Too Many Cooks

Engagement Express

Connect with Kate Isichei
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateisichei/
https://www.wheretolookcomms.co.uk
Have you experienced a challenging approval process for internal communications content? In this episode of Engagement Express podcast I explore the approval process for internal comms. Sometimes quick and easy. Sometimes slow and laborious, there are usually (not always) too many cooks trying their utmost to positively influence the flavour of the broth. This process always begins with good intentions but can quickly deteriorate into a meaningless round robin of tweak after tweak. In the end, the original message becomes so corrupted that what's left is a mere shadow of the intended message. A hull or husk which is devoid of substance because the approval process killed it!

How can you avoid this terrible fate? I suggest the following 5 things:

1. Set expectations for approvers so they know what's off limits.
2. Make it clear that word smithing is not the objective.
3. Create an easy-to-read template that presents the proposed content in a professional format.
4. Ensure the message framework is agreed in advance.
5. Specify a mandated deadline for submitting changes.