Start communicating first with your inner circle of stakeholders and then move progressively outward until you’ve reached all of your audiences. This tried-and-true approach minimizes the rumor mill and saves you from the embarrassment of having a trusted colleague hear your message from someone else.
1. Bull’s-Eye Circle
These individuals are closest to your organization and may span all stakeholder groups: board of directors, senior management, major donors, A-list clients, business partners. These individuals deserve to hear your news in a one-on-one personal meeting or phone call. Consider it time well-spent gaining insights and building trust.
2. Inner Circles
These are individuals, like managers, mid-level donors, and B-list clients who also have a high stake in your organization and should hear your message in person. Group meetings will allow you to deliver your message efficiently while providing for questions and concerns to be answered. If the message you are delivering is complicated, follow-up with more meetings, e-mails, letters or handouts to keep communication lines open and to dispel rumors.
3. Outer Circles
As long as you provide a genuine feedback loop, you can start including written communications, where appropriate. For example, general staff could receive an e-mail from the CEO, followed by meetings with managers to answer questions. Additional feedback loops could include questions answered through social media sites, anonymous suggestion boxes or emails directly to the CEO. A similar approach can be used for volunteers and clients.
4. Outside the Bull’s-Eye
This is the public phase of your announcement. It should begin after you have successfully communicated with everyone in your bull’s-eye circles. Press releases, public announcements, and public meetings may be part of your communications strategy at this stage.
Depending on the type of news being delivered, these steps can be completed in a few hours or over the course of a year or more. For example, a nonprofit planning for succession of their Executive Director may spend months meeting each major donor several times before moving to the next tier of communications.
The key to communicating in circles is to honor your stakeholders by ensuring that they hear your news from you first.
If you have tough messages to communicate, we can help you do it successfully. Take your communications to the next level and contact Liz LaRose today at 603.924.4400 or contact us via e-mail.
