When you give a hitman an envelope that's full of cash and with a name on the front, you aren't expecting him to look up an address and deliver the money.

You know exactly why you've put someone's name on the envelope and so does the hitman.

You know what the money inside is for, too. And so does the hitman.

You both understand the process and you understand the role of each of the particpants: The contract, its principal, the contractor and the victim.

Either through an extensive life of criminal endeavour or through extended exposure to American entertainment, both you and the hitman have been properly and effectively pre-positioned. There is no doubt in anyone's mind about what happens next.

If only life were that straightforward! Brutality aside, it's a great model, isn't it. An envelope, some banknotes and not a word spoken but still the job is done.

The principle demonstrated by this example is that, given enough exposure to enough versions of the same scenario, everyone knows what to expect. It probably seems intuitive, even though it probably isn't. All of those previous exposures have been examples of pre-positioning. And, like the examples of good pre-positioning in a project environment, these exampes have been stated, re-stated, paraphrased and made memorable by countless movie plots.

Having said all that, it hardly seems worth discussing the steps required to pre-position your team sponsors or members of your team . . .

You need to ensure they know what to expect. Tick the box!

You need them to understand what it is they are dealing with. Tick the box!

Except, I am making an assumption that - as a team facilitator - no-one should ever make! I have decided, quite without any evidence, that whoever reads this piece will have seen all those American movies that have lodged in my own consciousness.

Why should anyone have shared my own experiences?

That is why pre-positioning is an essential step in preparing participants for a task. We all start out with different experience, different understanding and different expectations. The process of pre-positioning brings everyone to the same level of knowledge and understanding with exactly the same expectations.

And repeated exposure to the same theme is an excellent way to achieve this goal.

Changing the scenario and re-stating the message is an excellent way to re-inforce the message without loosing the participant's interest. A different story with the same moral will avoid boredom while strengthening understanding.

It is often quite difficult to persuade everyone in a group that one goal is the goal and there is only one way to reach it.

Tasks the facilitator can take on to support the participant's learning and understanding

Support tasks for faciltators

How to support effective pre-positioning or the grunt work you can do

• Data administration
• Policy and standards
• Communications and buy-in
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Issues resolution

Do these and everyone will want you to be their friend!

WHAT?

The purpose of team communications

To establish then maintain a flow of information to and from stakeholders

This process generally consists a process of informing those with an interest in the team's activities then getting feedback.

WHY?

The aim of team communications

Commitment depends on understanding
Communication provides the knowledge that allows stakeholders to understand

The communication process must state, re-state and paraphrase, ensuring that its message is clear and relevant to everyone involved.

The process of engaging people's interest then informing them
is varied . . .

Live events

• Seminars
• Workshops
• User group meetings
• Roadshows
• Demonstrations
• Presentations
• Walk-throughs

Media

• Bulletins
• Newslatters
• Web sites
• Videos
• CDs and DVDs
• Press releases

Merchanidising

• T-shirtsand sweatshirts
• Project logo
• Ties
• Pens and stationery

Interactive

• Discussion
• Project feedback sessions

This checklist applies equally to a single team meeting or an entire project; the plan can be a meeting agenda, a workshop running order or a vast project plan.

Over a number of years it has proved to be both relevant and scalable.

Landscape