Completely redesigning the goalposts, not just moving them

Being an internal comms specialist, I don’t mind change – in fact, I enjoy and relish it as it keeps things fresh and interesting. Not changing means standing still.

When it comes to tasks, I like a really clear brief and tend to ask questions, holding meetings if necessary, to clarify what needs to be done. As a sole IC operative, I need to make sure I’ve got it clear from the top before I head off and work on something to avoid wasting time.

So when the scope of a task changes dramatically, it tends to wind me up.

Take a recent example where I’ve been tasked with putting together the presentation deck for some all-staff briefings. The idea was to use a slimmed-down version of the budget presentation so that a) we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, b) we can let people know exactly what is being decided at the top level of the organisation and c) there’s more transparency of information throughout the company.

I met with two senior stakeholders to discuss tweaks which was fine – clearer idea of what was required: check.

This morning, having submitted a version of the deck to one of these senior stakeholders yesterday, I’ve realised from the feedback that an almost complete rewrite and redesign is now required. Like I said, change is fine, but unclear – and quite frankly unhelpful – direction just means I lose time (and hair!) while I attempt version 2 and hope that the goalposts won’t be moved again so dramatically.

Any tips, people?

Keep it short and simple: the new KISS

There are many senior managers who consider themselves to be good communicators simply because of the position they hold – I report to someone who is not a particularly great communicator.  In fact, some of his team – the HR department – think he “doesn’t make the effort” and “isn’t visible enough.”  As a member of the ExCo, he sits on a different floor so being visible is a bit of a problem for the guy.  And as for “doesn’t make the effort” to communicate, it’s all about perception, but that’s the subject for a whole other post.

When it comes to sorting out Road Show-style presentations, where the CEO and/or members of the ExCo get up in front of a large audience and give an update on the business, I’ve been running into the issue of the “more is more” mentality, instead of “less is more.”  As these sorts of business updates happen so infrequently, the mindset of my director is to squeeze as much into the presentation as possible, thereby flooding the update with multiple messages and too much information.

One of the struggles I’m having at the moment is getting these senior people to see that others around the business are not really concerned with everything going on, but want to hear from the top of the company about some key themes and to have the opportunity to ask questions or voice opinions.

I’m not saying that we need to scale everything down or only focus on one part of the business, but after speaking to some of my contacts around the business, there are some hot topics – which are also big news in our company – about which people are curious.

By combining the face-to-face presence of the CEO and the ExCo with an update on the hot topics, I feel that far more REAL information would be passed on to – and understood by – the internal audience.  If there are other areas of interest, they can be included in the monthly news bulletin or in other regular communications.

Anyone with a similar issue?