My small, busy team doesn’t make time for everything. We do try to use the time we have to be benevolent PAOs.
Colleagues often approach us with communication challenges. They don’t always understand their problems to be “communication challenges” because they are usually asking for a booklet, slide, video or poster. Or logo, or something.
These requests end up going in one of these directions:
- Sometimes, we end up helping make the booklets, slides, videos or posters they want.
- Sometimes, these initial ideas aren’t aligned with the organization’s mission and culture. We’re aligned, so we can help educate colleagues and suggest solutions.
- Sometimes, the scripts, booklets, slides, videos and posters would be a significant investment of time – which is our only limited resource. So we help find more efficient ways to achieve effects.
- Sometimes, the idea is something I’m never, ever going to work on. But I can’t just blow off someone who’s willing to learn a little more about communicating well.
In each of these four scenarios, our most proven “next step” is what we call “20 Minutes with Bill” – a short whiteboard session over a cup of coffee, to chat about culture, communication, and mission.
You can solve anything at a whiteboard, even with only 20 minutes. I can almost always squeeze 20 minutes out of my day to help a team member. It’s enough time to do five things:
- Offer respect. They’ll leave knowing they’ve been heard and have an ally.
- Understand their problem and audience. Ask enough right questions to help them articulate what they want to achieve.
- Educate them on great communication and branding. Talk about putting your audience first, starting with why, and integrating their effort into something bigger happening across your organization.
- Brainstorm ideas. You won’t and don’t need to find the solution, but this is an aperture-widening exercise. Show them the breadth of ways humans can solve communication challenges. Forget their poster request; they’ll leave thinking about engagements, events, bumper stickers, tattoos, bus shelters, push-up contests, and all sorts of unexpected stuff.
- Identify one clear next step. Not necessarily a next step for you, but something they can do to drive progress.
An energetic, mission-focused and confident 20 minutes session will delight your colleagues and make your organization better.
(Photo by Airman 1st Class Tristan Viglianco, DVIDS)
