My board member said what? And other reasons to embrace communications.

Nonprofit partnership and collaboration talks can be tricky enough - dare I say - without ever worrying about communications strategy. There are tough questions to ask and answer, egos to address and other assessments to be made. But without making communications central to discussions and creating alignment, you risk some of these sticky scenarios:

- Board members spreading incorrect information throughout community or talking to media prematurely

- Staff rumor mill churning out of control

- Partner organization (participating in discussions) releasing information prematurely

- Partnership talks breaking off under less-than-stellar circumstances

Communications. Pesky little detail.

In reality, strategic communications woven throughout the facilitation process addresses this and more, helping entities focus on assessing their compatibility and willingness to work together more effectively. Within the next few weeks, we'll tackle some of these challenges and share ways to address communications strategy head on.

If you've witnessed a communications melt-down, please share it with us and what you learned from it!