Last week’s Tip showed a simple structure for communicating things that have happened.
This week’s shows how to communicate things that’ll happen in the future – change, new strategy, etc:
- Why it’s needed. Start by explaining why change is needed. This reason will probably be a problem now or a future opportunity
- The vision. State the ultimate end-game – so they know where you’re all going
- The journey. Show how you’ll get from the now (#1) to the future vision (#2). A timeline showing key milestones and deadlines often works well
- Overcoming hurdles. Your audience will have concerns about any change. So pre-empt these by mentioning, and then removing, them
- Call to action. Be clear what your audience is to do more/less of, to help this change happen. That way, as well as triggering their engagement, you’ve also triggered action
Action Point
For your next future-focused communication, consider using this layout to get the engagement and action you want.
And for more hints, check out my new online videos – andyboundsonline.