A Q&A document, or a set of them, is a critical element of a communications plan to support a major announcement.

By Dan Pecchia

One of the most effective supports for announcing a major or controversial change is the “Q&A,” often called the FAQ.

When developed properly, a question-and-answer document (or a set of them) not only informs and persuades its readers but forces its drafters to address issues they might otherwise overlook.

Building blocks of a Q&A

A Q&A is literally a list of questions about a major announcement, each with an answer. Its main purpose is to show readers, like employees, customers, investors, suppliers, regulators, community leaders, media professionals and others, that the announcement’s owners have considered likely questions and provided answers.

Although not necessarily intended to replace in-person interaction, a Q&A can foster efficiency and consistency by reducing the need to have multiple people say the same thing.

In some cases, more than one Q&A may be worthwhile, based on audience and other considerations. For example, customers and suppliers often have different questions. While employees may want details about an announcement’s impact on their benefits, other audiences may prefer to stay out of the weeds.

In other cases, like low-impact announcements where a distributed Q&A may be overkill, an internal Q&A can provide guidance for those likely to field questions.

(Note: We have written and edited dozens of Q&As, but providing samples is difficult because they are usually sensitive if not confidential.)

Here are three necessities for an effective Q&A.

Provide substance and reflect transparency

The best Q&As are substantive documents that fearlessly and transparently list many questions and provide compelling responses for each one.

Squeamish colleagues who “don’t want to be negative” can seriously derail the positive impact of a good Q&A (and many other forms of honest communication) by refusing to acknowledge that some announcements by nature stir up “negative” questions that are important. Positive results are best achieved by addressing those issues proactively, not hiding from them.

When inadequate care is given to potentially “negative” issues, key stakeholders are left to guess for themselves or (worse) get their information from other sources.

Substance shouldn’t be confused with monotony, however. When developed with precision and economy, a Q&A can cover a lot of territory without wasting readers’ time.

Leverage collaboration

A good Q&A is the byproduct of a team effort. It’s not likely that one person knows all of the accurate answers, or can even think of all the questions.

The development effort should include input and thorough review from multiple members of the management team and from the organization’s lawyer (and a skilled communications professional to champion the process and push thoroughness and clarity).

Collaboration not only fosters accuracy but reduces the likelihood that a question or detail will be overlooked. I’ve been in several communications planning situations where good questions have forced clarifications or even adjustments to major decisions.

Deliver a compelling rationale

To the Q&A’s readers — and its developers — the most important questions are those that start with “Why.”

A good Q&A can help sell a major decision by laying out the facts on which it was based. That includes conveying the benefits of the decision and the detriments of other alternatives. If a tough decision is necessary, there must be a good case for it, and that case has to be advanced in a compelling manner if support and/or supportive actions are expected.

Q&A documents can and should address rumors and expected criticisms by putting those in the form of questions and then answering them. They can also address and refute speculation (“Does this mean that … ?”).

Decisions that bring major change are often difficult to execute, not only for those most impacted but those who sympathize with them and those (large in number) who just don’t like change.

But such decisions are commonplace because they are frequently necessary in a changing world. Carefully addressing likely questions makes major change easier to manage.

Dan Pecchia is an Ohio public relations consultant and president of Pecchia Communications.