A blog first! This piece on CSR communication mistakes is hot from the press! It is going to the blog first and to other social media from here.
I look forward to comments and feedback and would welcome suggestions of other issues and things to blog about.
Thanks
Wayne
I look forward to comments and feedback and would welcome suggestions of other issues and things to blog about.
Thanks
Wayne
Eleven mistakes to avoid: in CSR & Stakeholder Communications
A CSR Thoughtpiece from the CSR Training
Institute
-by Wayne Dunn
CSR and
stakeholder communications have a strong relationship to value. Do it right and you can create and preserve
value. Do it badly and you can destroy
value, or simply leave value on the table.
Yet, CSR
communications are seldom looked at strategically, and almost never from a
value creation/preservation perspective.
Let’s take a
look at eleven common mistakes that I’ve come across over the last couple
decades of working in the space where business meets society.
These mistakes
cost shareholder value and too often result in missed opportunities for
companies and stakeholders.
1.
No Socialwash
(Greenwash for CSR)
We’ve all seen
it, glowing corporate communications that would make you think the company was
up for a sainthood nomination. Yet, when
you get behind the glitter, there isn’t much there.
Don’t oversell
what you are doing, or talk about results you ‘expect’ or haven’t achieved yet.
Trust me, ALL of
your constituencies will appreciate candor and clarity.
Your company or
project isn’t expected to change the world through CSR. Don’t use language that suggests you might,
or worse yet, that you are changing it.
Language that
communicates genuine effort and real results is your most effective message.
I’ve actually
found that a sprinkling (or more) of humility is actually helpful.
And on this socialwash word. I’ve struggled to come up with a word that is
equivalent to greenwash. If you have a
better one, my email is below – please let me know!
2.
It was all us
Amazingly, you
can read some CSR communications and you’d think that nobody else did anything
to make the project successful. That the
company did it all.
Share the credit.
Liberally.
It is way better in every way (and probably way more honest too)
As much as
possible in your communications acknowledge the work of all who are associated
with the project or work. Do this in
writings, in presentations, in casual conversations; inside your company and
outside.
Credit for CSR
is NOT a zero sum game. When you share
the credit with others it doesn’t make you have less credit. You end up with more. And with more willing and engaged partners.
3.
Focused on company and not on issues and stakeholders
CSR is about the
company’s interests, but not so much about the company. It is about the space where business meets
society and how value is created (or not) for shareholders and society.
Yet, we often
see or hear CSR communications that sound like an advertisement for the
company.
Yes, it is OK to
focus on the company’s interests. But,
make the overall focus more on the issues, the stakeholders and the partners
and the efforts to address/resolve problems.
If people want
to know more about how wonderful your company is they will ask. No need for you to volunteer it and take away
from the important messages of your CSR communications.
4.
Doesn’t acknowledge concerns, shortcomings, alternative views
Don’t try to use
fancy communications as a veneer to cover CSR challenges and shortcomings.
If your CSR
project is like a pile of crap right now, try to fix it, not to spin a pretty
picture.
Life is
complex. Issues are complex. Accept that and don’t try to disguise it in
your communications.
Nobody expects
you to be perfect or to have all the answers for everything.
Often an open
acknowledgement of concerns, shortcomings and alternative views can make your
message more credible and help to facilitate dialogue and engagement.
5.
Too complex
If you can’t
make your CSR communications easy to read and digest, then you better take a
look at your projects and work. I’m
guessing they are too complicated and complex.
Remember, CSR is
simple, but not easy. Stay focused on
the simple stuff.
If you get stuck
when you are doing CSR communications ask these sorts of questions.
- Who is benefiting from the CSR project?
- Why is that important for them?
- Why is it important for society?
- Who is helping us with it and what are they doing?
- What have we really achieved?
- How have we achieved it?
- Why is the company investing in it?
- What are the challenges and issues?
Somewhere in the
answers to these questions is a simple, concise, humble and informative
communication that can create or preserve value for your company and your
stakeholders.
If you can’t
escape the complexity, then you better take a look at your strategy and how you
are doing CSR because I’m guessing that is over complicated too!
Step back and
try and look at it with fresh eyes,
or, consider getting a set of experienced fresh
eyes to come and do a quick review.
