Archive for the ‘Internal Communications’ Category
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
An HR manager in a satellite office sends an email to employees about changes in building security stemming from a corporate office mandate. The tone of her email is hostile and employees feel like children being chided by a teacher. They didn’t do anything wrong but the email makes them feel that way by including warnings about things to avoid – all starting with “DO NOT…”
The tone of employee communications directly reflects the relationship an organization has with its employees. And in this case, the HR manager’s email indeed reflects the employer/employee relationship and a lack of established tone or voice of the corporate brand. (Turns out, we have never seen any evidence of an established brand voice for this company.)
Writing Tone
The tone of your communications piece is as vital as the content of the message. With so many different communication channels in the world today, including emails, memos, newsletters, social media posts, it’s easy for ideas and intentions to be misconstrued. If it can’t be shared with the world, don’t even put it in writing and send it out. Here are some helpful points to keep in mind. The tone of your business communications should be:
- Accurate – Review all statements and facts for accuracy before sharing them.
- Professional – Avoid personal remarks or inappropriate comments.
- Positive – Avoid disparaging remarks, negative comments and using ALL CAPS which often comes off as yelling.
- Polite – Don’t include rude requests or make demands. Treat others like you would want to be treated.
- Open – Be as open as you can be in your communications. Being vague or unclear can cause miscommunication or start rumors.
- Consistent – Sending mixed messages can make you appear disorganized or dishonest. If there’s a change in message content, it’s important to address the previous communications in your new piece.
- Clear – Jargon, slang and acronyms are okay if you are sure that your audience will understand your meaning.
Before you push the send or publish button, review the tone of your piece to make sure that it represents your intentions and is consistent with helping to build a compliant culture that achieves your company’s strategic priorities and objectives. Also, ask at least one colleague to review your piece before you send it.
Does your company have a distinct writing tone that reflects your brand’s characteristics? What steps does your company take to make sure communications reflect it?
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Tags: Arizona communications consulting, Arizona public relations agency, Arizona small business marketing, brand voice, branding, communication consulting, employee communications, HR communications, HR communications consulting, Human Resources communications, Internal Communications, Keith Yaskin, marketing strategy, media interview, media pitch, media training, Phoenix communication consulting, Phoenix public relations agency, PR, Public Relations, reporter, small business strategy, Social Media, The Flip Side Communications, TV interview, tv news, video, video marketing, website videos, writing tone
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Saturday, May 7th, 2011
I was walking with a co-worker when she acknowledged she should be back at her desk meeting a fast approaching deadline. She asked me why she didn’t care. I knew why.
Shareholders and highly compensated executives whose holidays include potential bonuses are obvious stakeholders in a company’s success. But employees standing further down the corporate ladder don’t necessarily assume the company’s success automatically translates into personal success. Some of these workers survived the recession but suffered substantial pay cuts. They read corporations are financially bouncing back but are told big raises are not on the horizon. The salary that was lost will not be won back anytime soon.
Some employees are happy just to have a job. Others are too close to retirement to raise a ruckus. And some feel trapped without options. But top performers will eventually exit when the evidence shows hard work only pays off for those at the tippy top. A team can continue to compete even if one or two stars move on. But as sports often display, those teams start to fade, and before a boss begins to know it, rebuilding is in order. Competing for a championship was yesterday’s news. Unlike in sports, some businesses don’t get a chance to rebuild.
If you can’t offer top employees the raise they feel they deserve, explain why without the BS. (No matter how cleverly you spin it, your words won’t cover the stink of a raise that doesn’t even keep up with inflation.) Include those employees in key meetings and ask them for feedback in key decisions. Clue them in to future changes and exciting ideas. Pull them off to the side casually and bounce ideas off them. Make these employees feel their opinions help direct a division or company. Make them feel they truly are part of the success and should continue to invest their time.
If you don’t reward someone with a raise plus don’t give them decision-making power … plus don’t make their opinion wanted on key aspects, top performers typically aren’t going to play puppet while you pull the strings. The ambitious ones need more to push their passion.
That co-worker I walked with felt the company didn’t show her the value. (They already weren’t showing her the money.) I could see even a “you’re important to this company” would have lifted her spirits. The economic recovery is developing slowly. But overall, the news is more good than bad. Now more than ever, keep your team, your lineup intact.
