I recently had roundtable meetings with senior Marketing and HR executives to discuss what is happening with employee communications in their respective organizations. Though I came away with some interesting tidbits and best practices (shared below), the one thing that stood out the most for me was a general lack of strategic direction. The Marketing group in particular discussed at the end of the meeting how the energy level around this topic stood in marked contrast to the meetings we had in prior months on “marketing ROI and lead generation,” topics which sparked lively debate. Our conclusion: perhaps the continued down economy, having to make do with fewer resources and lower headcounts, makes us focus elsewhere? Regardless, weak leadership in this arena certainly runs counter to much of the research that has been done on the importance of fousing on employee communications and internal branding as an important strategy to give your company a “competitive edge.”
I did leave these meetings with some interesting takeaways and reflections:
1) Start with strategy. Figure out what you are trying to accomplish, who your target audience is and then decide on platforms. Make sure you select the VITAL FEW messages you want to disseminate and that messaging in your company has a clear drumbeat and cadence.
2. While it is not clear where functional responsibility for employee communications should reside – opinons varied from marketing, to HR to totally distributive models – everybody seemed to pretty much agree that in order for employee communications to be effective, the executive team has to take ownership for CONTENT. As one marketing executive said, leadership is the CONDUCTOR, and marketing or HR or perhaps a partnership is the orchestra responsible for disseminating key messages.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate! We need to continue to drive fronline managers to understand the importance of taking the VITAL few messages selected by executive leadership and then REPEATING using many different platforms.
4. Don’t forget old and proven techniques: face-to-face conversations and two-way dialogue continue to be one of the most effective ways to communicate. Tell your managers to go have lunch in the employee lunchroom. Emphasize the importance of doing one-on-ones. Engage in roundtable discussions.
5. Employees yearn for interaction in whatever way it can be offered. Leverage technology and social media such as interactive blogs, collaborative software…anything that invites dialogue is what employees want the most.Some of the fear around social media is unfounded. Companies that have introduced interactive blogs, discussion forums and more are finding that employees tend to self-police pretty effectively. If you want to start doing a company blog, make sure you pick the right person. Someone that is really boring won’t do the trick. Neither will a CEO that is using the blog to share all his vacations to exotic places, dinners at gourmet restaurants, and golf tournaments…..true example shared by one of the executives in attendance. Some of the companies, on hte other hand are using Twitter or Yammer effectively to share across their company what different executives are up to – employees already sufffering from information overload like the “small size” of messages.
6. Be appropriate for you company and industry when you use new technology. What works for a high tech company where everybody has access to a computer is not likely to succeed in a factory setting.
7. Make sure you use your managers in the dissemination of the messages you want to drive. That may mean that you have to give them a tool set, discussion points etc before you ask them to share important news.
8. Have your leadership team establish a standing agenda item at the end of meetings to answer the following question: What are the key messages we are taking out of this meeting that we want to communicate across the organization?
9. Make sure that communications are authentic and not too polished. For example, some of the companies have effectively been using flip videos to share what employees are up to in different locations. Very popular with employees.
What else would you want to add? What are some of the best practices you know of that have not been mentioned?
For more information on Executive Coaching please visit http://www.hrnow.net/coach.htm. Suzanne has two blogs: http://hrnow.net and http://hrundercover.com/ (we want your workplace stories).
It was a good meeting. Some of my takeaways:
1. The same issue most of us have when sending out marketing communications: open and read rates being very low – is the same with internal communications. This issue “at home” is more visible than external communications, because we’re immediately faced with the lack of expected action among our fellow employees, and we expect broad based response.
2. A hidden commitment that you shed light on again this morning happened when one participant talked about “no matter how well crafted the message is written . . . “ caused me to remember that after spending hours on my own, and reviewing others reaction to a developing communication, I believe that once sent, everyone will read it. Not consciously. But my unconscious thought is “Of course they will read what I’m sending. It’s so well thought out and written.” Again and again this unconscious attitude runs into results that are pathetic. This causes me to find ways to multiply message platforms, and to rely on sales to close the communications loop as much as possible. The one on one, person to person contact is more important in this day and age than ever, given the barrage of electronic and other messaging that people are receiving every day.
3. We kept talking about getting people to read and respond to our communications. It seems to me that the redirect for all us marketing types is how to create relationships rather than how to persuade, call to action, or manipulate. Relationships are two way, vs. our myopic way of looking at the persuasive impact of marcom. I kept hearing people talk about results. I seldom heard one of us talk about creating a two way relationship that would organically create give and take, vs. a one way marketing impact.
4. Related to both of these is the trouble I’m having, and I suspect all of us are having, at breaking through the clutter. We’re inundated, especially with electronic communications. All or most of us have created unconscious and conscious strategies to ignore low impact or unwanted communications.
5. Town Halls and direct person to person communications are a part of the solution. Clearly, we can’t do this for all communication needs, but especially when working with employees, it seems that these are critical if we want willing mindshare and we can enhance that impact if we structure it around give and take, rather than strictly top down communication. I appreciated those who talked about what worked there. This is working in our small company, where we meet once a month at a Town Hall. Each department takes responsibility for managing one of these, with some content flexibility. There are contests, shout outs, and celebrations mixed in with company business.
6. It seems to me that webinars are another way of creating enough communications impact to deliver more attention and mindshare, especially if they are structured in an engaging, give and take way. The threshold for getting someone to sign up for one of these is higher, as they will need to set time aside for it, but getting a higher level of attention and thus more likelihood of resultant action, is a much better outcome than going with a one to many, one way communication method like print, email or Web.
