Bring Your Essentials
Communication
Effective communication is key to managing change and supporting existing desired behaviors. Creating intentional, positive food safety culture messaging requires thoughtful planning and regular evaluation.
Planning and Evaluating Your Food Safety Communication
Check with key stakeholders about your objectives
Connect with team leaders of your target audience
Reach out to your organization’s communication experts (HR, PR)
Collect feedback from leaders and champions who will share your message
Pressure-test delivery methods and materials
Consider why you are planning to distribute information. Your communication may amplify learning, reinforce important concepts or values, or create excitement for upcoming change. Narrowing your communication to a single, concise goal will help you better define your audience, messaging, and delivery channels.
Determine with whom you are communicating. Understanding the people, levels, functions, subcultures, and existing attitudes and behaviors within your organization will help you identify the needs of your target audience.
Based on your objectives and your audience, consider the specific messaging of your communication. Think about your message from the perspective of your audience. The details you convey will help inform your audience’s response.
Consider the people who will relay your message and the people who will bolster your message moving forward. Including leaders, food safety culture champions, and members of your audience in planning and implementing your communication strategy will increase the staying power of the behaviors and attitudes.
Consider delivery tools to extend your message’s reach and increase comprehension. There are many methods of delivery that help your audience recognize and retain your message.
Define Your Purpose
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What is the nature of your communication?
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Are you creating a new communication campaign or channel, or making changes to an existing one?
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What is the objective of your communication? (EX: crisis control, to clarify an existing message, increase engagement, etc,)
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How does your communication tie to your food safety culture vision?
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What do you want people to think, feel or do as a result of your communication?
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How will you measure the success of the communication?
Evaluate: Check in with key stakeholders. Does your plan fulfill a need? Is the timing right? Are there others you should include in planning before you proceed?
Understand Your Audience
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Who is the intended audience for this communication?
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What does this audience already know about food safety and food safety culture?
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What are the existing food safety behaviors and attitudes?
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What subcultures exist in your audience?
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What non-organizational cultures (race, age, religion, language, etc.) are represented in your audience?
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What are the written and spoken language literacies of your audience?
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What, if any, cultural norms may differ between members of your audience?
Evaluate: Talk with the team leaders and supervisors for your target audience. Does your understanding of the audience match theirs? Are there additional details you need to know?
Specify Your Message
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What impact do you want your message to have on your audience?
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How is this message relevant to your audience?
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What existing factors (like biases or social norms) might strengthen or undermine your message?
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How could you leverage storytelling or real-life events to make your message more resonant?
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How will this message apply to or impact the day-to-day work of your audience?
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If you have multiple audiences who need to receive the same message, should there be differences in the content or method of delivery?
Evaluate: Reach out to internal teams with expertise in communication (Public Relations, Training Development, Human Resources). Does your message align with other organization communications? Do they have suggestions?
Engage Your Audience
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Are there existing food safety culture champions in the organization who can help align and influence others?
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What guidance or resources might these champions need to successfully relay your message across the organization?
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How can members of your audience be included in developing or sharing your message?
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How can members of the audience provide feedback on your message before and after delivery?
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What direction should your message move in? (EX: From the top-down, starting with senior leaders, or from the bottom-up, starting with frontline employees?)
Evaluate: Collect feedback from leaders, champions, and members of your audience. Are they comfortable with conveying your message? Does your message make sense to them and resonate with them?
Select Your Channels
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What existing communication channels does my organization have?
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Where can I most effectively share my message?
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How frequently do I plan to communicate this message? (EX: once a year, in monthly emails, during quarterly staff retreats, etc.)
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Would this message benefit from physical signage like flyers or posters?
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Is there an event or holiday you could tie your communication to?
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Is this channel conducive to technical or scientific language, or do concepts need to be understandable to a general audience?
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Does the message require text, or can it be conveyed entirely through visuals (graphics, photos, icons)?
Evaluate: Pressure test your message and delivery before committing substantial resources (especially physical / printed materials). Are members of your audience seeing or hearing your message? Can you measure initial changes in response to your message?
