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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

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Managing communications

Follow these five tips and manage your communications so you plan ahead, become timely and relevant, think about your key messages, collect content and find case studies to generate positive communications.

Five top tips to managing communications

Look ahead and create a 12 month communication plan that is added to monthly. Encourage other volunteers who support your audience to help you plan ahead by getting them to think about their topics, projects and messages for the next 18 months and prompt them frequently to update you and the plan. Use your plan to deliver timely and relevant communications and choose the right medium, at the right time, for each message.

To plan effectively will ensure that your messages reach your audience in the timeliest and appropriate way. Planning ahead to place your messages in the right place at the right time can ensure that your messages gain better impact and traction with your audience. It will require an initial investment of time in setting up a process but share your plans with other communicators and they can make use of it too.

Involve your key Scout managers in formulating the key messages that you want to relay to volunteers in your area. Key messages are those that focus on local and/or national targets and could include encouraging growth, recruiting flexible volunteers or creating a culture of safety. Use your key messages scattered throughout all your communications and turn them up and down in strength dependent on the context and situation.

We all have a responsibility for communication. Create a communication process where editors or coordinators can drive the right messages at the right time to the right people. Create a single collection point like an online form or email address and promote this method. If you request content, provide clear guidance on the format or style that you need and state that it will be edited before publication. Ensure you have a way of contacting people for more information if their idea is useful to you.

Tell your message effectively through a positive story; the challenge is to find that story. Search for your story in the most relevant places. Established social media channels or face-to-face meetings are good opportunities to contact your subject directly. Be a journalist and contact people direct by phone or make a personal connection. Ask lots of relevant questions and gather some images and record audio or video.