes the changes ?? OUT: [drawing of a turd] big old piece of cr*p"?

Ironically,?when I initially drew and shared this cartoon?back in 2017, I misspelled the word ‘irrelevant’.?And of course, if I’d shown it to anybody before I tweeted it, they would have pointed it out and saved me my typo shame!

A version of this article first appeared on the Comms Creatives website.

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Russell-Olivia Brooklands (ROB) FIIC

From frustration to fulfilment for IC Specialists: we can enable you to develop Shareable Justifiable Confidence in your working practices, to secure the influence you desire with your business leaders.

3 年

Anyone who's been in comms for any length of time will surely recognise this. Interestingly, though, does the approvals process need to be 'beaten'? In our experience, the problems you're describing rarely originate in the approvals process itself. That's just one part of a much more systemic issue.

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alan welcome

Independent Publishing Professional

3 年

Splendid, but surely bullshit is supposed to replace plain English?

回复
Katherine Donaldson

Senior Internal Engagement Advisor at Northumbria Police

3 年

Never seen anything more accurate ??

回复
Dr Danae Dodge

Communications Officer (Ecological Continuity Trust), & Volunteer for Royal Society of Biology London Group with 10 years of scicomm experience

3 年

That's hilarious, and brilliant!

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