Communicate Any IT Initiative

IT communications are often considered ineffective and unengaging. This is demonstrated by the:

Lack of expectation that IT should communicate well. Why develop a skill that no one expects IT to deliver on?
Failure to recognize the importance of communication to engage employees and communicate ideas.
Perception that communication is a broadcast not a continuous dialogue.
Inability to create, monitor, and manage feedback mechanisms.
Overreliance on data as the main method of communication instead of as evidence to support a broader narrative.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Don't make data your star. It is a supporting character. People can argue about the collection methods or interpretation of the data, but they cannot argue with the story you share.
Messages are also non-verbal. Practice using your voice and body to set the right tone and impact your audience.
Recognize that communications are essential even in highly technical IT environments.
Measure if the communication is being received and resulting in the desired outcome. If not, modify what and how the message is being expressed.

Impact and Result

Develop an actionable plan to deliver consistent, timely messaging for all audiences.
Compose and deliver meaningful messages.
Consistently deliver the right information and the right time to the right stakeholders.

Communicate Any IT Initiative Research & Tools

1. Communicate Any IT Initiative Deck – A step-by-step document that walks you through how to plan, compose, and deliver communications to any stakeholder up, down, or across the organization.

This blueprint not only provides the tools and techniques for planning, composing, and delivering effective communications, but also walks you through practical exercises. Practice and perfect your communication, composition, and delivery skills for any IT initiative.

2. Communicate Any IT Initiative Facilitation Deck – A step-by-step communications workshop deck suitable for any workshop with a communication component.

Communication concepts and exercises that teach you how to plan, compose, and deliver effective communications. The deck includes practical tools, techniques, and skills practice.

3. Communications Planner – An communications plan template that includes a section to define a change, a communications plan, communications calendars, and a pitch composition exercise.

This communications planner is a tool that accompanies the Effective IT Communications blueprint and the Communicate Any IT Initiative Facilitation Deck so that you can plan your communications, view your deliverables, and compose your pitch all in one document.

4. Stakeholder Analysis Tool – A tool to help ensure that all stakeholders are identified and none are missed.

A tool for identifying stakeholders and conducting an analysis to understand their degree of influence or impact.

Communicate Any IT Initiative

Plan, compose, and deliver communications that engage your audience.

Executive Summary

Your Challenge	Common Obstacles	Info-Tech’s Approach
Communicating about your initiative is when the work really begins. Many organizations struggle with: Knowing what target audiences need to be communicated with. Communicating the same message consistently and clearly across target audiences. Communicating to target audiences at the right times. Selecting a channel that will be most effective for the message and practicing to deliver that message.	Some of the challenges IT faces when it comes to communicating its initiatives includes: Not being given the opportunity or time to practice composing or delivering communications. Coordinating the communications of this initiative with other initiative communications. Forgetting to communicate with key stakeholders. Choosing not to communicate because we do not know how it’s leading to initiative failures and lack of adoption by impacted parties.	For every IT initiative you have going forward, focus on following these three steps: Create a plan of action around who, what, how, and when communications will take place. Compose an easy-to-understand pitch for each stakeholder audience. Practice delivering the message in an authentic and clear manner. By following these steps, you will ensure that your audience always understands and feels ready to engage with you.

Info-Tech Insight
Every IT employee can be a great communicator; it just takes a few consistent steps, the right tools, and a dedication to practicing communicating your message.

Info-Tech’s approach

Effective communications is not a broadcast but a dialogue between communicator and audience in a continuous feedback loop.

Continuous Feedback Loop

The Info-Tech difference:

The skills needed to communicate effectively as a front-line employee or CIO are the same. It’s important to begin the development of these skills from the beginning of one's career.
Time is a non-renewable resource. Any communication needs to be considered valuable and engaging by the audience or they will be unforgiving.
Don't make data your star. It is a supporting character. People can argue about the collection methods or interpretation of the data, but they cannot argue about the story you share.

Poor communication can lead to dissatisfied stakeholders

27.8% of organizations are not satisfied with IT communications.

25.8% of business stakeholders are not satisfied with IT communications.

