How Lisa Chensvold Approaches Stakeholder Alignment in Communications
Lisa Chensvold works at the intersection of communications strategy and organizational strategy. Through Chensvold Communications, she works primarily with nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations, helping leaders identify what is actually blocking progress before investing in tactics that may not solve the underlying problem.
That perspective shaped her Authority Magazine interview. Chensvold repeatedly returned to the idea that communication problems often begin before a message is written. Leadership alignment, audience needs, sequencing, decision-making, and organizational clarity all affect whether communication succeeds.
For video teams, that matters. A stronger script or better production cannot fully compensate for a strategy that has not been settled. Chensvold’s five formal strategies offer a useful way to think about leadership videos, internal updates, change communications, and other high-stakes content.
Diagnose the Real Problem First
Chensvold’s first strategy is to diagnose before trying to fix the message.
She said organizations often describe themselves as complicated when the deeper issue is something like unclear purpose, competing priorities, or disagreement about whom the organization serves. In one example, a membership organization believed its messaging was failing to reach a particular segment. Further discussion revealed that leaders had not agreed on who the organization primarily existed to serve. Changing the wording would only have covered the problem temporarily.
For video teams, this means asking a few questions before writing the script. What problem is the video supposed to solve? Who needs to act differently afterward? Do the people approving the project agree on that goal?
If those answers conflict, fix the disagreement first. Production becomes much easier once the purpose is clear.
Communicate From the Inside Out
Chensvold’s second strategy focuses on sequence.
She recommends deciding who needs to hear important information first, second, and third. People are more likely to feel overlooked when they learn significant news from someone they believe should not have known before them. In high-stakes situations, she says communication timing may need to be coordinated very carefully.
This has a clear application to video.
If a company is announcing a major change, employees or other directly affected groups may need communication before a public-facing video goes live. A leadership update can be prepared for internal audiences first, followed by a different version for customers, partners, or the public.
The message may be similar, but the sequence matters.
Chensvold also stresses that stakeholder alignment begins before messaging. She uses a know-feel-do framework to determine what each audience needs to understand, feel, and ultimately do.
That framework can be useful before any video script is approved.
Say Something True
Chensvold’s third strategy is particularly useful during periods of change or uncertainty.
She warns against both silence and updates that contain no useful information. In one organization she worked with, stakeholders became frustrated because updates were being shared without actually helping them understand what was happening.
The team changed its approach. Even when a final decision had not been made, they could explain where the decision process stood or what factors were being considered.
Leader videos can follow the same principle.
If all the answers are not available, say what is known. Explain what is still being decided. Tell viewers what happens next and when they should expect another update.
That is more useful than filling several minutes with language that sounds reassuring but gives the audience no new orientation.
Assume Everyone Is Overloaded
Chensvold’s fourth strategy is to assume people have limited attention, regardless of how knowledgeable they are.
She described working with an audience that included researchers and data scientists. Others assumed these specialists wanted exhaustive technical detail. When Chensvold heard from the audience directly, they asked for something much simpler: the bottom line, why it mattered, and what they needed to do next.
That lesson translates naturally to video.
Put the main point early. Keep on-screen text readable. Avoid loading a video with acronyms simply because the audience understands the subject. When additional technical depth is necessary, webinar video production can provide a longer format for detailed explanation without overloading the primary message.
Expert audiences are still human audiences.
Clear communication respects their time.
Give Communications a Seat at the Table
Chensvold’s fifth strategy is to involve communications before decisions have already been made.
She described an organization where its standard messaging kept changing because several leaders were effectively trying to reposition the organization through individual press releases. The deeper strategic discussion had not happened first.
Her point is that communications professionals often see across departments. They can anticipate how decisions may be understood, identify risks, and spot confusion before it reaches stakeholders. Leaving them out of early strategic conversations makes their job harder later.
Video teams encounter the same problem when they are brought in at the very end and asked to package a decision that has not been fully explained.
Earlier involvement allows producers and communicators to ask basic audience questions before the cameras roll. What will people misunderstand? What information is missing? Who should deliver the message?
Those questions can improve the strategy as well as the final video.
Choose the Right Messenger
One additional lesson from Chensvold’s interview is the importance of messenger selection.
She described working on a technical toolkit that had become too dense to be useful. Rather than simply redesigning it, she found an external partner who could establish credibility with the subject-matter expert while also understanding what the audience needed.
She described the successful combination as having the right messenger communicating at the right altitude.
For an executive interview video, the most senior person is not automatically the best person to appear on camera. The speaker should be chosen based on credibility, subject knowledge, and what the audience needs from the message.
A leader may be right for an organizational announcement. A technical expert may be better for detailed guidance. A partner or frontline employee may have more credibility with another audience.
Choose the person who can make the message understandable without losing its meaning.
Practical Application for Video Teams
Before scripting, create a short communication brief. Define the problem, audience, desired action, and main message. Then use Chensvold’s know-feel-do approach to clarify what viewers need from the piece.
Map the release sequence before production begins. A production communication matrix can clarify who receives each update, who approves each version, and where questions or urgent decisions should go.
Keep the main point easy to find. For leadership updates, start with what changed, why it matters, and what the audience should do next.
Finally, involve communications and production early enough to question the plan. A producer should not be expected to fix an unresolved strategy through editing.
Team Beverly Boy’s Takeaway
Chensvold’s interview reinforces something video teams see often: a communication problem cannot always be solved with better production.
Alignment has to come first.
Strong video communication starts with diagnosing the real issue, deciding who needs to hear what and when, sharing something genuinely useful, respecting the audience’s attention, and involving communicators before the final decision is already locked.
Conclusion
Lisa Chensvold’s approach is less about saying more and more about making communication clearer before it reaches the audience.
Diagnose first. Communicate in the right order. Say something true. Respect people’s limited attention. Give communications a voice early enough to matter.
For video teams, those habits create a stronger foundation before scripting, filming, or editing begins.
This article is based on an interview originally published by Authority Magazine. Read the full interview here.
