A Time-Tested Framework for Communication

Employee communication has come a long way since I started doing it (gulp!) 25-plus years ago. Anyone remember blasting out announcements by fax? 

Thankfully, tech advances have made distribution of our messages a lot easier. But some things haven’t changed. 

We still need to craft those communications with care, in a way that truly resonates with employees. Time and again, I find myself returning to a tried-and-true formula that always gets results.

Don’t overlook this simple framework.

It’s known as “Know, Feel, Do” (or sometimes “Think, Feel, Do”), and it’s an indispensable tool for focusing our message.  

While this framework may be familiar to many communicators, I often come across PR pros who don’t know it. 

To clarify, it means that at the outset of any communication campaign, program or tactic, you ask, “What do we want our audience to know, feel and do?” (It works for any audience, by the way — not just employees.)

Even among those of us who do use it, I’ve found that it’s all-too-easy to underestimate what a revelation this exercise can be for our leaders, clients and other noncommunicators.

I was reminded of this in a client engagement a few years ago.

Understand how it works and the impact.

I was working with a nonprofit that wanted to raise its profile and influence so it could broaden its donor base. My client was the executive director, who was the face of the organization at conferences and speaking engagements.

Though this wasn’t strictly an employee communications job, the process was the same. You gather the key decision-makers in a room and walk them through the three questions, recording their answers on flip charts or a white board.

The results help you craft the key messages that underlie all communications going forward. (Of course, the findings also need to be “reality checked” against audience research. After all, it’s not just about what we want.)  

We went through this exercise in our first meeting, then worked together for months on restructuring and refining her “stump” speech and other communications and improving her delivery skills. 

A year later, I was visiting and noticed that she had our original “Know, Feel, Do” flip chart sheets posted on her office wall. I told her I was surprised, since we’d long since incorporated the insights into our communications. 

She replied, “I actually refer to these every day — they’re a constant reminder of what we’re here to do.”

And that reminded me to never take this process for granted.

So, let’s look at each of the three components:

What do you want them to know?

One thing I do a little differently from other practitioners is that I arrange the three elements in a hierarchy, with “know” at the bottom.

Because this is the easy part, really. It’s the knowledge, the info, the “stuff.” 

Simply transmitting information is a low bar in employee (or any other) communications. Our job is to drive results — to get people to think differently, act differently and carry out the organization’s goals.

The real work comes in the next two steps.

What do you want them to feel?

This stage is the linchpin in the whole process, and one that may cause consternation among some of your more analytical types.

But study after study shows that, whether we know it or not and whether we like it or not, we are largely governed by our emotions. 

Yes, data and evidence are important, but an emotional appeal carries unique power to persuade and compel action. As Seth Godin says, “The market is not seduced by logic. People are moved by stories and drama and hints and clues and discovery. Logic is a battering ram.”

In essence, you have to win hearts to change minds — and, ultimately, people’s behaviors and actions.

So, there must be an emotional component to any communication. An appeal to people’s pride, sense of duty, feeling of unity or desire to win. Or you could target their fears, insecurities or sense of shame.

That brings up an important question people often ask. Which is more effective: a positive appeal or a negative one? The answer is… it’s complicated.

There’s a good deal of research on this, but I would say it depends on the issue, the circumstances, the organizational culture and other factors — especially the tone. A negative appeal doesn’t have to involve an overt threat. It can be implicit, allowing people to draw their own conclusions.

What do you want them to do?

Finally, at the top of the hierarchy is the specific action you want them to take. Do you want them to align, to get on board, to implement, to collaborate, to reprioritize? To cut expenses, eliminate waste, increase efficiency, grow revenue, boost profits?

One trap I see leaders fall into is feeling that they have to fundamentally change behaviors with a single tactic, like a speech. That’s unrealistic, of course. As we know, progress is made over time, with a steady drumbeat of communication through different sources and channels.

So, it’s important to keep their expectations in check. Early on, it may be enough for employees to walk away saying, “I don’t like what I heard, but I appreciate their letting me know” or “I’m not convinced, but I’m going to keep an open mind” or even “I feel like this is someone who has my interests at heart.”

Here’s another key benefit.

Beyond the results you get from “Know, Feel, Do,” there’s a lot of value in the process itself.

It’s a way to get decision-makers involved early, in a way that doesn’t demand a lot of them — these are questions that most people will have an opinion on, and they often spark useful discussion.

And it can be such an eye-opening experience for them that they start thinking differently about their everyday communication. And maybe about the value we communicators bring to the table.