Whenever there are people who didn’t get an announcement, it’s easy to get frustrated as communicators. At times, we forget to understand why we are communicating because we are occupied of the thought of what could we do better.
Here’s some great advice from communicators who have gone through situations like you!
“I think consistency is key through all avenues. Most people will pick one source and that will be how they find their news. However, no matter how much emphasis you put on something there will always be that one person. If it is always the same person, ask them how they learn about church events, then point them towards one reliable source.” – Crystal Richards, Journey Church
“I wouldn’t worry too much if it’s just one or two people out of a bunch. If you’ve communicated something for an adequate amount of time and consistently enough across multiple mediums and only a couple folks missed it, you’re good. If the one or two people get feisty, I’ve been known to check the MailChimp stats and say “I noticed that you haven’t opened any of our emails in a very long time. You might check your spam folder and be sure to add our email address to our contacts to be sure you’re getting our regular emails. Is there a new email address I could add to our list?” It’s a touch passive aggressive but always works.” – Joe Garrison, Castleton United Methodist Church
“We, too, are consistent, but we still hear this more often then I think we should. 🙂 And although it can be frustrating, I try to pause long enough to determine if there’s something we could do differently or better. Quite often we discover it’s the same few people who are not “in the know” and it has helped me just simply help those individuals plug in to the best media source for them. Take the time to explore the options and get them connected.” – Edi Miller Swearingen, Grace Community Church
“You can ask, “Why didn’t this person know about this event?” Or you can ask, “Did the promotion of this event have the desired outcome?” If you met your goals for event registration, attendance, or other measurable actions, then I wouldn’t be concerned.” – Bradford Singleton, Northwood Church
It’s easy to get frustrated when trying to communicate messages to your congregation—but slow down! Rethink the strategy of how and why you are communicating with them. The medium is often the message. Which mediums are you using and why?
