Understanding audiences, part two

Internal communications

Sharing and explaining the project throughout the organisation is a great way to get widespread buy-in and is a great test bed for your key messages. Depending on the scale of your project, there might be some confusion among management and other staff about your goals and motivations. Use this opportunity to find any gaps in your strategy.

Adapting your key messages

Internal audiences have a much higher level of institutional memory than the public. Use this to your advantage by adapting your key messages to call on shared values and practices. Keep in mind that staff, management, and volunteers will all have different interpretations of the importance of the project. If there is capacity, try to meet them where they are to understand any concerns or misunderstandings.

Building shared ownership

Consider creating a one-page briefing with the essential information about the project and what impact it has on the stories you tell. Highlight the key people, stories, or objects that internal teams should know about. Give staff the space and opportunity to digest and understand the objectives and links to your institution’s core tenets and values.

You should give members of staff for whom comms and social media isn’t their central role, confidence and guidelines for how to talk about this work in a positive and engaging way.

Esther Morgan, Norfolk Museum Service

Giving space for feedback and input

Maintain an open channel of communication for feedback and further discussion. Internal responses could give you an indication of future public discourse so use these discussions as learning opportunities.

Hold open conversations with internal critics to try to understand the roots of their concerns. Claims of ‘oversensitivity’ and ‘woke agendas’ can often be resolved with a discussion about the facts of the project. Always return to the project’s key messages and themes. Make sure you’re getting a wide range of feedback. There may be some who are very vocal but it’s important to engage with quieter critics as well.

You may also face challenges from colleagues who want the organisation to be bolder or more outspoken. Remember that decolonisation work is a practice and that there will always be more opportunities to participate in this work. Listen to their concerns and find opportunities for them to be more meaningfully involved in the project (if possible). Remember, this work is active and long-term.

Next: External communications