About once a year I run a Church Communication Survey. Hoping to get a snapshot of the current communication challenges affecting the local church.
The most pressing issues this year were:
- Increasing Response to Church Promotions – 64.5%
- Creating A Promotion Strategy – 61.3%
- Using Email To Communicate More Effectively – 41.9%
While the survey confirmed some things for me, what was most interesting was the response I got from the email.
Within moments of hitting send, I had emails in my inbox. Church leaders asking for information about how to develop a strategy and get better traction.
It was amazing. Not because people responded so quickly, but because the struggles resonated with people.
Based on the responses, its obvious the church needs to work on communicating better. Right? If so, then let’s do something about changing the way we communicate.
To start, let’s break down our communications into three phases:
Plan: Decide on the event or opportunity, determine the goals, solidify the details, chose how you will promote, and find volunteers
Produce: Create the handouts, print materials, emails, social media posts and written information you will share
Promote: Share publicly about the event or opportunity in person, print and online
Now, assess how effective your church or organization is in each of these phases. Rate each on a scale of 1 to 5.
If you’re reading this, I bet at least one of them is pretty low.
Example:
Plan: 4
Produce: 1
Promote: 3
Find the phase where you’re really low. Get out a piece of paper (something you can keep on your desk in plain sight), and list 5 things you could do (be precise) to improve that number.
I want you to start working on the simplest of those 5 things today. And keep working on them until you have done all 5.
This might seem incredibly simple, but try it out RIGHT NOW, and see if your communications don’t begin to improve.
Recognize challenges in your communications and need some perspective?
I’d like to get on the phone for 15 minutes, hear a bit about your communication challenges and give you a plan to help.
Here’s a link to my calendar, see if there are any times that work for you.