I recently had the opportunity to observe two different group interactions at two different companies and the contrasts were striking.
At one, the entire group–a newly formed group–was engaged, enthusiastic and positive; they interacted openly with their team leader who was inclusive and affirming of their input. In the other, a group that has recently undergone some leadership changes, but has been in place for some time, interactions seemed (more…)
As I work with different organizations I’m struck by the variation in their approaches to communicating with employees. Having worked in director of corporate communications roles for several years in some very large companies, my bias is toward communicating more not less. And, I’ve been fortunate that the companies I’ve worked for have been very open, transparent and honest with their employees.
Not all employers take that approach, however, and it’s not a place (more…)
Having been involved in corporate communications and public relations for a number of years I’m well aware of the concerns that organizations often have about too much information being shared with too many audiences. Transparency, I believe, is under-rated! While there are obviously “trade secrets” or “inside insights” that organizations wisely protect, too often information that does not really present any real risk is kept close hindering the ability of the organization to actually achieve its goals.
One big example of this is (more…)
Common wisdom suggests that there is a direct correlation between employee and customer satisfaction. Common wisdom, of course, is often flawed. Just ask a couple of my favorite business authors, Dan Ariely (Predictably Irrational) and Steven Levitt (Freakonomics). Sometimes the things that we believe to be true, simply aren’t.
A few years ago an article in the Harvard Business Review (more…)
“They just don’t get it!”
“How many times have we told them this?”
“Why don’t they understand?”
These are common phrases in the world of business, whether applied to employee communication, marketing communication or customer communication. But there is something fundamentally wrong with each of these statements which contributes immensely to our failed communication efforts.
Generally I advise clients to view their organizations, products and services from the “outside in.” In other words, they need to put themselves in the position of their desired audience and consider what is important to their audience, rather than what is important to them. Too often I’ll hear organizations talk about how they need to “communicate our (more…)
For those communicators who work with — or who are! — professionals who required multiple, high-level degrees to practice in their careers, there can be a tendency to “speak in lofty language.” They forget that those who are *not* members of their profession *don’t* speak in their language. They fail to realize that, rather than being impressed by their advanced knowledge, their intended audience is simply confused and disinterested. Worse, when their intended audience doesn’t “get” the message they don’t *get* the message. (more…)
I recently spotted this posting about one of the latest examples of an “employee on a rampage” to go viral. Bad enough to have a situation like this make the social media rounds, but what if you’d just used this employee in a “feel-good” advertising campaign? Or, what if Domino’s had used its now-infamous employees in a campaign? I was just interviewed by a trade publication about the wisdom – or lack thereof – of using “real people” (generally, real employees) in advertising spots.
Those who have worked with me know that I’m (more…)
I just wrote a very interesting (interesting from the standpoint of the response I received, not trying to tout my own writing!) article on wellness programs for Human Resource Executive.
The premise was based on a recent AP story that challenged (more…)
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