In 2018, the Dutch listening service Sensoor launched a campaign encouraging people to offer a listening ear to those around them. It drew attention to a skill that is easy to underestimate: truly listening to another person.
Listening involves more than remaining quiet while somebody speaks. It means being comfortable with pauses, asking follow-up questions and noticing what a person means but has not yet put into words. Those skills matter in everyday life and in communications work.
As a communications professional, I try to put myself in the other person’s position. It helps me understand the real question behind a request, and it is something I continue to learn.
Look beyond the first request
The task a company initially brings to a PR agency is not always the whole problem it wants to solve. Asking for a press release may be a starting point rather than the best final answer.
Through questions and careful listening, the team might discover that an in-depth whitepaper would better serve the objective. The important point is to understand what the client wants to achieve before committing to a format.
There are several practical steps that help turn that understanding into a useful communications brief.
Start with a clear briefing
A complete, clear brief reduces misunderstandings and can save time later. It gives everyone a shared reference for the intended outcome, the audience and the work involved.
Do not treat briefing as a box to tick before the creative work begins. It is an opportunity to ask questions, clarify assumptions and make sure the assignment has a sound foundation.
Our approach to communications planning starts with understanding the organisation and its challenge. That understanding should guide the subsequent choices.
Use the intake conversation to develop the message
Alongside the written brief, a thorough intake conversation is essential. At Progress Communications, we use a method that explores five components of a business: its audiences, its vision, its products or services, its partners and how it safeguards its continuity.
For each component, we identify and formulate the messages that matter. This creates a foundation for communications ranging from press releases and articles to case studies, website copy, brochures and sales conversations.
The conversation is also a chance to notice gaps. If a message is difficult to explain, more questions may be needed before it is ready to become content.
Listen to the audience too
Hearing the client is only one part of the work. Has the proposed message also been tested against the needs of the audience?
Look carefully at who the organisation wants to reach and which media those people use. A press list should follow the objectives, and the content needs to reach journalists for whom it is relevant. Our media relations work connects those considerations.
This final check helps prevent a well-written piece of content from answering a question that the audience is not asking.
Have you defined the business objectives behind your next communications project? Our Benelux PR team can help translate them into measurable communications goals and practical plans. Get in touch to discuss your brief.
Lianne
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