What have you done for me lately?

A fundamental mistake. It is a mistake a lot of people make, especially in the business world. Well-meaning, hard-working people do it all the time. I am guilty of it, especially in the past with regards to my professional communications experience.

People do not seek the credit for their work as much as they should. “My work speaks for itself.” “They know what I do/contribute/add to the business.”

While the importance was not as obvious when I started out in the communications field, I see it much clearer today in the retail world. If you want people to acknowledge your contributions or give yourself ammunition for a pay raise/promotion, you have to make sure they know what you have done and how that contribution benefits the entire company.

You cannot just let your work speak for itself.

In the communications field, that means making use of research and evaluation tools to not only show the impact of a particular program, but to also put it into context of the overall goal/mission of the organization you are working for – justify the resources you have used and the ones you will need in the future.

Before you start a communications campaign of any kind, you need to understand where you currently stand. What is the perception of your company? Who are the people or audiences you are trying to reach? If you cannot clearly identify your starting point, you will be unable to determine how far you have “moved the needle” toward your overall goal. How do you increase favorable impressions of customers by 25% if you do not have any idea where you stand at the beginning of your campaign?

It may seem obvious and pure common sense to establish a starting point, but there is always pressure to begin delivering results as soon as you can – in any job. Any practitioner is going to want to demonstrate their worth and justify the faith their employer has shown by giving them a job. But there needs to be a measured, methodical process through which not only is a starting point identified, but a means of measuring the impact of any effort made as part of a strategic communication program.

While most of what I have covered to this point is in reference to hard, tangible numbers, a strategic communicator needs to weave in the intangible aspects, too. You can tell a pretty straightforward story with hard numbers, but identifying the intangibles helps to flesh out the context of overall environment in which these hard numbers were achieved. An increase of new donors to a foundation by X% is great, but the ability to achieve that during an economic downturn while closing 15% your company’s manufacturing facilities puts it into a slightly more impressive context.

I noted in one of my course assignments that as communicators, we are essentially storytellers. We weave a particular tale (hopefully nonfiction!) for particular audiences with a desired outcome as a goal. If our story is told to the wrong group, we fail. If our story is boring and no one cares, we fail. If our story is just the bare bones facts, we will not be as successful as the storyteller who can paint a rich, full, vibrant story that not only captures the imaginations of those we are hoping to influence (sales, regulators, etc.) but also inspires others who hear our story to reach further/try more/invest themselves (employees, supporters, etc.).

Have I lost you yet? What I’m saying is that we – as strategic communicators – need to use formative research to define the scope and goals of any communication program or campaign. We need to include process research to gauge the implementation success of any campaign or program. And finally, we need to use summaritive research to measure the outcomes of a program/campaign.

The final step is to put that information in the hands of our employers/supervisors as a means of demonstrating what the impact of a strategic communications program has been able to achieve: celebrate the runaway wins, identify the opportunities to improve, and make recommendations for new efforts in the future or new directions to pursue with additional resources.

Some will recognize your work. Most are too busy trying to achieve their own goals, they may not fully understand the contributions you or your team has made unless you clearly point it out to them. This is the step people fail to make. Pride may be one of the Seven Deadly Sins, it is not just “pride” when you are announce the contributions your efforts as a communicator have made toward the overall success of your organization is not a sin – it’s a necessity in a business environment that takes more of “what have you done for me lately” view of those who consume resources.

About the Author: David is a dedicated husband and proud father of a strapping almost fifteen year-old son and twin five and a half year-old daughters. He has twenty years of professional communication experience, working in the public relations field and six years of professional merchandising experience with the world's largest home improvement retailer. He has worked for public relations firms in Metro Detroit, hospitals and a state-wide faith-based social service organization helping at-risk children and their families. He holds a Bachelor degree from Michigan State University and has just completed his Masters program in Strategic Communication at Troy University. He grew up on a mid-sized Michigan blueberry farm, spent two years in Texas and now resides with his family outside Tampa, Florida. An avid reader and photographer, David also enjoys building furniture using recycled/upcycled wooden pallets.