In my time in the communications industry alone—roughly the last 14 years—there have been enough trends on how to communicate effectively to put me at the chiropractor for whiplash.
Show up in their inbox so frequently they can’t ignore you! Don’t annoy them; less is more! Email is dead! Email is king! Use slang to catch their attention! Don’t be weird; stay professional! Slack! Trello! Asana! Teams!
It’s all too much, because there’s too much that’s been “right” for anything to be truly right.
My hot take—that I consider to be mildly warm at best—is this:
It’s tempting to over-complicate communications when it feels like we’re competing with the rest of the world to get people’s attention. But I’d argue there are a handful of key qualifications for communications that have stood the test of time and proven to be successful, above and beyond the trends I’ve read about (and sometimes tried) over the years.
Here are four things your communications should be to actually help cut through the noise and help accomplish your goals:
- Consistent: Timing, visual look and feel, and voice—your audiences (internal and external) should see and experience these consistently from you. Maybe that’s getting back to having your email newsletter go out on the same day of the week and share the same categories of information each time. Maybe it’s a monthly update that offers donors a status update on impact numbers and stories. Just give people something they feel they can trust to expect.
- Collaborative: Communications that only reflect your perspective or intel around a certain issue or decision aren’t ultimately that helpful to your audiences. Collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure you fully understand the what, why, and how for everything you’re communicating gets people the most accurate and helpful information.
- Conducive: Knowing your audiences and where they do (or don’t) prefer to receive communication goes a long way in the success of your work. For some organizations, email will always be the MVP. For others where staff might be more on-the-go or boots-on-the-ground (i.e., not checking email often), leveraging a platform with an app might be the best way to reach them for internal comms. Think Microsoft Teams, Slack, or even a protected text message system for timely updates.
- Clear: Clarity is kindness, as they say. With the vast amount of information bombarding people every hour of every day, sending out communications that are fluffy or elusive will lose anyone’s attention in a heartbeat. Be clear, be concise, and make sure any direct impact statements, call to action, or deadlines stand out.
If it seems too watered down, it’s because you’re used to reading about overhyped and under-researched communication methods. If it seems lacking in creativity, it’s because it’s built on a cornerstone of tried-and-true tactics.
In a world where trust is hard to earn and easily lost, become a source of dependable, credible communication.