Remember this. When teams are forced to rebuild after falling apart, often the coach is the first to go.
We want to hear from you. What are some innovative ways your company has made employees feel part of the team? How are employees included in key decisions? What kinds of reward programs are in place at your company?
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Tags: Arizona communications consulting, Arizona public relations agency, Arizona small business marketing, branding, communication consulting, employee communications, employee engagement, employee recognition, Internal Communications, Keith Yaskin, marketing strategy, media interview, media pitch, media training, Phoenix communication consulting, Phoenix public relations agency, PR, Public Relations, reporter, small business strategy, teamwork, The Flip Side Communications, TV interview, tv news
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Sunday, May 1st, 2011
I call it The Flip Side because I offer both external and internal communications. My writing typically spotlights one or the other. But here’s an opportunity to kill two blogs with one subject.
Keith and I were exchanging emails with someone about the possibility of refinancing. We’ve known her for years. She is very nice. Most importantly, we trust her. And she responds to questions on Saturdays! So she sent an email detailing our options. Her email included the following phrases:
• MTA fasttrack
• streamline program
• stated documentation
• LTVs
• MI
In addition to those terms, other sentences required me to be someone who spends at least part of my time hanging out in a loan office. After reading the email, I spent time Googling these terms and exchanging emails, defining each phrase one by one. It was as if we were speaking different languages.
Don’t do The Lingo. If a member of the media is scheduled to interview your client, cleanse that client of all the jargon (or “jargonese” as I like to call it in this blog on the topic) he or she is comfortable with in the corner office. If you don’t, those sound bites will, well, never become sound bites, and the reporter will forever categorize your client as the business geek that can’t relate to the rest of the world.
Losing The Lingo is just as important in internal communications. When sending your employees important information, the last thing they need is to download a translation app just to figure out what the heck you’re saying about the lastest 401(k) or healthcare policy changes. And corporate or industry insider language simply reinforces a glass wall some employees already feel stands between the boss and his staff.
Sometimes, there is no way to get around using some of your industry terms. If you must use them, define them clearly. I’m amazed at the number of companies with websites busting at the seams with jargon. They assume they have one type of audience. They are possibly turning away media inquiries or potential customers without even knowing it! For internal communications purposes, consider creating a company or industry glossary of terms. Post it on your intranet. It’s a great resource for new employees, too. Create hyperlinks to words in the glossary whenever you use key words in e-communications.
Don’t do The Lingo. If you do, you’re forcing people to dance around your words. Communicating clearly (and like a human being) is important for business both externally and internally.
What kind of lingo do you see as an employee and as a consumer? Do you have good examples to share? What works to combat jargon? We’d love to hear from you!
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Tags: Arizona communications consulting, Arizona public relations agency, Arizona small business marketing, branding, communication consulting, employee communications, Internal Communications, jargon, Keith Yaskin, lingo, marketing strategy, media interview, media pitch, media training, Phoenix communication consulting, Phoenix public relations agency, PR, Public Relations, reporter, small business strategy, The Flip Side Communications, TV interview, tv news
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Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
Now that benefits open enrollment is coming up, benefits communications are top-of-mind for lots of companies. But communicating about benefits shouldn’t be a once a year deal.
Too often, companies treat benefits like a dirty little secret. It’s an icky topic that no one dares talk about because let’s face it. Benefits can be complicated and scary – like death and taxes, right? Besides, the benefits website will take care of ALL of the company’s benefits communications needs. Yeah, right. So, it’s all too easy to engorge employees with a giant platter of benefits messages at once when open enrollment rolls around.
Maybe your company doesn’t have the resources to dedicate to benefits communications, but there are a few things you can do with a little planning to keep benefits in the company foreground and weave key messages into companywide communications channels.
Think big. Create overall key messages for each major benefit. Use these as one-page summary or fact sheets to post on your intranet or benefits site. Distribute them to managers to use as talking points for staff meetings or just to have on hand when employees ask them questions. Managers really should be able to answer the basics since their team members often look to them to answer benefits questions. Q&A sheets for each benefit are great tools as well.
