When working with a client or department on any communication piece, it is important to start off with as much of the key information as possible. In our last round table meeting at Kentwood Community Church, one of the things we discussed was how we collect information for projects in a way to really get the most information from the start.
While some clients think they know exactly what they want in a project, the reality is that drilling down to what they want to accomplish is more efficient than just unquestionably making what they ask for. As Becky Martin pointed out, it’s our jobs as communications pros to ask the right questions so we can produce the best communication tools for them to use.
One of the key things that came up in the discussion is the idea of getting to the heart of what the client(s) really want the project to accomplish by asking the right questions.
I like how Becky described a question she often poses to her clients: If you were on an elevator and someone asked you to describe your church or what’s special about your church, what would you tell them when you’ve only got 8 floors worth of time to tell them? Questions like this can be helpful to get at the heart of what they want to get across. If it’s youth that you’re working with try a question like, What is it about this event that will make a teenager want to leave their video game to come?
Another good thing to ask if there are any MUST HAVE aspects of the project so you don’t come up with something wonderful, that misses the point they forgot to mention! Continue reading ‘Asking the right questions’