New Office Building

The prospect of getting a new office is always exciting. It represents a change that could be positive. The office may be bigger than the one you currently have. It may be more conveniently located such as closer to the lunch room, the elevators or even to the big boss. Or it may have more windows, thus giving you more natural light. But whether any or all of these changes happen, moving from one office to another is generally pretty straightforward and not all that complicated. After all, we are talking just one person. It is a singular effort that only affects others indirectly. One move. One person.

What is much more complicated is the prospect of moving multiple persons into a new office building. This takes a great of coordination, cooperation and planning. Who gets what office? Who gets moved first? What steps need to be taken to ensure there is no loss or misplacing of personal property? These are but a few of the fundamental questions that need to be addressed in the undertaking of a task involving multiple people and numerous moving parts. Such is the reality of any effort that affects multiple people directly. One move. Multiple people.

This is not unlike any act of communication when the goal is to reach and motivate or influence many. Much like the prospect of moving into a new building, it can be exciting and morale boosting. At the same time, there is also the prospect of error and missteps if people do not plan well or work together in good faith. For a significant communication effort to go well, writers, designers, planners and customer service folks all must have a clear understanding of their role, the timing of their part, and have no confusion as to what the ultimate goal is of the plan in which they are involved. A breakdown among any of the participants can compromise the entire effort. One campaign. Far reaching success or setback.