Before we can build an effective communication system inside our organization, we have to start with research to identify the communication problems and potential opportunities for improvement.  This requires a thorough look at the history, the leadership, the politics, the personality and the communication channels of an organization.  We need to truly understand our audience(s) – and what they see as the real or perceived barriers to One Clear Voice communication. 

What Methodology Is Best For Your Audience?
The methodology is critical, and often a variety of evaluation tools is needed to reach different audience.  For example:

• Are you sending email surveys that don’t reach 30% of your employee audience, because they’re out in the field and not able to get to a kiosk?  
• Have you gone beyond asking about intranet visits to probe likely behaviors around the use of podcasts, blogs and other emerging social media? 

The key is in asking the right questions through the right channels … and then acting on what is learned.
Is Your Organization “Walking The Talk?”
We begin with a hard look at the organization’s mission, vision & values.

• Do employees know them?  
• Do employees believe them?  
• Are the key messages reflected in communication tools like newsletters, brochures and the intranet?  

A look at an organization’s policy and benefits statements, employee orientation program and turnover statistics will often speak volumes about the degree to which an organization is “walking the talk”.�

Continue reading " How A Culture Audit Can Help You Position Your Organization For Success "

Do you ever struggle with what to say to someone who has been “downsized”? Here are five tips from Jenny Schade of JRS Consulting, who has interviewed more than 1,000 people in the midst of turbulent organizational change:

1. Acknowledge the situation and offer to help. The most uncomfortable part of a job loss is the elephant in the room — the person who has lost his job may not want to volunteer the information and the other person is at a loss for what to say. By saying, “I was sorry to hear about your job. Anything I can do to help?,” you’re addressing the situation and immediately offering your support. That moves the conversation beyond the job loss and toward a supportive action.By the way, don’t assume you can’t do anything to help just because you don’t have a job to offer. You might offer to review a resume or you may “know someone who knows someone” and can help make a connection.
2. Take your cues from the person with whom you’re talking. If he or she changes the subject, let it go. But if he or she wants to talk, be ready to listen and offer support. Just reflecting the other person’s feelings can feel very supportive. For example, if your friend tells you, “Waiting for them to announce who was staying and who was going was the worst part,” you could respond, “That uncertainty sounds really stressful.”
3. Focus on listening but be sensitive about asking too many questions. Asking, “How many job interviews do you have lined up?” can sound intrusive. It’s fine if your friend volunteers information but don’t ask questions that may make him or her feel stressed.
   

Continue reading " What to Say When a Colleague Has Been Laid Off "

Delivering the Bad News: Guidelines for Announcing Lay-Offs 

Lay-offs are difficult for everybody. For each individual who loses his or her job, there is someone responsible for delivering the bad news. The way that information is conveyed has a significant impact on both departing employees and those who remain with the organization. If you demoralize your workforce through poor communication, you’re going to be left with the “working wounded.“

The following are five essentials for announcing staff reductions:

• Tell employees first, working in collaboration with your legal department to insure regulatory compliance.  Show respect for employees by informing them about layoffs directly.  No one wants to learn about job losses from the media. 
• Communicate on an ongoing basis, focusing on two kinds of information: 1) Have senior management provide information about the organization’s “big picture.” It’s important to tell the whole story – why is this happening now? 2)  Direct supervisors to give employees more personal information about what the announcement means for their jobs.
• Take responsibility for the underperforming business. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s letter to employees about pending layoffs last July attributed the company’s difficulties to “poor real estate decisions that were made, coupled with a very troubled economy.” Bravo to Starbucks for acknowledging that its quest for expansion clouded its judgement in site selection.

Continue reading " The Next Worst Thing to Being Laid Off "

Are you bucking the current trend and actually hiring a new employee? Here’s how to help that team member hit the ground running:

1. Consider welcoming your new employee even before the official start date. A colleague joining a public relations firm received a gift basket full of samples from the agency’s clients. Even a hand-written note expressing delight that an employee has chosen to join the firm will get things off to a very positive beginning.
2. Prior to day one, announce the new hire internally and provide background on the joining team member. Encourage those who will work with the new employee to send a welcome e-mail.
3. On the first day, ensure the employee’s supervisor is available to take her to lunch and introduce her to others. If this isn’t possible, it’s critical to assign this role to a colleague. Failing to do so sends an unpleasant message. For instance, on the day that a client began with a new employer, she was surprised to learn that her supervisor was out of town for several days and she was “on her own” in terms of orientation. While she introduced herself to others and found her way around, she was taken aback that her supervisor hadn’t prepared for her first day.
   

Continue reading " Six Essentials for Ensuring Success With a New Hire "

In our last post, my PRSA 2008 International Conference session co-presenter, Tony D’Angelo, posited that most change initiatives fail for a variety of reasons.  As Tony stated, the seeds of failure are actually planted very early in the process and then take root when the communications, management practices, strategy, and leadership direction fail to produce something new or different.  Certainly a challenging balancing act to say the least, but the real telltale sign that a change management program will either succeed or fail actually rests with the counsel and approach communications professionals provide at the outset.

From the beginning, communicators need to address three operating principles in order to begin organizing thinking, rationalizing roles, and respecting the fluidity of any change effort.

1. Where is the organization now?
   Comprehending the current state – both from a business/competitive standpoint and also from a people standpoint – provides a baseline for entering any change initiative
2. Where does the organization want to go?
   Articulating the “ideal” state from a performance, customer satisfaction, and reputational perspective begins to shape the goals and measures necessary to guide decisions, actions, and communications.

Continue reading " How Can The Organization Change If The Conversation Doesn’t? "