A communication that links to knowledge

KM is an organisational function that works with every other function. I particularly like working with Communications, because I understand what they’re about and can see the link to KM. I never claim to be a comms professional myself – that’s not the career I’ve had nor wanted – but I’ve been responsible for dozens of conferences and events, touring shows; marketing, press and PR campaigns – in-house and for paying clients – and so on, to ‘get it’. And I’ve sat with and in Comms functions from time to time as well – so I’ve seen them close up and heard what they talk about when you’re not there.

There are lots of things we can do together, KM and Comms, when we collaborate well. But to take just one example – we can make sure that communications connect to knowledge. Here’s what I mean.

To take the example of internal communications within an organisation, one of the kinds of activities they do is report in written form on company news and events. This might be a new product launch, a new project win, a new senior hire, an office move or whatever. Whatever it’s about, it will connect to one or more of the company’s knowledge subjects: I already mentioned some directly or indirectly: products, projects, customers, our people (know who), our locations (information for co-workers).

It’s not Comms’ job necessarily to make the knowledge connection, just like it’s not KM’s job to report on the new product launch event – who was there, what was said, take a picture. But working together we can make a link.

So the comms story will show and tell what has happened. It may well link to other similar stories (other recent win announcements, for instance — KM can help Comms manage categories and metadata to make that bit easier – but that’s not my point here). The KM add can be to link to knowledge: further knowledge content, networks and contacts. So if the product is a financial fraud reduction technology, for instance, KM can link it to the firm’s key experts and insights on fraud – making a knowledge link for those who want to take it further.

On the other side KM should be paying special attention to whatever communications is telling us because there may be a signal in there as to what, in terms of subject matter, is becoming more relevant. If we can’t easily link to experts and resources on the kind of financial fraud in question, for example, it raises a question we should answer: Is this knowledge hidden, or not really yet covered?