Integrated, strategic communications are pivotal to any organization’s success in managing change and achieving its goals. In good times and in bad, an organization needs allies in the community, the statehouse and in its own ranks. If your organization becomes a target or subject of controversy, those allies are even more important. Our communications team is made up of former journalists, public relations executives and legislative aides who know how to gather information and craft compelling stories so that you can manage your message and rally support in times of growth, change and challenge.
Corporate Communications product sheet
A strategic communications audit is a formal assessment of an organization’s ability to communicate quickly, effectively and in ways that reach and resonate with numerous stakeholders. The audit process helps identify communications practices that work well and where the organization fails to take advantage of communications opportunities.
Communications audits are produced through interviews, employee surveys, targeted focus groups and an objective analysis of the organizational communications structure and materials as compared with best industry practices.
Audits provide a snapshot of an organization’s communications capacity and performance based on your strategy, implementation and the return on your communications investment.
Through the audit process, you will learn:
As in politics and public relations, successful community relations depend on building alliances and developing partnerships that will support your objectives and advocate on your behalf when dialogue turns into discord.
Most companies have active community relations efforts in place as a way of “giving back” to the community, but many do not take advantage of the relationships they’ve built in the community to engage key allies in the success of the organization.
We coach clients in the optimal community relations practices, including creating issue-based coalitions and opening a dialogue with opinion leaders – all key to building a foundation of support in your market and region.
A corporate campaign is a long-term, coordinated, multi-faceted initiative by a union or other antagonist to gain leverage or organize a company. The goal is to attack an organization's reputation and undermine public confidence and stakeholder relationships to the point that management yeilds to union demands or risks the company's financial well-being. Not only are corporate campaigns destructive to your business, they are demoralizing to your employees.
Common corporate campaign tactics include:
IRI’s renowned Vulnerability Assessments guide clients through the full range of potential organizational targets and likely attacks, and identify areas in which a company can deploy strategic communications to deflect or blunt an attack. Vulnerability Assessments provide a comprehensive portrait of an organization’s strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of its adversaries and are informed by an objective review of the role that local legislators, community leaders and the media may play. The assessment process helps clients identify vulnerabilities and develop the messaging that will rally employees, reassure potential critics and build support in the community.
Corporate Campaign Vulnerability Assessments product sheet
A clear and timely understanding of employee opinion is critical to an organization’s ability to improve operations, enhance customer service and identify the weak links in management and communications.
IRI Consultants has relationships with many of the nation’s most skilled trainers and facilitators to provide employee opinion polling and surveys that provide a wide depth and breadth of information. Our processes go beyond a snapshot of employee views to identify the full range of employee dissatisfiers, influencers and motivators in the workplace.
Some of the most trying communications challenges affect industries and organizations time and again. It is never easy to manage a story when critical scrutiny is directed on issues relating to governance, executive compensation, employee engagement, community relations, turnarounds and buyouts, contract negotiations, labor organizing, benefits changes and reductions in force, among other delicate issues.
Through our extensive work in organizational development and employee relations, IRI has collected numerous case studies and identified best practices to help clients manage and communicate these issues and transitions in the most effective way possible.
No effective communications strategy relies entirely on the work of the communications department. Numerous studies reveal that the most effective, credible workplace communicator is an employee’s direct supervisor.
IRI provides communications coaching and training for frontline managers and supervisors that teach simple skills and guidelines to help them be more effective in their employee interactions and communications, to inspire employees and improve morale, deliver difficult news and manage difficult personalities, and be more effective in promoting the work of their departments.
We also work closely with executives and senior leadership to prepare them for the many communications responsibilities they face, including speaker training, media training and managing communications in crisis situations.
Media and presentation skills are critical for any employee that represents your business in the public eye – whether in public speaking, investor relations or on camera.
Our media training helps prepare your spokespeople for the media hot seat or in the witness chair. We teach the tricks reporters use to put a subject on the defensive and the top ten “dos & don’ts” for on-camera interviews. They need to be prepared to manage tough questions, avoid damning silences, guide the dialogue and reframe the debate in a way that tells your story the way you want it told.
There is no single constituency in organizational communications. There is no constituency that should be ignored in times of organizational crisis and change.
To promote, preserve or repair your organization’s reputation, your communications must appeal to a broad constituency, not just say what you want to say. To be truly persuasive, messaging must be tailored to each stakeholder. An effective, tailored message resonates on Capitol Hill as well as in communications with employees, customers, donors and labor leaders.
We help clients develop communications for each key stakeholder group based on extensive research, industry best practices and a clear understanding of the organization's goals and needs for each.
One of the best ways for an organization to garner support and achieve its objectives is to clearly communicate its vision to key stakeholders. As part of this process, IRI helps clients plan around target audiences, develop messages that resonate with each, identify trusted messengers and create effective communications materials.
A strategic communications plan helps organizations stay “on message,” anticipate trouble spots and build a role for credible, persuasive communications into the organizational culture. Effective communications planning allows you to educate stakeholders, build alliances and use your communications not only to push your message out, but to collect crucial feedback and insight that will inform your strategies going forward. This means creating a message that sticks, using effective materials and leveraging your communications capabilities to go beyond merely telling your story. This also means being systematic and strategic in your communications so you use your resources wisely and tell your story well.
Our comprehensive communications planning incorporates all the tools and technologies at hand to help you make the best use of your communications resources and talents to be more effective and persuasive in dialogue with important constituencies. Learn how to maximize the value of your media relationships, legislative outreach, community partners, employee newsletters, Web site, intranet and annual report to enhance and protect your reputation.