Talking Internal Communication...

Changing France the Sarkozy way

I've been reading Lendro Herrero's Viral Change blog for some time now.

The concept appeals to me - it builds to some extent on tipping point thinking, academic theories like punctuated equilibrium and ties with developments in social media which are essentially viral in nature. I've just ordered his book of the same name and I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into it.

His latest post is interesting food for though - looking at the lessons we can learn from Sarkozy's approach to initiating change in France. He describes how the President tasked Jacques Attali with gathering together 43 of the country's best and brightest - business people, academics, journalists, etc - and capturing their ideas for transforming France.  The result is a collection of 300 proposals - signed off by all 43 contributors and recently published as a book.

As Herrero points out, there are lots of lessons here for those of us in the business of change - lessons about involving people, encouraging collaboration, building consensus, encouraging diverse opinions, demonstrating leadership commitment and the importance of tangible output.  Interesting stuff indeed.

The Observer's 50 most influential blogs

Thanks to Matthew Yeomans at Custom Communication for flagging the Observer's recent feature on the 50 most influential blogs, which had passed me by.  What the list shows, as Matthew rightly points out, is the enormous power and influence leading bloggers now wield. PR professionals take note - if you're not already actively targeting bloggers (or at least keeping tabs on what they're saying) then you're missing a trick.

Boing boing... all the way to Wembley

Okay, so this post is not remotely about internal communication - but as a long suffering West Bromwich Albion fan I simply cannot let today's result go by without celebration.  A superb 5-1 win over Bristol Rovers has secured our place at Wembley for the final four of the FA Cup. An absolutely awesome performance by the Baggies. I feel we really could go all the way this time!  Boing boing!

Messages and music - evil holding tunes

Although slightly scared, I had to laugh.

I phoned up a potential client today and, while I was being put through to my contact, was put on hold by the operator. The hold music kicked in. Nothing unusual there. Except the music.

When you're held on the telephone you usually hear dull but generally inoffensive piped muzak, or perhaps some soothing classical or laid back R&B tunes.  Occasionally you get those awful broadcast announcements about the latest product offering.

That's fine though. Whichever, it just washes over you and passes you by without punctuating your day. It certainly doesn't affect your mood.

But this global software company (which shall remain nameless) chose the rather chilling title track to the horror movie The Omen.  You know the one I mean - that disturbing, seriously unsettling and arguably evil Gregorian chant. I think it's called Ave Satani, Latin which translates to 'Hail Satan'.

I was surprised, shocked even. I didn't expect such a auditory jolt at 1000am in the morning. It felt like an intrusion into my otherwise relaxed morning.

It's odd isn't it, the power of music?  I spotted this little piece on a blog a few days ago and I've been thinking about it since. Then my experience this morning.

I'm probably thinking far to much about this, but there is no doubting that the music you choose to use in business (or not as the case may be) can convey a message or create a mood or atmosphere. Whether it's the hold music in the call centre, the audio 'wallpaper' in the employee canteen or tracks chosen for videos or events, it has a way of getting through to people on an emotional level.  As such, it can either support or undermine your communication efforts.

Whilst there's something slightly comical about a major software company pumping out the theme to The Omen, I can't help feeling that it was a bizarre choice. It just seems to clash with messages about social responsibility and cutting edge software solutions. Truth is, it probably wasn't a conscious choice at all.