Change is a culmination of incremental, sometimes almost unnoticeable, movement. We identify change often by its outcomes or results. I propose that change is more of a process than an outcome. If we embrace this proposition, it opens up a new creative framework when applied to integrating the web into our communications planning. The result will be a plan that is telling a consistent story through multiple channels, with a clear understanding of its audience and its purpose .

A book that has recently intrigued me is Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point. It tells the story of how slight shifts can send a cascade of change flowing our way. Essentially, it invites us to have a vision for the way we want the world to be. This acts as our compass in many ways. This vision is fixed but not inflexible; it is informed by our experience, our collective intelligence, and our unending hope. While our spirit resides in our vision, our energy comes from a sense of moving forward. What Gladwell proposes is that it can be a seemingly small, even insignificant event, that “tips” things in your direction.

“Merely by manipulating the size of a group, we can dramatically improve its receptivity to new ideas. By tinkering with the presentation of information, we can significantly improve its stickiness. Simply by finding and reaching those few special people who hold so much social power, we can shape the course of social epidemics. In the end, tipping points are a reaffirmation of the potential for change and for the power of intelligent action. Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push – in just the right place – it can be tipped.” (Malcolm Gladwell. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference)

The power of online connections is fundamental

But we can’t tip things with the Internet alone. The Internet is a channel for change, not the change itself. It provides a collaborative, responsive, and self-directed space for us to connect around many issues, including positive social change. Tapping into the power of online connections and community is now fundamental to a communications strategy and plan.

In addition to this, it is very important when working towards an integrated communications strategy that we understand and recognize the internal and external social dynamics. This means an understanding of our own organizational social dynamics and culture, as well as those of our external audiences. When crafting an integrated communications plan reflect on these questions.

What would our organization look like if we:

• Challenged ourselves to be more responsive to our constituencies?

• Invited people to become really engaged with our work?

• Took every opportunity to work outside of our silos and invite others into our efforts?

 

Imagine the creativity this could unleash. What would be tipped? Integrated communications strategies and tactical plans aren’t about websites, the number of press releases issued, or press conferences held. It is about collaboratively affected change. When I am invited to lead a process for an organization to develop an online strategy, often the first thing I want to know is who is going to be at the meeting. I learn as much about who is going to be around the table as I do about who is not going to be there. It is a real indication of what stage of integration an organization is at and where we need to focus our energies.

Gone are the days when the communications department was at the end of the operational chain within an organization. Communications departments can no longer be about issuing press releases. They are about creating the story for the organization, participating in the strategic vision of its work, and collaboratively engaging with all departments. To think of communications as a “department” is to think of people as “boxes”. Communication is at the heart of all relationships that are fluid and unbounded; a lot like the web in fact.

The web has infused into our culture an expectation of responsiveness, engagement, and an entitlement to transparency that did not exist before. To not embrace integrated communications and strategic leadership within your organization is to limit your impact and relevance. By slightly realigning communications as an integral element in all areas of your operations, you can substantially “tip” opportunity in your direction.

Pattie LaCroix has provided strategic leadership in crafting integrated communications and fundraising strategies to nonprofits for more than a decade. As CEO of Catapult Media she is passionate about the power of storytelling in engaging your audience and building support for your work. You can reach Pattie at www.catapultmedia.ca.