HRIS Skills of the Future - Part 3
Crafting Communications for Project Success
This week's article is relatively short, but I wanted to give a quick announcement that I have been asked to lead a workshop at the Rethink HR Tech USA conference in Long Beach in March. I will be discussing the responsible implementation of AI in HR. You can register here.
Communication Plans
Communication plans are an under-utilized but critical piece of any HR project. As we delve into the benefits of project management skills for HR Tech professionals, we must understand the art and science behind crafting communications that drive action and build trust.
This article will explore the benefits of data-driven insights, user-focused messaging, and documented plans supporting our dynamic and multifaceted HR projects.
Keys to Communication in HR Projects
Data: Communication data gives us insight into the needs of our stakeholders. These insights help you tailor your messages that resonate with diverse stakeholder groups.
Feedback: Feedback is the most critical piece of data you can gather on your communication effectiveness. My template has a tab explicitly dedicated to collecting data about your plan. The goal is to create a continuous loop of feedback and improvement, laying a foundation for future initiatives.
Communicating to Busy People: The fast-paced nature of today's business environment demands concise and impactful communications. "Writing for Busy Readers" by Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink1 highlights several vital principles for our project communications:
Clarity and simplicity are your allies. As Mark Twain said, "Don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do."
Focus your message. Communication should focus on one topic at a time.
Organize your content - headings, bullets, and white space enhance readability.
Employ formatting strategically to draw attention to critical points.
Begin and end with the most crucial information.
Hook your audience right away. We are overloaded with emails and will skip those that don't apply to us.
The Anatomy of a Communication Plan
Stakeholder Identification: Document all relevant Stakeholders to your project. Here's what this could look like in your project:
Work with your leadership to identify standard groups for your organization. Examples are the Executive Leadership Team, committees, or supervisor groups. At the beginning of the project, you will determine which groups you will communicate to in this specific project.
Walk through your project milestones and ask questions like:
Who is providing input at this stage?
Who is affected by the output?
Who needs to be aware?
Stakeholder Communication Needs Analysis: A fancy way of saying, "How do people want to be communicated to?"
Engage with stakeholders through surveys or interviews to understand their communication preferences.
Document these insights, creating profiles that detail each group's communication needs, preferred channels, and desired frequency.
Detailed Communication Plan: A dynamic list of planned communications specifying frequency, ownership, and objectives. See the example below:
From Planning to Closure
As you execute the plan, track dates in your Excel sheet, noting any feedback. Add an agenda item to your regular team meetings to evaluate your communication plan and adjust based on the feedback you have received. Make sure to document these changes for future projects.
As part of your post-project debrief, discuss the effectiveness of your communication plan. Develop recommendations and capture them in the Lessons Learned document for future projects.
Final Thoughts
Effective communication in project management is an intricate dance of delivering the right message to the right people at the right time. It will be challenging, but you can continually learn from each project.
A robust communication plan is not just a document; it's a strategic tool that evolves with the dynamic nature of the project and its stakeholders.
Executing this plan effectively will ensure the success of your project and build trust in your team for future projects.
Let me know in the comments what you have found most effective in project communications!
Additional Resources
Communication Plan Template - Download here
Policy Rollout Communication Template created by Amy Mencarelli (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amymencarelli/) - Download Here
Project management training - If you are looking for further training, I would recommend a project management fundamentals class that has an interactive element (either virtual or in person). The best class I have ever taken was Project Management Essentials by The Persimmon Group in Tulsa, OK. I would highly recommend if you are in the Tulsa area. You can find the link here - Project Management Essentials
Interesting Stories from the Week
Bersin Launches AI Assistant to Simplify Access to His Library
It will be interesting to see how well this works with how frequently Generative AI tools can hallucinate. Read it here.
How AI Can Unlock Human Potential and Make Work More Meaningful (Interview with Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic)
“AI is shifting human expertise to the ability to ask rather than answer the right questions.” See the article here.
HR Tech Career Opportunities
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specified, I can’t speak to the quality of the job or the company. I am displaying jobs I have found online that seem to have broad appeal regarding job requirements and work location. If you have an HR tech job you would like me to highlight, please email it to me.
Director, People Platform & Insights - Coalition - Remote
Sr. Manager, HRIS and HR Operations - Optiv - Remote
Specialist Learning Management Systems and Training - YMCA - Remote
More Opportunities to Connect
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwhitley1/