Get to Know your Audience and Purpose

You completed Step 1 and selected a business for your consulting project. Congratulations! Now it is time to get to know them better. 

Your Assignment Asks You To: 

1. Perform a short audit/examination of the internal or external client for whom you are developing a proposal.
2. Identify a problem or need with how it is communicating with its own internal or external audiences (essentially select an area of focus for your proposal topic).
3. Evaluate how this aspect of the organization is effectively and ineffectively communicating in a way that aligns with its own stated mission and values.

How do you do that?

Look internally at the business:

• What programs, services, support, tools, etc. does the business offer employees?
• What are internal communications like?
• Find their mission, vision, and values. (Tip: If you don't see a link to the "Mission," you may find an "About Us" page. Assess: Do the mission, vision, and values seem to align with the company's employee-facing communications around policies, support, expectations, etc.? 
• Peruse the business website. Where are their problems or room for improvement? 
• Look up the company: What does Wikipedia say about the mission and values of the company? Can you find anything about the business in the news? Does it suggest anything about employee relations? 

Look at the business' external-facing role:

• What programs, services, support, information, etc. does the business offer its community?
• Who is the community?
• How effectively does the business communicate to its community?
• Look up the business' mission, vision, and values. 
• Are the mission, vision, and values consistent with what you find in your audit? 
• Peruse the website. Where are there problems or room for improvement? 
• Look up the company online. What does Wikipedia say about the mission and values of the company? Can you find anything about the business in the news? 

Investigate your Client: 

Find the client's mission and values & look them up in the news.