The perfect fit: identifying the right thing to communicate next can make the difference between stifling or sustaining momentum

Communication World, Oct-Nov, 2003 by Gary F. Grates

Remember Rubik's Cube, the six-sided, three-dimensional puzzle that became a craze in the U.S. a little more than two decades ago? The challenge was to manipulate the cube so all of the same-colored squares were on the same side.

Nearly everyone gave it a try, typically through trial-and-error. What most people eventually learned was that trial and-error didn't work; in fact, an ill-conceived decision would wind up eventually sabotaging the entire endeavor.

Solving the puzzle, it turned out, was not a matter of luck or randomness; rather, it required forethought, strategy and an understanding of which progressive series of individual moves would lead to the desired result. Some people actually embraced the challenge, much to the bewilderment of the majority of people, who simply threw up their hands.

As professional managers and communicators, we, too, find ourselves challenged with solving elaborate puzzles. In our case, the "puzzle" we must solve is how to tell our organization's story best: who we are, what's exciting about us and why people should care. As in solving a Rubik's Cube, the wrong move now can lead to negative ramifications later on. And, as was the case with many Rubik-cubers two decades ago, we often resort to short-sighted trial-and-error to determine which move to make next--an approach that, once again, ultimately causes some communicators simply to give up.

FINDING THE RIGHT PIECE AT THE RIGHT TIME

Solving the Rubik's Cube is a linear, step-by-step process, whereas solving the communication "puzzle" is anything but linear. It requires an approach that is simultaneously creative and analytical. The approach must also recognize that every "move" we make now has a potentially significant impact on future activities and outcomes.

Making the right move, or finding the "Perfect Fit," enables the remaining pieces of the puzzle to fall into place and lays the groundwork for comprehension and relationship building.

WHAT IS THE 'PERFECT FIT'?

The "Perfect Fit" is what an organization needs to be communicating at a specific moment for its story to unfold properly. Communicators are often blessed (or plagued) with multiple choices to communicate to the world that are plucked from myriad business functions, processes and geographic areas.

At the senior-most levels of the company where there's often an eagerness to build momentum, executives want to tell a variety of stories at once--often a hodge-podge of news about products, services, technologies, environmental initiatives and investments, among other things. What's often missing is the apparent linkage among the stories.

As chief storyteller (or puzzle solver), however, the communicator must identify the Perfect Fit--the next chapter in the organization's evolution that both strategy and logic dictate deserves to be told now in order to build or sustain organizational momentum. And it's important that the communicator know how to identify that chapter.

IDENTIFYING THE PERFECT FIT

The need to create the Perfect Fit and knowing how to identify it are two different things. Sometimes it's easy: if your industry's leading trade publications or national business media claim you're the best at what you do, you'll probably want to build on that reputation. For example, Apple Computer sustains momentum by building on innovation, with must-have products like the iPod. Apple is communicating its next chapter--the iTunes Music Store, its new digital music service--by building momentum for the company as an innovative leader. By offering a practical way of providing online music that people are willing to pay for, Apple is also setting standards the music industry has been looking for and is eager to adopt. It remains to be seen if iTunes will add significantly to Apple's bottom line in the long run. Apple is confirming its innovative bent through a coordinated iTunes promotion effort that includes advertising, marketing and publicity.

But for most organizations, the Perfect Fit is harder to come by.

Fortunately, identifying the Perfect Fit requires the same skills and strategies that many corporate communicators leverage every day. (See sidebar below, "Creating a Perfect Fit.")

To identify the Perfect Fit, it's imperative that organizations integrate functions and departments that currently exist in silos, and gear communication toward whatever is promoting momentum and growth in the marketplace. Communicators need an innate understanding of the factors critical to the organization's success, such as quality, cost reduction and the ability to deliver cutting-edge products, for example, as well as a solid grounding in external issues that affect the organization. This knowledge, coupled with a realistic view of consumer opinions and media interest, can result in the unfolding of a story that resonates with the marketplace.

The organization's evaluation and decision-making protocols must be as quick as they are smart. Communication relegated to committees and endlessly revised program drafts inevitably lags external developments that the communication was initially meant to reflect or influence.