That may be the highest return CSR investment you ever make.
6.
Doesn’t openly acknowledge the company’s motivation
If you don’t own
your interests it will be hard for the communication to seem sincere and
transparent.
Your company
doesn’t exist to save the world. Don’t
pretend that it does. Nobody will believe you anyway.
Your company
exists to serve its shareholders. That
is actually the law.
In the process
of serving your shareholders you can also serve society, often through CSR
projects and activities. That is what
you want to communicate.
You don’t need
to hide your interests or try to hide behind some altruistic motivation that
nobody will believe.
Be open about
what is in it for you and for your stakeholders. That will make the rest of the
message much more credible.
7.
Too Defensive
Sometimes the
best CSR projects are initiative in response to activists or as a response to
larger issues.
Sometimes the
company is on the wrong side of these issues, or is seen to be on the wrong
side, or has just messed up really bad.
Don’t let your
CSR communications end up being a defense of your stand or situation. Deal with that directly.
Let your CSR
communications be about the questions asked under #5, Too Complex. Let them tell stories about what is happening
where your business meets society.
If you are too
defensive, and often even a little bit defensive is too defensive, the rest of
your message will get lost.
8.
Too much promote, not enough share
Of course you
want your CSR communications to support and promote your company and your
social license, reputational capital and other issues.
But, often your
effectiveness at that is much better if you simply share the CSR story and
don’t try too hard to promote your company story.
If your company
is doing good works through your CSR then you don’t need to shout it.
Simply sharing
the CSR story, complete with credit for all who deserve it, is the loudest and
most effective way to carry your own message.
9.
Too much fact, not enough story
Sure, you want
to have some data and details, but you also tell the people stories too. Have a mixture of both balanced to suit what
you are communicating and who you are communicating it too.
And, if want it
to reach more people, circulate further and be seen as more credible, consider
having a third-party do a case study and publish it, especially if they have a
relevant publishing platform.
You lose a bit
of editorial control but will gain from the added credibility and circulation.
And, if you have
a third-party that knows the CSR space you can likely get strategy and
execution feedback as well.
10. Bad timing
Sometimes the
best communication is silence and simply let your results speak for themselves,
even if they take time to be heard
This can happen
if there is a lot of controversy around the company or issue. In that situation communication can easily
backfire.
It can serve as
a catalyst for opposition and you end up with the CSR message getting lost in
the controversy and noise.
When I was
advising Placer Dome in South Africa they launched an incredibly ambitious and
far-reaching CSR program in the midst of a huge controversy. A controversy that had them in court with the
National Union of Mineworkers and led to their being named as the worst
employer in South Africa.
In the midst of
this the company committed several million dollars to a massive and ambitious
CSR program, one that was eventually credited with changing the social face of
the mining industry in South Africa.
Despite the
stakeholder pressures the company was under and the very public criticisms it
was enduring, they resisted unnecessary public communication about the CSR
program.
As tempting as
it was to tell the world what was being planned, they maintained public
silence. Even after the project started
achieving results we stayed silent.
We knew that if
we opened any public discussion we had problems. Those who were in a public battle with the
company on other related fronts would bring the battle to the public face of
the CSR project and it would be much harder to succeed.
We stayed quiet
and let the results accumulate and pretty soon our partners started to
communicate the results. This actually
led to an incredible public, and promotional, profile for the company and the
project.
At the end of
the day the project and the company gained a global profile and won many
prestigious awards (see Stanford Case Study on it here).
Had we communicated it too early I am not sure it would have survived.
11. Too boring
Make it interesting
and fun.
You are
communicating about good works and helping to advance good interests. Let it come alive.
Use pictures and
videos and graphics. The project is
often about real people and situations.
Let that come through. Tell the
stories.
Let people feel
the energy that your company and your stakeholders and partners bring to the
project.
Sure, sometimes
you have corporate communication guidelines that seem to stifle the life out of
anything.
If you have
internal communication cops don’t be afraid to sneak something past them in the
interest of making the communication less boring. After all, do you think the first CSR
projects had all the appropriate internal approvals!!
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As with most of
my Thoughtpieces this one will have missed some important mistakes and you may
even disagree with some of them.
That’s all
good. None of us (and especially not
me!) has all the answers.
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