Internal engagement: a necessary evil or a strategic imperative?

I recently heard someone use the proverb “Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan”, and it got me thinking that this is just another way of saying that no matter how good an idea or plan is, it won’t reach its full potential without a team of people pulling together, providing input and support. 

This sounds obvious, but perhaps it’s something too easily forgotten or deprioritised. When time is tight and deadlines are looming, it’s logical to prioritise the execution of a project ahead of communicating to relevant stakeholders, which can often feel like a tick-box exercise. 

But surely we are missing a trick here? We all know that input and support from our colleagues can be the difference between a great idea that never gets off the ground, and one that has a real impact on performance.

By asking ourselves FOUR KEY QUESTIONS – what?, when?, who? and how? – we can quickly generate a clear picture of what we need to accomplish.

Finally, we need to consider how we can best reach each stakeholder. The style and channel for communications should be tailored to what you want the audience to do. If it is just to inform people, then a more traditional newsletter or email may be sufficient, but if you want to gather input and feedback you will need to provide a forum that facilitates this.

Explore the options already available to you through internal forums and be prepared to be dynamic and flexible. By offering a range of communication methods, both high- and low-tech, you’ll find the one that resonates best with your key audiences. It might require more time up-front, but to misquote another famous saying ‘If your project is worth doing, it’s worth doing well’.

If you would like more information on how Succinct can help you with internal engagement please contact Jessica Ingram or Jennifer Chilver.