Work in Communication/PR and never heard of the Barcelona Principles? Keep reading
If you’re a Communication/PR professional and you’ve never heard of the Barcelona Principles 3.0, prepare yourself to learn about a communication measurement and evaluation framework that has the potential to transform your career. Before we delve any further, let’s embark on a quick history lesson so that you can understand how these Principles came about.
Can you remember what you were doing back in 2010? Without you probably even realising, a group of thought leaders were on a path to change your future for the better when they gathered to agree to a common set of standards for the Communication/PR sector based on a set of shared principles for communication measurement and evaluation. I can hear what you’re thinking… great but how is this going to help me in my career? Allow us to paint a picture for you that may prove all too familiar.
It’s that time you’ve been dreading ever since you saw the calendar invite pop-up on your emails: the quarterly management meeting. Your mind flashes back to the last meeting and you can feel a small trickle of sweat roll slowly down the side of your face. There you are, presenting to the management team and out of the corner of your eye, you see the HR Manager yawning, the Sales Director fiddling with his phone as he pretends he’s answering an urgent email and then of course, there’s the memory of your boss. Those eyes stare at you blankly as you’re encouraged to finish your monthly update quickly because you don’t have any hard stats or data to present. You finish speaking as quickly as possible, make your way back to your seat and feel that frustration burning inside of you.
When are they going to start to value my hard work? That thought lingers with you for quite some time.
Here’s the harsh truth: until you start speaking in the same language as others who form key roles and are the decision makes within your organisation, you’re going to be treated like that department head who attends meetings just for the sake of it or so that you’re not offended.
The Barcelona Principles are the game-changer because they map out how the Communication/PR field should be measuring and evaluating. In other words, they’re a great starting place for professionals such as you and I to prove our worth in a way those who count, understand. They provide us with a universal language and encourage us to focus on results as a greater expression of our value. Since their inception, their worth has proved invaluable and led to the principles being refined and updated in 2020 by thought leaders renowned bodies such as the International Association of Measurement and Evaluation (AMEC), the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) and more. The Barcelona Principles 3.0 (now that’s a name that demands your attention) build on the original Barcelona Principles.
Here’s an easy to understand infographic that says it all:
At the end of the day, we can’t argue with the fact that results equate to value. While the principles may still be lacking in articulating the “how to do”, they have now evolved from “what not to do” to address “what to do.”
If you’re done with whipping out that stress spray or if lavender oil doesn’t seem to be easing those nerves ahead of those all-important meetings, make a choice. I’ve created a valid and rigorous measurement solution that is easy to understand for all Communication/PR professionals. It’s a simple and flexible solution that even the most number-challenged of people can both understand and use to their benefit. Developed using an academic foundation but with a sharp business focus, The Communication Dividend® ticks all the boxes for the Barcelona Principles and gives you the firepower to say goodbye to tiresome looks from your fellow colleagues.
Change is only a phone call or click away. Call us on 0427 755 296 or connect here.
By Deb Camden and Paul Cheal