by As a communicator, I’m passionate about not just the stories I tell, but how I tell them. Each word is selected with one thing in mind: how will the audience engage with it. That’s all that matters. Details (not accuracy) become less important than the bigger picture. In the enterprise, stories alone aren’t always as important as how they all fit together like puzzle pieces to reveal something important and cohesive. It’s as if you’re coloring in a picture to make it something your audience recognizes and understands.
Project leads are passionate about what they’ve created and how it works. I find that passion can become misplaced when talking about how to create messaging about said deliverable. Again, this is where details become particularly less important in favor of helping your audience see the bigger picture and the “value add” to whatever is being communicated–particularly if it fits into a larger scope (e.g., strategic plan, fiscal year plan, etc.)
I often refer to what I do as a communicator at work as being a translator. It’s not about simply taking notes and passing on information. It’s about taking the information and asking–at the very least–why the audience should care about it. It’s also about knowing the best way to communicate that message–written, audio, video, presentation, etc. Our input and advice will make the difference in how the audience metabolizes the information.
As a communicator, your point of view is essential. And though I’ve found through my career it can be challenging to move the dial on corporate communication dogma in any given enterprise, if you are consistently trying to drive engaging messaging, the needle will, indeed, move–slowly–but it will move. (It will!)
Building trust with stakeholders can be vital in enabling them to step back and leave the messaging to the expert–you! I’ve worked with professionals who completely leave the messaging to me and those who want to do it their way. Pick your battles. You won’t win every one of them. What’s important as a communicator is that you keep swinging! As you build trust with your stakeholders, you’ll form a partnership where your input and advice are sought and valued.
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Communication. Evolution. Revolution.
