I have a Comms. strategy - now what?
Tara McDonagh
Communications as Business Advisor Activist * Founder, Raise the Tide? * Advisor to Fortune 500 Communications & PR Teams * Communications Leader Coach *
You've FINALLY built your Communications strategy and now you need to know what to do with it next. Congratulations!
You know by now that I'm a fierce advocate of relying on a Communications Strategy to ground a team's work and start problem-solving for a whole host of Communications challenges - how communicators are treated, what teams are focused on, how to get more budget, staff, team structure optimization, etc.
But it's NOT the panacea of solutions if it sits on a shelf. However, this is something that most comms. leaders struggle with and they don't know why. They can't quite figure out why the strategy is so significantly meaningful for them, but not as meaningful in day-to-day work for everyone else around them.
Well first, I have to share that it's not "just" the strategy that gets you to where you want to be.
Communications pros (Internal & External) are deservingly proud of the work they've accomplished when they've put a strategy together, but are also often frustrated when it doesn't solve the problems they've been struggling with for (months, years, their entire career?).
So when you've finished your Comms. strategy - what's next?
How do you make it meaningful?
Consistently relevant?
Connected to your team's everyday work?
Solve the problems you've been struggling with for . . . too long?
Obviously getting your team engaged is critical and many have maybe already done some of that. But it's more than just getting them engaged. I'll get to that in a moment.
But also, many of you know that you need to share it outside of your own team. The problem is when I hear from people that they're going to do a "roadshow."
Please don't!
You DO have to engage others in the strategy, but please don't do a roadshow to make it happen. A roadshow will lead to tune-out and maybe even some eye-rolls from the audience you need to get on board. You'll get rubber stamps of basically, "cool story, bro" or even some annoyance from people that they had to take time away to hear it. You probably won't hear much pushback, and that may feel like a win to you.
It isn't. It's a waste of time and will lead to annoyance in the future for everyone involved.
A roadshow implies educating people as the primary purpose.
That's not what you need to be doing at this stage.
Engagement is what you need to do.
Making it relevant for THEM. Why should they care? What will your plan help them achieve? They don't care how you work or what resources you have or what you're focused on unless THEY have a specific need embedded in there.
How are you solving their problems? That's what they care about and that's what they want to listen into and ENGAGE with you about. Have a conversation where you have a good portion of the work done, but you're open to thoughts on what you're missing and what you should consider.
It's not a classroom lecture. It's a a conversation.
And when it comes to your team - know that sharing your plan, even if they were involved in the creation of it - isn't enough to make it meaningful and consistently relevant. Operationalizing it takes another level of CONSISTENT change.
I address this and more in the latest Communications Business Advisor? podcast. Listen in and let me know what you think.
Episode 16: I have a Comms. strategy – now what??
Welcome to another episode of the Communications Business Advisor? podcast with your host, Tara McDonagh. This episode is all about taking that shiny new Communications Strategy off the shelf and turning it into something operational.
You’ve finally crafted that amazing Communications Strategic Plan. Congratulations! What do you do next? Tara shares her expertise to ensure your strategy doesn’t gather dust. She walks listeners through:
Your Communications Strategy isn’t just a thoughtful document—it’s a tool for achieving business goals. Ensure it resonates with everyone, from your team to executives. Make it a core part of your decision-making and operational processes.?
For those of you who want even more insight on Communications Business Advising, sign up for the Level Up: Be Extra emails. Visit taramcdonagh.com/levelup to sign up.?
The Communications Business Advisor? Podcast is brought to you by Raise the Tide?, the program that elevates our field and the women in it. For more info. visit raisethetide.net.
If you enjoyed this episode, please share a rating or review. We can ignite a movement when we share a message.?
Episode 16: I have a Comms. strategy – now what??
Spotify: Communications Business Advisor?
Amazon: Communications Business Advisor?
Ready to binge more content?
Level Up: Be Extra - Extra insights saved for the elite few who want all the deets to help them constantly grow as a Communications Business Advisor?. Delivered straight to your inbox.
Tara's LinkedIn - sometimes provocative, sometimes inspiring, often interesting Comms.-focused messages five days a week. People tell me it's illuminating and inspiring (and by people ... I don't mean my Mom). Ring the bell in the top right to be alerted to new posts.
Raise the Tide? LinkedIn - content for women in the field, connected to the program designed for women leaders and emerging leaders in the Communications field working in a corporate environment. The program is part community, part coaching, part professional development, and part mentoring, with massive impact. Elevating our field and the women in it.
Taramcdonagh.com - for insight on my approach, services, background, how to work with me, and more.
Tara McDonagh is a Communications as Business Advisor? activist, advisor to Fortune 500 communications leaders and their teams, and Founder of Raise the Tide? for women in Comms. She helps Comms. teams elevate their reputations as critical advisors while elevating our profession and the people in it. Visit: www.taramcdonagh.com
Strategic Communications Leader | C-Suite Collaborator | Media Relations | Crisis Communications | Finance Communications | Public Policy | Employee Engagement | Thought Leadership
2 周Spot on Tara McDonagh, and not just for #communications. Almost everyone, from a Comms manager leading three people to a Navy captain leading thousands, struggles at some point to make strategy relevant to those around them. As you say, take time upfront to engage the stakeholders and truly align on strategic goals and objectives. Being deliberate at the outset saves a ton of time once things get moving.
Award-winning Communications Professional and Higher Education Champion
3 周This was on time. I was sitting writing a comms strategy when this came to my mailbox!