I know, nobody likes to do them, but sometimes it is simply more than pure necessity; our beloved briefings. We find them tedious and a waste of paper and time, tough it’s only fair to our suppliers and business partners to say in writing what we want and how we see things. And it’s always a good exercise for ourselves as communication specialists to bring to mind where we are currently standing. This includes our situational analysis, our expectations, our thoughts, our guidelines, our self-perception of an organization. There is a reason why companies have a (documented) corporate identity, a corporate philosophy, corporate values, a vision and mission statement and even a code of conduct.
Clarity is ke
y
I want to be clear on what direction we are heading in, my business partners and I, together as a team, and, I want to get the go-ahead from top management in advance of making my suppliers run around like headless chickens, just because I was incapable of giving accurate and comprehensible instructions. Here is the deal.
What should go into a good and comprehensive briefing:
- Situational analysis
- Goal
- Target audience
- Key messages
- Company image and perception, CI/CD, corporate values, style, language
- Implementation (tools, channels, resources, content, structure)
- Expectations
- Timeline
- Budget
10. Extras (e.g previous examples, additional items etc.)
Too much? Not enough? Well, the more detail and clarity the better. Your external providers will be thankful. Give it a try. It’s worth it. You will be able to use the framework and structure of your briefing over and over again, adapt and update it. Good luck!
