Learn

Communicating is an active process comprised of three dynamic and mutually reinforcing actions. Learning follows listening, but is equally important. Both listening and learning are prerequisites for sharing.

Once your organization has realized its brand, embraced its culture and weighed its strategic choices, you are ready to lean into the most active stage of the communication process.

Learning is an integral part of the listen/learn/share communication cycle. It requires you to exercise a different set of organizational muscles than listening, but is of equal importance to the strategic communication process. Learning is about internalizing what you hear and engaging in true self-reflection before proceeding with any outbound message. Learning requires individuals and organizations to be mindful of cultural norms, political trends and other external circumstances that can effect how they are perceived and received by their audiences. It cannot happen unless you are paying close attention and are receptive to what an audience can teach you.

It’s also important for communicators to remember that there is much to be learned from internal audiences. Often times your colleagues, peers, and partners can shed insight on assumptions in ways that external audiences cannot.

Learning also takes time — lots and lots of time. Many of the issues we work on in the social sector (take marriage equality, for example) have required decades of communication and advocacy work with very little demonstrable progress, before a tipping point is reached and change begins to spread more quickly.

by the numbers

73%

Percentage of survey respondents who wish they had more data to prove that communication investments are worth making.
SURVEY

44%

Percentage of survey respondents who say their organization always or often communicates to share learning about what has and has not worked.
SURVEY

44

Number of years it took to go from one state where marriage is legal for all couples, to 19.
SOURCE

tips and insights

A “learning organization” is the term given to a company or organization that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself for higher levels of impact and effectiveness.

Capacity for learning depends directly on an organization’s size and complexity. Research shows that 150 employees represents a general breaking point, after which knowledge sharing reduces due to increased complexity, weaker interpersonal relationships and lower trust, decreased connective efficacy, and less effective communication. (Sorenko, Bontis, Hardie)
SOURCE

Public attitudes toward marriage for same-sex couples have shifted rapidly. Even so, it has taken 10 years since marriage was legalized in Massachusetts for marriage equality to reach 19 states. Social change takes time.

Voices

Improving an organization’s communications capacity can create organizational cohesion, concentrate focus, and reinforce shared values.

PROGRAM LEADER Private Foundation

Communication moves at a fast pace. The foundation world does not. And so opportunities are missed.

COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation

There is a dynamic tension between communication and programs. Communication feels that what program wants to say is too boring, wonky, complex. Program feels communication is stretching the truth by trying to simplify.

COMMUNICATION LEADER Nonprofit

Exemplars

exemplar

Seven Annoying Things Nonprofits Do And Say That Get On Funders' Nerves

Vu Le, Nonprofit With Balls

There are tons of humor in the nonprofit world, and someone needs to document it. He is going to do that, with the hope that one day, a TV producer will see how cool and interesting our field is and make a show about nonprofit work, featuring attractive actors attending strategic planning meetings and filing 990 tax forms.

exemplar

The Challenge of Organizational Learning

Katie Smith Milway & Amy Saxton, Stanford Social Innovation Review

“A recent study found three common barriers to knowledge sharing across nonprofits and their networks, as well as ways and means to overcome them.”

exemplar

Ford Foundation Seeks Questions, Not Answers

The Communications Network

The Un-Survey — “instead of us asking you questions, we want you to ask us” — invites people to ask anything at all about the foundation. All questions are fair game.

exemplar

The Communication Imperative

Argenti, Howell and Beck, MIT Sloan Management Review

Companies that continue to take a tactical, short-term approach to communicating with key constituencies will find it increasingly difficult to compete. Developing an integrated, strategic approach to communications will be critical to success.