Fitz N6. Channels

Bill Quirke introduced us to the idea of the now famous ‘channels escalator’ in the 1990s. His idea, at its most basic, is that you should match the tool to the task. If you want people simply to be aware of something, a notice board or an e -mail might be sufficient. If you need people to fundamentally change their attitudes and behaviours, a more personal approach may be needed.

Figure 6.1 Choosing your media 

Figure 6.2 Your repertoire

Three questions you should ask yourself when deciding which channels to use:
>  What access do they have to digital media?
> What are they exposed to in the rest of their lives?
> What is their work pattern?

Conducting a basic channels  audit

Questions for consideration:

• What is the role of IC in our organization and what is our strategic mission?
• Do we have channels that Push/Pull/Talk/Engage/Build committment or provide intelligence?
• For each channel, are we clear on its purpose?
• Is there a sustainable plan for the use of the channel for the next 12 months?
• Who are our audiences and what do they like?
• What data do we have to tell us what actually reaches people?
• What do we know what they think about it?
• How does it compare with the best in other organizations?
• How much does it cost to run each channel and does this seem reasonable on a cost-per-employee basis?
• Who would notice if we closed the channel down?
• How are we going to track and follow up?

    

        

Source: Internal Communications: A Manual for Practicioners (2014) by Liam FitzPatrick, Klavs Valskov