Archive for April 2010
Originally published at OnCollabNet
Many a project has gone down in flames because they failed to take the time to really think through a communication plan that educated their stakeholders of the organizational value of their project. Communication is one of the most important factors to the success of your community. Without communicating your project or program’s benefits and successes, users and stakeholders alike won’t be aware of new offerings, program progress, or the goals and direction of your project.
“The more they know, the more they’ll understand. The more they understand, the more they’ll care. Once they care, there’s no stopping them.”
–Sam Walton
The first step in any Communication Plan is identifying your stakeholders. This is a key step that is often overlooked. Many projects and programs focus only on keeping users informed about community news, however its important to look outside your active community members and find the stakeholders that are most important to your continued success. This may include management, partners, or even other projects and programs only tangentially related to yours. Putting together this list comes first and will help you not only identify key players but also will help you discover the correct communication channel to reach them.
