Engaging Internal & External Audiences in Sustainable development through web 2.0!
Responsible Communication & Sustainable Marketing
Expert insight from the Alternative Channel Team
Based on the article of Marijke Hallo de Wolf, Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano, May 2001.
Engaging Internal & External Audiences in Sustainable development through web 2.0 Communications Tools.
To implement a sustainable development (SD) or corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications strategy it is necessary to identify the communications tools that will most effectively engage internal and external audiences in satisfying the overall strategy goals. Depending on the size of an organization, a few considerations to make are…
For internal audiences:
•Identifying internal communication needs, such as: (a) training & explaining what is Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility; (b) creating a deeper understanding of SD & CSR projects and how they fit in the overall organization's objectives; (c) identifying common issues and experiences and how they were handled; (d) avoiding duplication of work; (e) keeping board members and "top management" informed of progress and obstacles in SD & CSR projects;(f) identifying areas of internal collaboration and input; and (g) enhancing & enriching communication with external audiences.
•Identifying the tools that would improve internal SD & CSR communications, such as: an internal chat system devoted to SD, an intranet system where staff members can upload information on their SD & CSR projects, an internal electronic newsletter, blogs (online discussion groups) for specific SD & CSR projects and subject areas, weekly staff Webinars (online meetings) reviewing project progress and support needs.
•Building awareness of the importance of using internal and external communication tools for improving the Sustainable Development of the organization.
Organizations may want to try different communication tools until they identify the one that effectively engages the staff and stakeholders in better internal and external communications practices related to its Sustainable Development strategy.
For external audiences:
•Identifying external communication needs according to your different audiences and in different contexts. For instance, a SD project may involve the participation and coordination of various other organizations (local community, provider, client, etc.) that need a permanent communication system to work together in organizing events or developing and sharing documents related to the events. Another CSR project may involve posting a survey on the Web site that needs to be simple and straightforward to entice the audience to respond immediately and seek future results. Engaging the board of directors in a more active role in the sustainable development planning of the organization may also require a special communication set-up that would facilitate sharing documents, receiving feedback and having virtual meetings to finalize decisions.
•Identifying the tools that would effectively engage external audiences in a two or multi-way communication practice with the organization, as related to a specific SD or CSR project or to an organizational objective. For the first case mentioned above, setting a blog (electronic discussion group) for a specific SD project and setting up a private site to share documents would facilitate the communication and coordination among all the stakeholders involved in it. For the third case, you may want to setup a private site where the board of directors can look at strategic sustainable development plans, send their comments on specific issues to the rest of the board, and coordinate a virtual meeting to discuss critical issues and finalize decisions and recommendations regarding the organization.
•Building awareness of external audiences in engaging in a two or multi-way communication system that will improve the execution of specific SD & CSR projects or achieve specific goals related to the organization.
For more info about this subject contact Paul Allard, CEO of AlternativeChannel.tv.
Posted by on 08/18 at 04:39 PM
