It’s never a bad time to start fresh, personally and professionally. Help your organization by taking into account what’s happened in recent history and where you want to go. From there, you will determine what steps are necessary to achieve your goals.
Writing an internal communication (IC) strategy can be the first step in mapping your goals and is virtually unused in the real estate industry.
According to All Things IC, an “internal communication strategy is like a map, an outline of your organization’s journey. It’s the big picture of what you want to achieve.”
This can be done by a brokerage or an independent agent alike.
Great! So, where do you start? First, know what an IC strategy needs to address. This includes the where, how, what, and why.
Write down the current state of the company, then state where you’re heading, or where you’d like to be. Create a list of objectives to support this.
Then break into your “how.” Explain how you are going to get to where you want to be, as well as how long it will take and why.
You’ll then venture over to a “what” by outlining what is involved along the way to your goal. Then, throw in a little “why” by explaining why this approach is the best for the job.
Go back to “how” and tell how you’ll know when you’ve reached your destination. This part will require tangibles and measurements to support a change in reaching your goal.
Finally, give one more “what” and address what will happen if you don’t change the way you’re currently operating. If things are working for your organization, that’s great! But, there is always room for improvement.
For an internal communication strategy, it is important to include the following: a title, an issue/purpose, structure, executive summary, audience segmentation/stakeholder mapping, a timeline, channels, measurement, communication objective, approval process and responsibilities, key messages, and an appendix.
Now, what was missing from the initial inclusions was a “who.” So, who should be the one to write this document?
Well, it needs to be someone with a strong understanding and implementation of internal communications. This can be done internally by someone on staff who is an expert; or, it can be outsourced to an expert. Regardless of who writes it, make sure it is clear and concise for the audience at hand.
What is most important to remember is that writing an internal communication strategy is just half the battle. Your work is not done once this document is agreed upon by the leadership team. And finally, you must be willing to enforce what’s written on these pages and be ready to make the changes you’ve outlined.
Staff Writer, Taylor Leddin is a publicist and freelance writer for a number of national outlets. She was featured on Thrive Global as a successful woman in journalism, and is the editor-in-chief of The Tidbit. Taylor resides in Chicago and has a Bachelor in Communication Studies from Illinois State University.
