Goldilocks and the need to balance your Communications
Alex Malouf
“Rising Star” communications professional; am passionate about storytelling and reputation building in emerging markets
Remember the children's story of Goldilocks and the three bears? How she didn't want too hot or big, or too cold or small? She wanted to find what was right for her? The analogy reminds me very much of what I see when it comes to communicating around projects and initiatives here.
Let me explain. When a new company launches, there is a burst of communication about how the project will change everything, with some pretty big claims. Which is wonderful, but that change will be gradual and will happen after this organization has realized its plans. If it's building infrastructure, that realization could take years. And then there's the inevitable delays. Remember, reputations are built through trust.
This leads me onto the other extreme, which is silence. Often an initiative or organization will lapse into silence as it struggles with its own internal issues (or comms heads who are probably not in the right place). There will be a gaping void where this organization's messaging once was, which will be filled by stakeholders sharing outdated opinions and asking what is happening, or has happened. Usually, that talk is negative.
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There is a third way. Organizations can talk about context. They can share insights on the industry, on relevant trends, and on their own progress. They can keep the conversation going in a way that is constructive both for their own brand and also for their stakeholders. There are good examples locally of this (my favorites are often Red Sea and Diriyah).
In short, be like Goldilocks. Do not feel the urge to go all out on your communications, and do not fall into silence. Pick what you will talk about during a specific period and stick to a plan. Be consistent and regular in how you communicate, and bring others into the conversation. And, most importantly, bring good communicators in-house or hire them on the agency side, listen to them and let them do their job (it'd be wonderful if someone could actually roll out a playbook on how to get this right).
That's all for me for today! As always, I look forward to hearing your views.
Enabling Business Capabilities | Strategy Execution | Culture Transformation
9 个月Alex Malouf's insights highlight the crucial balance in corporate communication, emphasizing the importance of consistency and relevance over extremes of over-promotion or silence. It serves as a valuable lesson for organizations aiming to build trust and maintain a positive reputation.
Founder and CEO, Shakespeare Communications
9 个月Exactly this!
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9 个月Spot on Alex! This applies to so many big projects, ventures and initiatives! The big announcement is often expensive and planned in great detail, sometimes even the following few weeks communications, and then radio silence. If you've invested so much in securing your audience's attention, why would you want to deliberately let all that attention drift away afterwards?