In the next in our series on the Five Step Value Framework, we explore how its fourth step, Present the Value, shows that IC professionals shouldn’t be afraid to demonstrate the worth of what they do through strategic internal communications reporting.
Are internal communicators their own worst enemy? The next step in our Five Step Value Framework (FSVF) is all about this question of perception, and how you can reverse anything other than positive views of IC which may exist in your organisation.
By building on the previous steps, Step 4 Present the Value gives you the tools and techniques to communicate why IC is such an invaluable operational function in a compelling way.
Communication is the key word. It’s an irony of the IC profession that where it sometimes falls down is by not communicating its own value as confidently and professionally as it should be.
All too often, IC professionals are unwilling to draw an explicit link between what they do and the overall performance of their organisation, mainly because the relationship seems too indirect to be credible.
Internal communications reporting made clear
Drawing on the three earlier phases in the FSVF, IC professionals can furnish themselves with the data, arguments and evidence to dispel any notions of IC being a non-essential activity.
The four quadrants of employee, leadership, operations and external (see image below) supply a ready-made framework on which you can stake your claim in a way that will grab the attention of senior leadership.
The framework’s balanced nature gives you a comprehensive structure that will lend power and persuasiveness to your report or presentation, plus the confidence to shout about your success. Moreover, you’ll be presenting your work from a variety of perspectives, each one resonating with different leaders in different ways.
Sustainable foundation
And that’s where your natural skills as a communicator comes in. Think creatively, visually and laterally to present your arguments in the most original, striking way. Use graphics, stories, imagery, numbers, and insights to deliver snappy conclusions.
Don’t forget frequency either. Internal communications reporting must be a regular and standard procedure, ideally quarterly and at both board and management level.
However you choose to present the value, its success will ultimately depend on how well you can link your arguments to specific actions and measurable outcomes. It’s then a case of tracking them methodically and consistently.
Read the Five Step Value Framework for more about communicating the value of the IC work you do.
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