All of us who communicate with others as part of our jobs – and that’s pretty much everybody – are in the business of change. Change is what we do every day. If we didn’t need to change someone, we wouldn’t really need to talk to them.

Even seemingly innocuous conversation seeks to change others: smile at me; like me; recognize how smart I am; validate me.

The products we create at JPL also ask people to change… buy a product, learn a skill, vote for a candidate, or take an action. In every case we want to move them – or change them – from the status quo to a place that benefits our clients, our organizations or ourselves.

Think about it. If we wanted people to keep on doing what they’re doing, why would we need to tell them anything, except maybe “atta boy”? It’s the need for change that makes communication valuable and necessary.

In order to effect change, we need to identify the target audience, understand the status quo, and specify how we’d like them to change. Once we grasp these basic issues, we can dig a little deeper with questions such as:

• How will the target benefit from the change?
• Will they embrace the change?
• Why would they resist the change?
• What kinds of messages would enhance their desire to change?
• What vehicles can we use to deliver the message?

The answers to these questions help us develop a customer-centered communications program that focuses on the audience’s needs, while achieving the business goals of the client organization.

If you visit our lobby, Todd will gladly give you four quarters for a buck. But we’re really focused on a different kind of change.

We see change as a positive force. And a necessary force in communications. Our approach requires us to understand the client’s need for change, see the audience’s point of view, and then guide the target to a new and better place.

Whether you need to enhance an existing image, improve employee performance, push a point of view, or convince a consumer to buy, I hope this approach helps you understand how you can make change.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2007 at 9:37 am and is filed under General Communications. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.