Think quickly. Draft brief articles for the company newsletter or intranet. Just some quick facts or tips to keep benefits top-of-mind for employees and to help them make the most of their benefits.
Think little. What about all the little benefits that are oft-forgotten like insurance discounts, credit union memberships, pet insurance?
Think circular. Think about the life cycle of an employee at your company. What are all of the “touch points” you can tap into and weave in benefits messages? On an individual level, there’s recruiting, orientation, merit reviews, promotions, retirement. On a company level, there’s quarterly companywide updates like town halls or conference calls.
All of these things can help make benefits more digestible for employees. Breaking off the information and serving them up in bite-size chunks for employees make benefits easier to understand. Sure, employees will still want their benefits info when they want it (like when a question pops up at home), so you definitely need to make sure it’s easily accessible and available to spouses who often share in the decision-making.
For more tips on benefits communications see this earlier blog post.
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Tags: Arizona communication consulting, benefits communications, employee benefits, employee communications, HR communications, Internal Communications, open enrollment, Phoenix communication consulting, The Flip Side Communications
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Monday, August 30th, 2010
A company makes a major change to its daily business operations but doesn’t let its employees know about it ahead of time. What does not saying anything actually say to employees? Lots. It tells employees they are not important enough to “bother” with – just shut up and do your job! Management’s let-them-eat-cake attitude acts like a proverbial guillotine, cutting off any sense of trust from employees. Talk about disengagement.
With management hiding behind the corporate curtain like the Great Oz, employees speculate about what the change means to them. How does it impact their jobs? What does this mean for the company’s future? This only churns the company rumor windmill with gusto. Questions meet vague responses. Or, better yet – a shrug and the ole’ standby: “It’s corporate’s decision.” This is a company that sets its cruise control to adequacy and apathy and its weak communications style will always play second fiddle to rumors.
On the flip side, there’s the company with an open and honest communications policy. Facing layoffs affecting every department, the challenge: when to communicate? Do it from the outset without yet knowing which employees will lose their jobs or wait to communicate – springing the news on employees on D Day? The decision: Honor the open and honest communications policy by communicating early and letting employees know this is coming. Why? It’s the right thing to do. Maybe some employees plan on making major purchases like a house or a car. Knowing this information would be invaluable to their decision-making.
Does announcing the news early cause some panic and rumors? Sure. In fact, this is the argument some people might have against letting employees know about the layoffs in advance. Communicating early gives the company the chance to stay ahead of the rumor mill and explain the why before too much noise filters out what’s important.
When companies sit on big news without letting employees know, it hurts credibility. It can have a negative domino effect on all future announcements requiring employee buy-in. Employees who have been scorned, stunned or outraged from past actions and lack of communication will raise their eyebrows with skepticism at whatever the company line happens to be.
So, does your company have major news or changes coming down the pike?
- Communicate early.
- Communicate often.
- Communicate consistently – before the rumor windmill spins out of control.
- Refresh and continue. Communications shouldn’t stop once the change happens. Get feedback on how messages were received. If necessary, fine-tune your message based on that feedback and continue.
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Tags: Arizona communication consulting, change communications, employee communication, employee communications, Internal Communications, layoff communications, Phoenix communication consulting, rumor mill, Scottsdale communication consulting
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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Put a ring on it
- Met online on at jobs website – seemed like a perfect match.
- Intense courtship (recruitment).
- Popped the question (the offer).
- Signed a prenup (acceptance letter, confidentiality agreement, new hire paperwork).
- Went on honeymoon (new hire orientation).
- Started to feel out of touch (didn’t feel appreciated; tried to meet unreasonable expectations; didn’t know important information).
- Tried to rekindle the romance with a company BBQ and some gifts (tsotchkes like a key chain with the company logo).
- Tried to make it work with counseling (Employee Assistance Program).
- Broke up (exit interview).
- Kept the ring (key ring) but gave the office keys back.
What comes to mind when you think of employee engagement? Is it just another buzzword? How achievable is it in a tenuous employer/employee relationship where each partner wonders if the other is going to love ‘em and leave ‘em?
