If you take the time to listen to your customers and stakeholders, they will tell you what you need to know to develop impactful communications. Whether developing internal communications for a multi-million dollar project at a Fortune 500 company or designing a website for a local small business, listening is the first step in creating great content that meets client needs.
Partnering with customers, stakeholders, project leads, business owners and subject matter experts is the best way to meet their needs quickly and completely. Listen to their story. Engage with them to understand where they’re coming from and where they’re trying to go.
Why do they need you? What are you ultimately trying to solve for them? What’s their goal and how can you work together to get there?
Too often, communicators get caught up in specific communication tasks or in the weeds of creating messaging. The end-to-end communication process will prove more beneficial for everyone if you listen to them first. And listen to them throughout. They’re your source of purpose and your source of information.
They’ll provide the answers, you just have to listen.
