By: Molly Russin
Like so many of us, I’ve made Spring Cleaning one of my year-round hobbies during the pandemic. One thing I’ve learned—over and over—is that you can’t declutter by reorganizing; you must reduce. Take it from me and my Container Store obsession– no matter how many adorable baskets and clear plastic trays you cram your stuff into, you won’t reach nice-n-neat nirvana until you get rid of some of your stuff. And by “some,” I mean a lot.
Recently, I applied that philosophy to a client’s Communications Plan. Of course, it was comprehensive and well thought out; it included multi-channel approaches and messages for every audience. But was it clear…concise…and most of all, impactful? We looked through as many metrics and KPIs as we could to judge the effectiveness of each initiative and quickly concluded that the time had come for a Communications Spring Cleaning.
“When we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.” — Marie Kondo
This is not a task for the feint of heart. Let’s keep in mind, though, that this has been a year of non-stop stress, multi-tasking, and remote around-the-clock work. Employees simply don’t have the bandwidth for a let’s-do-it-all Communications Plan. Perhaps, as Ms. Kondo suggests, you’re attached to the past. You really LOVE the monthly newsletter and your quarterly townhall is a can’t miss! But do folks on the receiving end feel the same way? Or, maybe you fear the future. You know the time has come to set up an Insta account, but you just don’t have the time or the energy to make it happen.
The truth is, this isn’t easy work but it’s critical to making your communications as streamlined and effective as possible—something that is proven to increase Employee Engagement. If this is something you’d like to explore, the team at KDH Consulting would love to help. Make this the year that each one of your communication tactics “sparks joy” in your employees–and in you.