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Communication is as basic as the air you breathe because I don’t think you can do squat without communicating.” Judy Belk California Wellness Foundation.
Dear Readers:
Yesterday I wrote My quiet reflection lead to action, the first post in more than a year! I had no intention of writing another so soon.
But, the terrifying shooting at a Las Vegas concert sent shock waves up my spine.
Perhaps the person committing such a horrific act felt like he wasn’t heard. Maybe he felt that conversations he had were critical instead of supportive.
Then I thought about the work of Creating the Future. The organization’s focus is on a grand experiment that tests how we can bring out the best in each other, how we can create a world that works for everyone.
I participated in an online project on Catalytic Thinking. During those discussions, I rediscovered my passion for the art of active listening!
Good communication always begins with listening. As a nonprofit practitioner, there’s no better way to improve your listening skills than through active listening.
MindTools identified five key active listening techniques:
- Pay Attention. Whether it’s a donor, client or staff member, give the speaker your undivided attention. Always acknowledge her message. Don’t forget your non-verbal communication also “speaks” very loudly.
- Show that you’re Listening. Use body language to show attention. Keep your eyes focused on the speaker. Smile and nod to show that you’re attending to what is said.
- Provide Feedback. Be careful that you don’t let your personal filters and assumptions distort what is being said. Reflect on what the speaker is saying, periodically summarize her comments and ask questions to clarify.
- Defer Judgment. Allow the speaker to finish her thoughts before you interrupt. Keep an open mind and ask positive questions that support the speaker and lead to more engaging answers.
- Respond Appropriately. Active listening shows respect and understanding. You are gaining information and insights. When you respond be mindful to be positive, open and honest.
Would truly being heard have made a difference to the perpetrator of this horrific act?
We’ll never know.
Deborah
postscript: Creative Solutions & Innovations is committed to empowering nonprofits to make a difference! Practicing active listening will enrich your life and all those your organization serves.
True reflection leads to action.
“Keep your eye on the task, not on yourself. The task matters, and you are a servant.”
― Peter F. Drucker, Managing the Non-Profit Organization: Principles and Practices
I was on a roll.
Then I went quiet. The enormity of family issues overwhelmed me.
I realized as Jack Mezirow, the founder of transformative learning stated, that a defining condition of being human is our ability to understand the meaning of our experiences.
My quiet reflection lead to action!
So I dove into reading and scribbling handwritten notes. I started to become active in organizations and online communities.
The desire to ride Pascha and Black Olive lured me to the stables. And, I upped my power walks with Kiwi and Keno.
I reached out to friends whom I had ignored for quite a while.
A coffee date with close friend and social media guru Toby Bloomberg helped me focus on the path I wanted to take.
Roadmap to turn reflection into action!
A major shoutout to Cathleen Schaad for helping me move forward with a dynamic new logo and a redesigned website.
My commitment continues to be empowering nonprofits to make a difference!
I hope you will join me on this exciting journey.
Deborah
Strategic advocacy communication is key to my journey!
“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.” ― William Faulkner
I am not afraid to raise my voice for honesty, truth, and compassion. I am committed, passionate and motivated when I advocate for change. Strategic advocacy communication is key to my journey!
What is advocacy?
According to Joyce Johnson, writing for Learning to Give, advocacy means to speak up, to plead the case of another, or to fight for a cause. Advocacy, she writes, describes a wide range of expressions, actions, and activities that seek to influence outcomes directly affecting the lives of the people served by the organization. Johnson further states:
An effective advocate influences key decision makers. This happens by moving them from understanding and empathy to action. Relationships and strategic advocacy communication underlie this movement.
Strategic advocacy communication is key to my journey!
“If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which way you go!” The Cheshire cat in alice in Wonderland
A plan integrates all an organization’s programs, public education, and advocacy efforts. A long-term strategy positions an organization to be more proactive and strategic, rather than consistently reacting to the existing environment.
I am a firm believer in creating a strategic marketing communications plan. Your plan ensures your organization communicates effectively and meets your organizational goals and objectives.
Elements of an effective strategic marketing communications plan:
- Goals and Objectives
- Target Audience
- Strategies
- Tactics to Engage Target Audiences
- Create targeted messages
- Choose channels to deliver messages
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Work plan
- Budget
- Evaluation
Communications Matters created a model designed to help communication practitioners and their colleagues build a common language and a shared understanding of the role that social change communication plays in advancing lasting social change. This communications model is built around four central pillars: brand, culture, strategy, and action.
- Brand – Every social change organization, no matter its size or purpose, has three key assets that shape its identity: resources, reputation, and relationships.
- Culture – Communicating organizations cultivate certain qualities that make their work compelling to others. You may not have all in equal measure, but you need a minimum supply of each to succeed.
- Strategy – Successful organizations are consistently strategic (deliberate and intentional) about their communication choices, weighing several distinct, yet related, variables before they act.
- Action – Communicating should never be a one-way activity. Success demands a continuous, virtuous, self-correcting cycle of sending and receiving, plus the ability to cede control.
Social Media for advocacy:
AAUW, empowering women since 1881, suggests these 6 steps to social media for advocacy:
- Set your goals. Is your goal narrow (publicizing an event) or broad (building and engaging with a community or coalition)?
- Identify your target audiences.
- Select the social media platforms you plan to use. Make your choice based on your goals and target audiences. The most well-known are Facebook and Twitter.
- Gather resources and materials to create content and share.
- Find volunteers to help manage social platforms.
- Be sure and integrate into your marketing communications plan.
Blending traditional and new media for advocacy:
The POST Method, developed by Forrester Research, provides a framework for blending traditional and new media. It is really simple, yet profound in that it provides a user-friendly system for using traditional and emerging communications channels. The acronym refers to the four-step approach:
P is People
Don’t start a social strategy until you know the capabilities of your audience. If you’re targeting college students, use social networks. If you’re reaching out to business travelers, consider ratings and reviews. Forrester has great data to help with this, but you can make some estimates on your own. Just don’t start without thinking about it.
O is Objectives
Pick one. Are you starting an application to listen to your customers, or to talk with them? To support them, or to energize your best customers to evangelize others? Or are you trying to collaborate with them? Decide on your objective before you decide on a technology. Then figure out how you will measure it.
S is Strategy
Strategy means figuring out what will be different after you’re done. Do you want a closer, two-way relationship with your best customers? Do you want to get people talking about your products? Do you want a permanent focus group for testing product ideas and generating new ones? Imagine you succeed. How will things be different afterward? Imagine the endpoint and you’ll know where to begin.
T is Technology
A community. A wiki. A blog or a hundred blogs. Once you know your people, objectives, and strategy, then you can decide with confidence.
Strategic advocacy communication is key to my journey with The Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta. We expand opportunities in the lives of Jewish women and girls via effective grant-making, advocacy, and education through a gender lens. As co-chair of the education and advocacy committee, strategic advocacy communication is the framework I use to move decision makers from understanding and empathy to action.
Do you engage in advocacy? I’d love to know if you have any suggestions for best practices with strategic advocacy communications.
Please let us hear from you!
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The art of listening!
Communication is as basic as the air you breathe because I don’t think you can do squat without communicating.” Judy Belk California Wellness Foundation.
Dear Readers:
Yesterday I wrote My quiet reflection lead to action, the […]
My quiet reflection lead to action!
“Keep your eye on the task, not on yourself. The task matters, and you are a servant.”
― Peter F. Drucker, Managing the Non-Profit Organization: Principles and Practices
I was on a roll.
Then I went quiet. The enormity […]
Strategic advocacy communication is key to my journey!
“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.” ― William Faulkner
I am […]
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