Uncover the desired outcome
Your client tells you they need an email campaign to boost participation in a volunteer event.
Aim: Email campaign to boost participation in a volunteer event.
Current State: Employee participation in volunteering is low, at 5%.
Ideal State: Increase participation in volunteering to 20%.
Result: You create the email campaign, and participation levels haven't changed.
Try
Reframing the problem into a specific target objective. This step changes the role of the communicator from reactive order-taker to partner.
Steps
Clarify the objective. Do: Proactively discuss the problem with the current state and the ideal state you're trying to achieve. Don't: Take orders without understanding why or make assumptions.
Root cause problem. Do: Brainstorm reasons why the ideal state isn't currently happening. There may be an unobvious reason. Don't: Assume awareness and understanding of the objective will solve the problem.
Example of the problem redefined
Why? Employees not engaged, they don't see why participating in volunteering is important.
Why? Employees not recognised or rewarded for participating.
Why? The manager sends signals that volunteering is not a fair use of time.
3. Reframe communication objective. Do: Agree on target behaviour that communication can influence. Don't: Leave without consensus and understanding of the real target objective to solve.
Example of the target objective.
Original: Email campaign to boost participation in a volunteer event.
New: Partner with managers to demonstrate the importance of volunteering.