A communication approach - The Sunday Newspaper

Hey,

I hope you are well.

In this weeks newsletter: How to structure company communications using The Sunday Newspaper approach. And why this approach avoids the common mistake of assuming a broad audience is a generic audience.

👉 I skipped last week's newsletter as it was a Holiday here in the UK, and I spent a lovely weekend cooking a pleasant, if not stressful, family meal for 14 people!

Cultivated Updates

• I have retired the Communication Workshop from LeanPub, but fear not, a new, revamped and updated online version of my award-winning workshop is now available in a snazzy PDF workbook and worksheet.
• After spending about two-years at the top slot on LeanPub's courses, I thought it time to refresh the content, but also choose another, simpler, way to deliver the valuable content.
• As such, it is now available as a 162 page PDF workbooks with clever cheat sheet and worksheets for you to complete.
  • I have refreshed the content and added more scientific references.
  • I have structured it around an inductive learning approach, like the in-person workshop, which essentially means we start with simple and work outwards.
  • I have added a new section on first impressions, and significantly expanded the writing module with - PAVCC model; Purpose, Audience, Value, Context, Content (more on this later).
  • I have expanded the guidance on non-verbal communication, added some "animal" communication information and built a whole new cheat sheet to summarise the content.
  • I've also lowered the price significantly!
  • You can find it here.
• Long time readers, and purchasers of products, will know that the publishing arm of Cultivated Management is called Creative Soul Projects. That's also the name of the YouTube channel.
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  • Each book and course references both brands in the introduction, and it's the same great content

Communicating to diverse audiences using the Sunday Broadsheet approach

In every organisation, there is a need to communicate to a diverse audience.

For example, let's say a company is doing a large change and re-organisation program.

This activity require crystal clear communication that is impactful, targeted and effective.

In this example of a large-scale change programme, there is a need to explain what people are "changing" towards (people, roles, process, ways of working, outcomes, organisation).

As a manager, leader or someone running a significant project like this, there is an essential need to communicate effectively. Even smaller programmes of work require effective communication.

In this example, you're communicating to a wide audience, typically entire departments, or even the whole company.

A common mistake people make is to assume that this wide audience is a generic audience.

Hence, communication becomes more about a drive for efficient communication to a generic audience, rather than tailored and specific to a diverse audience.

A broad audience is not a generic audience, it is a diverse audience.

A broad audience is a diverse audience, and this diverse audience will need specific information relevant to their role, sub-group and what they need to know about the topic at hand.

To treat a broad audience as a generic audience is to fail before you've even started.

Long time readers will know I refer to all communication having a Purpose, an Audience and happening in a Context.

When communicating to a diverse audience though, it's important to expand on this guidance.

In the new online comms workshop I expand PAC and it becomes PAVCC - Purpose, Audience, Value, Context, Content.

We'll cover more on this in a minute.

Sunday Broadsheet

When communicating to a diverse audience, the idea of a broadsheet Sunday newspaper brings in PAVCC, and allows you to communicate to diverse audiences effectively.

This is an idea that might be worth playing with.

In the UK, Sunday Broadsheet newspapers are massive. I should know, I used to deliver them on my paper-round as a kid.

They are often 3 or 4 times to size of the regular weekly paper because they contain supplements. And it is this idea of supplements that can help you reach a diverse audience using PAVCC principles.

Readers of a Sunday newspaper get value from the overall package of the paper, even though they may not read every part of it.

I personally throw away the sports section. I devour the culture and food supplements, and I cherry pick my way through the main newspaper. I'm also partial to reading the somewhat irrelevant TV guide too. The entertainment supplements are good fun but the financial ones go straight in recycling.

I am part of a diverse audience. I seek out what I want, I peruse some of the other parts, and don't bother with some parts of the overall newspaper package.

This is the same idea when communicating to diverse audiences in work, especially in Enterprise organisations or large companies.

The idea is simple.

Identify the core purpose and audience of the main package, the newspaper. Identify audiences that would resonate with supplementary information, and create specific artefacts (supplements) for communicating to them.

It's simple but it's rarely done.

Many leaders and managers go for efficiency over effectiveness and try to weave everything into a single artefact like a powerpoint, or an overwhelming playbook or wiki, never quite achieving their purpose.

When this happens, there's no clear purpose, there's no obvious audience (which makes it hard to both write and read), there is no immediate value for anyone (so people stop reading), the context of the experience is lacking and the content is confusing and jumbled, and some of it, irrelevant.

And there you have PAVCC - Purpose, Audience, Value, Context, Content.

Each part of your communication to a diverse audience (teams, roles, departments, levels in the org, geographic regions) must have:

• A clear purpose (what are you trying to achieve?)
• For a clear audience (remember, a broad audience is not a generic audience)
• There must be some value for the diverse audience (otherwise they won't read it)
• The communication happens in a context that must be appreciated when creating it (like times of trouble, or significant personal worry, or growth)
• The content must be relevant, insightful and useful - and in many cases persuasive.

When you break down the your communication using PAVCC - Purpose, Audience, Value, Context, Content and the Broadsheet supplements approach, you stand a much greater chance of resonating with your audiences, and enabling them to find the right information they need to solve their problems or meet their needs.

A good test of your communication artefacts is to put yourself in the shoes of the audience, and ask "so what?" about your content.

Why should I care?

Avoid sending single artefacts for a broad diverse audience, you'll likely fail to achieve your purpose.

I cover all of this, and more, in the new comms workshop guide, but suffice to say, knowing what you audiences want, how they communicate, what gaps they have in knowledge and how you can solve their problems is crucial.

A broadsheet Sunday newspaper does not talk about food, sports, finance and lifestyle on every other page of the main newspaper, mixed with the international news, business insights and political stance.

They separate suitable content out, for different audience's, different needs, and with different goals.

PAVCC

Purpose - what are you trying to achieve (information awareness, persuade people to do something differently, advocate for them getting on board with change, helping them "see" the future, alleviating their fears etc)?

Audience - who are you aiming to reach and affect? What community are they part of? What is important to this community and audience?

Value - What problems do they have and how are you helping them? Why should they read on? Has your content passed the "so what" test?

Context - In what context are you communicating? Is it a time of positive change? Are people worried? What kinds of fears will they have? Create your content accordingly.

Content - Have you created sufficient separation between topics, or audience, or needs? Should you split out organisational change from process changes? Have you covered the legal aspects around a consultation in a separate artefact to one about ways of working improvements?

People will read what interests them

A broadsheet newspaper separates out different topics into supplements, allowing people to find the information they desire.

There is no blurring of supplements to be "efficient".

It is clear what each supplement is about, and those that are interested jump to the right one, discarding what is not valuable to them. They don't wade through irrelevant, non-value add content to find what they are after.

People will generally read any number of words about something they are interested in, especially if its solving a problem for them.

The trick though is getting them to read it in the first place.

Don't make them wade through treacle to find what they need, the chances are they won't.

Try not to make your job easier and more efficient at the expense of the reader.

Your goal with communication is have the audience understand, and act, on what you write (or say, or communicate in a video).

If they can't find the right information then you've missed an opportunity. If you bury the information that is relevant to them, in a sea of other irrelevant (non-valuable content), the chances are they won't even read it.

Support Cultivated Management

This newsletter is a labour of love and will always be free, but it's not free to create it - if you’d like to support my work please consider:

1. Sharing this content with others you feel would get value from it.
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It means a lot. Thank you.

Until next time. Have a great week.

Rob..