Category Archives: Communications Plan

A “Failure to Communicate” Plan

What we have here is a failure to communicate. If you’ve seen Cool Hand Luke you’ll know what’s coming next. While no one sets out to intentionally communicate poorly, we’re surrounded with examples where communications fail, are misinterpreted, or create a backlash. So, how do we resolve this? Let’s break it into three stages: Preparing […]

Use this Lessons Learned Template to Improve Your Next Project

This week I’m working on a web project with teams in India, China, Chicago and San Diego. It gets tricky to keep everyone on track and move to the finishing line in sync. We’ve been doing this for six months now. One way we’ve managed to improve our productivity – and stay reasonably sane – […]

Trump’s Guide to Business Writing

‘All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me – consciously or unconsciously. That’s to be expected.’ Donald Trump Ever watch the Apprentice? I enjoy waiting for Trump to pull the trigger and give it to them. ‘You’re fired!’ It’s nice to watch this from the safety of our sofas. We’re involved but also […]

How To Face Your Harshest Critics

Can you relate to this? A major project has fallen behind schedule. It is way over-budget, morale has collapsed, and your leadership is being questioned. It’s got real nasty. It’s your fault. They’re pointing the finger at you. What should you do?

If the criticism is from outside the organization, then define the ground rules for your Communications Plan. Identify who is responsible for what type of communication, how it will be delivered and what messages you want to convey. The benefit of a cohesive Communications Plan is the message coming from all staff will be consistent and ensure that your core values are communicated effectively.