Source: Info-Tech Diagnostic Programs; n=34,345 business stakeholders within 604 organizations

The bottom line? Stakeholders for any initiative need to be communicated with often and well. When stakeholders become dissatisfied with IT’s communication, it can lead to an overall decrease in satisfaction with IT.

Good IT initiative communications can be leverage

IT risk mitigation and technology initiative funding are dependent on critical stakeholders comprehending the risk impact and initiative benefit in easy-to-understand terms.
IT employees need clear and direct information to feel empowered and accountable to do their jobs well.
End users who have a good experience engaging in communications with IT employees have an overall increase in satisfaction with IT.
Continuously demonstrating IT’s value to the organization comes when those initiatives are clearly aligned to overall objectives – don’t assume this alignment is being made.
Communication prevents assumptions and further miscommunication from happening among IT employees who are usually impacted and fear change the most.

“Nothing gets done properly if it's not communicated well.”
-- Nastaran Bisheban, CTO KFC Canada

Approach to communications

Introduction
Review effective communications.

Plan
Plan your communications using a strategic tool.

Compose
Create your own message.

Deliver
Practice delivering your own message.

Info-Tech’s methodology for effective IT communications

	1. Plan Strategic Communications	2. Compose a Compelling Message	3. Deliver Messages Effectively
Step Activities	Define the Change Determine Target Audience Communication Outcomes Clarify the Key Message(s) Identify the Owner and Messenger(s) Select the Right Channels Establish a Frequency and Time Frame Obtain Feedback and Improve Finalize the Calendar	Craft a Pitch Revise the Pitch	Deliver Your Pitch Refine and Deliver Again
Step Outcomes	Establish an easy-to-read view of the key communications that need to take place related to your initiative or change.	Practice writing a pitch that conveys the message in a compelling and easy-to-understand way.	Practice delivering the pitch. Ensure there is authenticity in the delivery while still maintaining the audience’s attention.

This blueprint can support communication about any IT initiative

Strategy or roadmap
Major transformational change
System integration
Process changes
Service changes
New solution rollouts
Organizational restructuring

We recommend considering this blueprint a natural add-on to any completed Info-Tech blueprint, whether it is completed in the DIY fashion or through a Guided Implementation or workshop.

Key deliverable:

Communication Planner
A single place to plan and compose all communications related to your IT initiative.

Blueprint deliverables

Each step of this blueprint is accompanied by supporting deliverables to help you accomplish your goals.

Facilitation Guide
A step-by-step guide to help your IT organization develop a communication plan and practice composing and delivering key messages.

Stakeholder Analysis
An ability to assess all stakeholders based on impact, influence, and involvement.

Workshop Overview

	Morning	Afternoon
Activities	Plan Strategic Communications for Your Initiative Define the Change Determine Target Audience Communication Outcomes Clarify the Key Message(s) Identify the Owner and Messenger(s) Select the Right Channels Establish a Frequency and Time Frame Obtain Feedback and Improve Finalize the Calendar	Compose and Deliver a Compelling Message Craft a Pitch Revise the Pitch Deliver Your Pitch Refine and Deliver Again
Deliverables	Communication planner with weekly, monthly, and yearly calendar views to ensure consistent and ongoing engagement with every target audience member	Crafted pitches that can be used for communicating the initiative to different stakeholders Skills and ability to deliver messages more effectively

Contact your account representative for more information.
workshops@infotech.com 1-888-670-8889

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

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Authors

Brittany Lutes

Diana MacPherson

Contributors

Anuja Agrawal, National Communications Director, PwC
Nastaran Bisheban, Chief Technology Office, KFC Canada
Heidi Davidson, Co-founder & CEO, Galvanize Worldwide and Galvanize On Demand
Eli Gladstone, Co-Founder, Speaker Labs
Francisco Mahfuz, Keynote Speaker & Storytelling Coach
Sarah Shortreed, EVP & CTO, ATCO Ltd.
Eric Silverberg, Co-Founder, Speaker Labs
Stephanie Stewart, Communications Officer & DR CoordinatorInfo Security Services, Simon Fraser University
Steve Strout, President, Miovision Technologies
Plus two anonymous contributors