Often, when I embark on a transformation program in a new organisation, it's like boarding a ship that's sailing through uncharted waters.
The success of our journey greatly depends on understanding and engaging the crew - this can include the customer, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders.
Just as a captain studies the ocean currents and charts a course accordingly, understanding your audience is critical in navigating the transformative waves.
In this blog, I'll deep dive into effective strategies to get to know your audience when working on a transformation program.
Analyse available data
Start with some thorough research. Analyse any available demographic data, prior experiences with change, communication preferences, and any existing concerns. Data-driven insights provide a solid foundation to tailor your communication strategies. For staff, try asking your People & Culture or Human Resources team for general insights. For customer, try your Customer Experience or Sales team leads. Just remember, it's important to comply with data protection and privacy laws, so don't expect access to detailed, confidential or sensitive information.
Facilitate focus groups
Open and honest conversations with representatives from different segments of your audience are a great way to get to know your audience. Organise focus group discussions or anonymous surveys to gather diverse perspectives. Encourage participants to share their opinions, concerns, and aspirations regarding the transformation with each other and you.
Arrange stakeholder interviews
Sometimes, people speak more honestly and openly outside of a group setting. Try engaging one-on-one with key stakeholders involved in the transformation. Understand their expectations, concerns, and the outcomes they envision. Tailor your communication to align with their goals and emphasise how the transformation will benefit them, the organisation or the people it serves.
Engage middle management
Middle managers often have a deep understanding of their teams—and they're often the first people staff go to with a question or issue. So, involve them in the communication process. They can provide crucial insights into the unique needs and concerns of their team members, helping you to tailor your messages effectively.
Leverage survey feedback
Utilise feedback from past employee engagement surveys or post implementation reviews from previous transformation initiatives. Identifying recurring themes and feedback patterns helps in understanding what worked well in the past and what needs improvement. You can also create bespoke anonymous surveys to gather information about your audience. Acknowledge the feedback and let it guide your communication strategy.
Map audience personas
Create personas representing typical members of your audience. Consider their job roles, communication preferences, motivations, and potential objections to change. Personas help in crafting targeted messages and strategies that resonate with different segments of your audience.
Consider the organisational culture
Comprehend the existing organisational culture, values, and communication norms. Culture greatly influences how messages are received and interpreted. Consider aligning your communication style with the prevalent culture to ensure your message is well-received.
Utilise channel analytics
Take a look at communication channel analytics to track engagement with your communication efforts. What topics are generating the most or least engagement? Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and interactions with communication materials. This data provides valuable insights into what resonates and what needs improvement.
Reflect and refine
Your understanding of the audience is not static. As the transformation progresses, your audience's needs, interests and concerns may change. Check in with them regularly to continuously gather feedback and assess the impact of your communication efforts. Adapt and refine your strategies based on real-time insights and changing needs.
By investing time and effort into understanding your audience, you set the stage for a successful transformation, where your message resonates, gains traction, and propels the organisation toward its envisioned future.
About Victoria Hall
Victoria believes that great communication has the power to change the world. She's passionate about helping organisations to lift their profiles, inspire action and achieve remarkable results by crafting and delivering their stories and messages in a clear, compelling and persuasive way. If you've got a question about communications, you can contact Victoria here or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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