Archive for the ‘Internal Communication’ Category

Managing the “Employer Brand”

Tuesday, April 28th, 2015

Every company is–or should be–concerned about its brand. Even those that are, though, tend to focus more on the customer-facing brand. Granted, customer and prospects perspectives are important. But there’s another key audience that often gets overlooked in the rush to build brand. (more…)

Boosting the Effectiveness of Your Employee Communications

Wednesday, March 4th, 2015

It’s a constant challenge for many organizations: finding ways to ensure that their employees have the information they need not only to do their jobs, but to boost their engagement and loyalty and to serve as effective brand ambassadors. I was asked recently for my “top tips” on how companies, large and small, can improve their employee communication efforts. These were my top three recommendations: (more…)

The Critically Important Audience You May Be Overlooking

Monday, November 24th, 2014

It’s probably no surprise that poor customer service can have an enormous amount of negative impact on your business. But what about poor service to employees? Does the internal satisfaction of your employees weigh on that metric? A recent article by Christine Porath in Harvard Business Review would suggest that it does. (more…)

Walking The Talk: Do Your Actions Match Your Words?

Tuesday, November 11th, 2014

PricewaterhouseCoopers U.S. chairman Robert Moritz recently discussed the issue of engaging younger employees in an article for Harvard Business Review titled “The U.S. Chairman of PwC on Keeping Millennials Engaged.” While the article contains a number of intriguing insights, one point that stood out from a marketing perspective was (more…)

An Often Overlooked Audience You Shouldn’t Ignore!

Tuesday, October 28th, 2014

I had an opportunity recently to speak to a group of human resource (HR) professionals in my community about a topic I’ve always been passionate about–employee communication. My undergraduate degree was in Psychology and Social Work. My dream as a child was to become a psychologist and, from seventh grade on, that was the path I thought I would take. However, during my senior year of college, I had my first internship and realized that I was not cut out to be a counselor. So, I pursued another path. I was working for a local governmental agency at the time, and I took an interest in HR management. The concept of employee motivation was very interesting to me and clearly aligned with the psychological principles I had learned about in school. So, I toyed with the idea of potentially creating or serving in a role that might be called a “corporate psychologist.”

Then, as fate would have it, (more…)

The 3 Most Powerful Words to Boost Your Career

Friday, October 17th, 2014

Humility is a powerful thing, but it’s rarely seen in action. This may be because, in order to rise to the top, leaders need to have a strong ego and self-confidence. They must be willing to take risks and move forward, even in the face of significant adversity. Too often, though, leaders may be unwilling to admit when they’re wrong. After all, admitting that they’re fallible may seem, on the surface, as an admission of weakness.

However, the opposite is true. (more…)

Are you practicing effective B2E marketing?

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

I  heard a term recently that I had never heard before, but that I wish had come up with: B2E marketing: for “Business to Employee.” Most are familiar with both B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business) marketing and, of course, the concept is the same. This new acronym, though, really hits on a very, very important audience that many businesses overlook.  But, while I’ve spoken, written and consulted widely on the important role that employees can play as brand ambassadors, I didn’t coin the term. Darn! That said,  (more…)

Don’t Overlook the Value of Internal Communication!

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

One of the frequently, and unfortunately, overlooked audiences for many organizations is employees. They are the “first line of defense” for ensuring that your key messages are accurately and energetically conveyed to external audiences. Yet, many organizations fail to effectively enlist employees in these efforts. (more…)

For Service Organizations, Employees Rule!

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

I have been working on the development of a training session on developing employees as brand ambassadors for a service organization and, as I’ve been conducting my research and gathering examples, I’m struck as always by the critical role that employees play in either strengthening or damaging the brand, and the woefully inadequate attention that most organizations pay  to helping them be successful in that role. The organization I’m working with is a refreshing exception–they recognize the importance of establishing strategy at the top of the organizations, preparing managers to serve as coaches and role models for service excellence and setting the stage for effective employee engagement through communication.

The steps in the process seem fairly straightforward and linear: (more…)

Key Communication Skills Explained in E-cards

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

Just as medical students acquire skills in science and math, people with degrees in communication have a different set of skills. They know the importance of creating effective and efficient lines of communication in the work they perform.

Here are three e-cards that explain how communication professionals think. (more…)