Is it too much for companies to think they can capture the minds and hearts of employees? Probably – especially when company profits are increasing yet they continue to cut costs and salaries. Companies are still expecting employees to do more with less – like take on two jobs because the company isn’t replacing people it fired and is offering little in increased pay. Then there are companies who get creative and give employees more responsibility in the guise of a promotion by putting them in a completely different area of the company without the proper tools to do their new jobs. It’s a “sink or swim” mentality – a setup for failure. In these cases, companies are working against themselves, making it impossible for employees to feel engaged.
So, what’s a corporate communicator to do when the company holds employees in the palm of its collective hand, squeezing every last bit of productivity out of them like pulp from a lemon? How do you communicate when the company:
- doesn’t give employees the tools to do their jobs effectively
- is not clear about the company’s vision
- hasn’t created a culture that’s rewarding and fun
- doesn’t treat employees with respect
- has a management team that fears open and honest communication
- doesn’t promote ownership in the business by including employees in decisions
- doesn’t encourage development or provide opportunities to learn and grow?
Not doing these practices day in and day out leads to disengagement. Communications alone can’t shoulder the responsibility of engagement unless these practices become a company way of life. Engagement should not simply be a program that makes its way on the executive radar screen once a year when the employee survey results come in. It has to be woven into the company fabric to be successful.
What does employee engagement mean to you? Have any good examples to share of companies doing it right?
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Tags: Arizona communication consulting, Arizona public relations, communication consulting, employee communications, employee engagement, Internal Communications, Phoenix communication consulting, Phoenix Public Relations, Scottsdale communication consulting, Scottsdale Public Relations, The Flip Side Communications
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Friday, March 12th, 2010
Let’s face it. Jargon is everywhere these days and has become woven into the fabric of everything from corporate culture to marketing strategies and [gasp] even marketing materials.
If you’ve spent time in the corporate world or any other office setting, this hypothetical meeting conversation will likely make sense to you:
Communicator: “This is a comprehensive, value-added strategy that will create synergy across the entire infrastructure, but we need more bandwidth to make it happen.”
Executive: “My takeaway is that this low-hanging fruit will incentivize our organization to close the loop on this mission critical challenge we’ve been facing. The opportunity here is to get back to the basics of our business model. Net-net, at the end of the day, we’re a best-in-class organization. This is a win-win that gives us the traction we need to gain market share.”
Communicator: “So now that we have your buy-in, let’s circle back on our actionables offline so we can get this initiative on the radar screen.”
As a communicator, do you find yourself getting caught up in your company or clients’ lingo? What about your client proposals? Do you throw terms around that make your clients’ eyes glaze over? What are you trying to leverage, benchmark, synergize, incentivize, implement or execute? It’s easy to get caught up in the lingo. As an HR communicator, I often found myself spewing benefits terms before either realizing it myself or having a colleague catch me with a “huh?”
Take a step back and look at your website, press releases and other marketing materials as if you’re reading them for the first time. Better yet, put yourself in your target audience’s mindset. Are your materials laden with technical terms that only doctors, engineers or even rocket scientists understand? Well, if that’s your audience, then you don’t need to worry. Otherwise, keep it simple.
What are your favorite jargon examples?
Tags: jargon, language, target audience
Posted in Internal Communications, Presentation Coaching, Public Relations | 2 Comments »
Monday, September 28th, 2009
Often times it seems companies spend so much time, energy and money focusing on their customers through marketing and public relations efforts and not enough time on their most important audience: employees.
Internal communications has the power to be the lifeline of a company. It brings people together for the common good of the company and helps employees understand their role in the bigger picture. Effective internal communications has the power to shape a company’s culture, build trust, loyalty, drive brand behavior, support company initiatives and objectives. When employees feel engaged, they have a sense of ownership and their job satisfaction increases. And so does the company bottom line.
Internal communications should be two-way. All communication channels should offer a way for employees to provide feedback, ask questions, give suggestions. This also helps companies measure how well they’re communicating and can indicate opportunities to go back and refresh communications when necessary.
So what happens with internal communications breakdowns? Lots of very bad things!
• The internal brand becomes damaged.
• Employees lose trust in management and the company as a whole.
• The rumor mill spins.
• Misinformation leads to bad decisions.
• Employee turnover increases.
• Productivity decreases.
• The bottom line takes a hit.
• The external brand becomes damaged.
Do you have any stories to share about the power of internal communications? We’d love to hear from you.
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