How communicators can learn to productively say no to message requests

Every internal comms pro has run into the issue of asks coming down from leadership that throw a carefully planned calendar into chaos. Some requests are more urgent than others, and in many instances, they’re closely aligned with one leader’s priorities but not entirely aligned with what employees need to hear at that moment. Communicators need to know how to say no in a way that reframes the request and keeps the work moving.

Christina Frantom, head of internal communications for the United States at Mercedes-Benz International, said communicators need to be able to point back to the business priorities their comms plan was constructed to support and reframe asks through that lens. That’s especially true when requests from the top might knock an established messaging plan off track.

“Your comms strategy needs to be mapped directly to the mission, vision and goals you’re trying to execute as a company,” Frantom said. “If it isn’t, you’re going to spend a lot of time on side-of-desk projects, and your team is going to look scattered instead of strategic.”

But saying no to a request doesn’t have to mean shutting it down entirely. That’s not possible or practical when your leaders are asking you for support. Instead, Megan Troppito, director and head of communications and brand at International, (and also a Ragan Communications Leadership Council member) recommended a tactic from the world of improvisational comedy.

“We don’t really say a direct no,” Troppito said. “We try to live by the ‘yes, and’ principle. Yes, this may be important, and there may be a better way to do it, a better time to do it, or a better way to connect it to the goals we’re trying to achieve.”

Here are three ways communicators can say no to comms requests while still moving the work forward.

1. Ask for the problem instead of the deliverable

When leaders come with comms requests, they’ve often got a vision of what they think they want.

“Nine times out of 10, somebody is coming and asking for a tactic,” Troppito said.

Frantom has a catchphrase when these situations pop up.

“I’ll say, ‘Say more words,’ because I want to understand what they’re trying to solve. Don’t ask me to commit to a solution before we’ve talked about the problem. Meet me where the problem is, and then I’ll work through what the communications solution should be.”

Frantom recommended that communicators ask these three questions:

• Who needs to hear this and what’s it about?
• What should employees need to know or need to do?
• What happens if this doesn’t go out right now?

These questions can then open the door to more customized solutions. For instance, a request to send an email to all managers could transform into a manager comms toolkit if an internal communicator helps a leader figure out the problem instead of just the messaging method.

2. Show how the message fits into the larger internal comms flow

Once communicators understand the intent behind the ask, they can help leaders understand that while their priorities are important, the internal messaging strategy needs to work within the flow of what employees are being asked to absorb.

Troppito said providing this background is where internal communicators can move from delivering messages to fully shaping strategy.

“We see things that a leader may not see or know about,: she said. “Sometimes it is as simple as saying, ‘Did you know this major announcement is happening on the same day?’ That context can turn the answer into, ‘Not right now,’ or, ‘There is a better way to do this.’”

That means an internal comms calendar needs to move beyond being a planning document and instead be a decision-making tool that communicators can point to when working on requests from leaders.

You should lean on your editorial calendar to show:

• What other content is going out around that time to those same employees.
• Whether or not the requested message would compete with other updates.
• Whether or not the request is urgent.

3. Know when to pick your battles

Not every request that comes across an internal communicator’s desk needs to be an in-depth negotiation. It sounds simple, but sometimes the smartest move is to make small concessions while still voicing an informed opinion about the request’s impact on messaging strategy.

“There are moments when it would take more time to say no than it would to publish the story or do the request, and that may not be the battle worth fighting,” Troppito said.

For instance, if a messaging request is a low lift, it may be worth doing. But if the request competes with a major message or pulls the comms team away from more pressing work, that’s when a reframe should happen.

“There are times when you give in for the sake of the relationship,” Troppito said. “But that relationship only matters if it gives you the trust to push back when the work really needs it. You can’t make everybody happy. The job is to do what’s best for the company overall.”

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications.