Clarity in purpose for communication teams

We speak to too many communication teams that cannot describe their purpose. At planning days and workshops, we are often asked to help teams develop a statement that summarises their work.

Terrifyingly, for communications teams, this can be a really complex task. It’s not just about word-smithing to find the right words (which is always a challenge with comms teams); we often start from nothing. It is not something the team has considered before.

A purpose statement is often seen as one of those things you develop during a planning day and then put up on the wall in the office (or never quite finish). It has all of the words that describe everything each person or team delivers.

Another thing that always happens during these workshops is that we hear the same challenge: “People in the organisation don’t value communications,” “No one knows what we really do.”

Do you know why?

Because you don’t know either.

Often, teams can describe what they do (their services or functions) and how they do it (the processes or systems), but not why they do it. The fundamental reason for being.

The truth is if you cannot articulate (succinctly) your core reason for existence and the value you contribute to the organisation, how do you expect others to understand what you contribute other than sending out a newsletter or making a document pretty?

A purpose refers to a team or organisation’s core reason for existing—the deeper “why” that drives actions, decisions, and strategy, providing meaning and direction. – Gustavo Razzetti

Why does it matter?

There is a reason why purpose statements are so important. Internally, they align your team with a shared understanding of your impact on an organisation. Done well, it is a guiding force that influences behaviours, decision-making, and work delivery. Externally, it provides a clear and concise way to tell your stakeholders your contribution.

Your purpose needs to be integrated into your daily operations to be effective. It can’t be a poster on the wall or a throw away sentence from a planning day. Your team needs to be able to live and breathe it.

We already have a purpose statement

In workshops, when we run activities to develop a purpose statement, we get a lot of generic ones:

“We are here to create impactful communications so that our audiences know what they need to do.”
“We deliver strategic internal and external communications, digital communications, graphic design and stakeholder engagement to support everyone in the organisation to be able to effectively reach the public.”
“We are here to support the business in delivering its strategic goals through effective communications and engagement.”
“Our team delivers communications to reach our audiences through the right channels at the right time.”

Read them again. It could be your team’s purpose, right? It is because these could apply to any comms team, anywhere, in any sector.

If your purpose statement is one of the above. You need to take a fresh look. Ask yourself:

• Does it help you decide if you should take on a new project?
• Does it enable you to understand what behaviours are rewarded and rejected in the team?
• Can everyone repeat it?
• Can every person in your team prioritise their work based on the statement?

If the answer is no, you haven’t got it right.

Your purpose statement needs to be about you and specific enough that your team can operationalise it every day.

A purpose provides clarity

At Elm, our purpose is to demonstrate the value of communication every day. It helps us decide whether to take on a new client or project, pushes us to learn new things, connect with other communicators, speak at a conference or build our understanding of best practices. It determines how we behave, our values, the quality of our work and how we interact with clients.

It is a living, breathing, adaptable statement.

Think about it like this. A purpose statement means when:

• Someone new joins your organisation, you have a snappy way to explain your value to the organisation, not just the services you provide.
• An internal team says, “But why can’t you….{just do the factsheet/write my presentation/do what I ask},” you have a clear, justifiable reason to say no.
• You have to submit a budget bid for more money or resources, you can show why it will make an impact.

If this has just struck a chord with you. There is no time like the present. Ask your team four things:

• What do we do?
• Who for?
• What makes us different to others?
• What impact do we make?

Then consider how you will use it every single day, not just leave it on the shelf until your next planning day.

Better yet! Give us a call. We would love to help you articulate your purpose.