Having just returned from judging
the Gold Quill awards in San Francisco (an amazing and invaluable experience) as well
as preparing for the upcoming Blackbelt Strategy and Planning Masterclass, I’ve
had cause to think seriously about communication objectives.
Back at uni we were all taught
that objectives MUST be written using the SMART principles (specific,
measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) and when I’ve lectured in the
past I’ve said the same thing. So why don’t we do it as practitioners?
Of course, I know some people
do, but from reading through award submissions, it’s not as automatic as we
might think. And, I must admit, I certainly have been guilty of writing some
pretty fuzzy objectives at times.
The thing is, if we want to show the value of internal comms, we have to set targets for ourselves. The frustrating thing about reading some of the Gold Quill entries, was that some fabulous work had been done and some great results achieved. But if you achieved a $1m cost saving without setting any target, how do we know that’s any good? What if you should have achieved $10m? What if you set out to achieve $10,000? How can I, as a judge (or your CEO or senior management), know whether you’re worth it?
I'll leave Adrian to wax lyrical
about the measurement side of things. My point is, set objectives. Set SMART
objectives. Measure your results. Learn from them. It's the only way to prove
your worth to the world and to yourself.
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