Legacy Talent Development - Blog

Your company is ready to implement a new development initiative. Congratulations! A training event, mentoring initiative or leadership development program…how it’s communicated can impact long-term success and sustainability. Take the opportunity to create engagement, excitement, and buy-in from potential learners and supporters. It’s all about generating awareness, building desire, and sparking action!

Begin by designing compelling content with clear intent. You’ll want a consistent look and feel for all communications. Highlight how the initiative aligns with the business mission, vision, or strategic objectives.  (How will it make the company stronger?) Also incorporate the WIIFM factor.  (How will the lives of those who participate be better as a result? What type of experience can they expect?)  Consider a theme, acronym, or logo to be used throughout your marketing.  For example, I once branded a learning event Elevate U. (The same font, logo, and tagline were used in all communications.)

Next, use a variety of platforms to ensure the message is received in different ways. Remember, employees need to hear your message 8-13 times before they notice you're talking to them! Here are 7 ways to promote your initiative:

Video: A short video from a program champion(s) is sure to catch attention! Post it on YouTube or your corporate intranet.

Social Media and/or intranet: Combine nuggets of the most important part of the initiative using one or several of the social media sites. Post this same information to the company intranet in multiple locations.

Email: Create short messages that spark action. Add links to company intranet for more details. Supplement e-mails by sending calendar invitations when appropriate.

Mail: Send a hard copy invitation to learner’s homes or company mailbox. It’s less likely to get lost than a message sent to cluttered inboxes.

Desk Drop: Printed material placed on desks or in workstations. For example, a “save the date” post card invite with a piece of candy attached. Request help from your custodial team for distributing.

Personal Voicemail: Draft a 15-30 second script and ask every supervisor to personalize it and then leave a voice mail for their direct reports….inviting them to the event.

These ideas can be combined to build awareness without being repetitive. Soon your new development initiative will be launched with excitement from learners and supporters! 

For strategies on implementing a successful professional development initiative in your organization contact Legacy Talent Development.