7. The thoughts registered around “What is our communications objective,” were very important to me. It seemed that we all jumped in talking about difficulties in getting people to consume our communications before we even asked the overarching question “What is the specific and general outcome we want from internal communications?” A specific outcome is clear that when the facilities manager wants to cause staff to prevent using a given parking location. However, the tone and feel of the communication can easily create unexpected HR, marketing and branding consequences, or enhance all of those. Does the communication treat employees like captive cattle, or like voluntary participants in a shared mission? Since the attitude of nearly every employee impacts how each relates to their own communications about the company, often times even in communications with a company’s customers, delivering a communication that results in less loyalty and more employee dissatisfaction undermines marcom efforts.
8. The danger of social media. A year ago, after a MER meeting on social media, I came to my company and delivered the preemptory conclusion that we were going to get involved in social media. I was summarily yelled down. “Danger, danger, danger,” was the common theme. Not being able to “control the message,” and unleashing customers who bash us in public on our turf, were corollary fears. I haven’t pushed this initiative forward, except to make placeholder comments that eventually, we will HAVE to make strides in this rapidly developing arena.
I liked the program and it stimulated a lot of thought Suzanne, even though I left at first break. I’ve brought up several topics among my marketing staff, as a result. It was a morning well spent. I didn’t contribute much as I was getting enough from others contributions to forgo opening my mouth. I thought that Cathy did a good job, and brought enough grist to the table for all of us to get value.
Philosophically, I believe marcom staff are faced with a rapidly changing world that is turning the industrial, top-down, follow me, corporate structure upside down. I believe marketing communications staffers have to be first responders to this paradigm shift, helping our organizations to see the value in replacing this archaic business model into one that looks at both internal and external “customers” as potential and real partners, fostering our business success on a win-win partnerships rather than as a consequence of persuasive, one way communications.
One of the last comments I heard this morning, was one that I have also recently espoused big time in our company. That in order to be successful, marketing needs to rely on multiple communications platforms. There’s truth to that, but it is clear to me that there are two other more important initiatives that will do more for my company long term:
1. To develop loyal, involved partnering communities both inside and outside the company. Communities that foster honest exchange and ultimately shared value.
2. Segmenting my internal and external “partners” in ways that make whatever communication I deliver, welcome, relevant and worthy of “engagement.”
Both of these mean more marketing work, a lot of which has to happen in internal cultural change. No small task.
Thanks for the meeting this am Suzanne.
Richard
Great to see the thoughts captured from our discussion.
From my perspective, I can’t emphasize enough the idea of random acts of communication. It should be part of any communications strategy you have. Wacky, fun and unexpected messages – featuring pictures, video or other snippets from your staff – can enliven the message and better connect your employees to the company, and each other.
I’ll admit that as an HR professional, the idea of wacky, fun and random comms can take some getting used to – but carefully crafted, there is a brilliance in it.
Lastly, I’m a big proponent of the Flip Camera. For the cost (about $150), why not buy a few for key employee leaders (official or unofficial) and have them capture their experience? It’s been a great investment for us – for training sessions, offsites and other gatherings.
Seeing my VOLUMINOUS comments in a blog causes me to realize my reliance on written communications. “How many people will read that diatribe,” comes to mind.
I was unable to attend this particular session. I was busy communicating.
PEMCO takes internal communication very seriously. It seems that no matter how much or what formats and forums we create, there is always an opportunity to improve and/or provide more communication to meet the needs of our team.
The responsibility for corporate communications lives within the marketing department, but in reality it requires a close partnership with our people services/human resource departments and the executive team. We have two full time resources dedicated to internal communication.
All of our internal communication is driven from well thought out communication strategies and plans that are crafted by a corporate communication manager, and reviewed and approved by the executive sponsor for the topic, and me. These include consideration for the audience being addressed, the objectives of the communication, key messages to deliver, desired outcomes and, of course, the communication tactics to be implemented.
Just last week, our CEO and I conducted 12 90-minute “milepost” sessions in four locations in order to connect with our 750 employees with a face to face message. This is not at all out of the ordinary. In fact, we schedule at least three of these “milepost” talks each year. After each session, we survey all attendees to get instant feedback and additional questions that we will address with written responses as appropriate. Other arrows in our communication quiver include quarterly leadership forums, executive messages, a twice weekly e-newsletter, email, and the use of Yammer to name a few. If I haven’t bored you already I’ll consider it a win and refrain from offering more examples.
The point of this is simply to suggest that internal communication needs to be taken as seriously and purposeful as any other piece of the marketing and communication mix. I believe this is even more critical when the chips are down. During a down economy, after staff reductions, when sales slump or when your organization begins to stall, your team of leaders, staff and front line employees are relying on internal communications to provide direction, updates, momentum and hope.
That’s my two cents worth. Now I’ll go back to reading those survey questions that need responses. Sorry to have missed what must have been a very interesting conversation.
Have a great summer.
Rod
@NW_Mktg_Guy
An informal survey question on our HR Executive Forum listserv inquiring as to where ownership for Internal Communications resides organizationally has yielded the following results so far:
1. Resides in marketing and works closely with HR
2. Shared responsibility between Marcomm and HR
3. Marketing, and have one assigned partner for HR
4. HR with support as needed from other groups such as Marcomm, Operations
5. Corporate communications function with a dedicated specialist to HR
6. Shared responsibility with Corporate Communications Director and HR
7. Executive VP of HR
8. Responsibility lives with HR, partnering with Marcomm
HR
9. Marketing, works closely with HR