Talking Internal Communication...

Retro communication

Had an interesting meeting yesterday with Martin Loat, the guy behind Grasswhispers.

At our consultancy Gatehouse we make a habit of keeping tabs on the latest developments in employee communications. We had heard a lot about the Grasswhispers service - which 'broadcasts' voice messages to mobile phones - and, as something that will no doubt be of interest to many of our clients, we wanted to find out more.   

In these days of email overload and message bombardment we communicators need to find different ways of getting to - and getting through to - our audiences. The humble telephone remains under used as a channel and, in my mind at least, has a bigger role to play in many organization's communications.   

The Grasswhispers service taps into this need by enabling communicators and business leaders to record voice messages or mini radio-style programmes which are then delivered via mobile phone. The clever bit is that the system actually dials the 'listener's' number, so they have to listen to at least the first few seconds of the message.

Effective employee comms if very much about 'push and pull' and, because this is a relatively intrusive audio-based approach, I think it has a useful role to play as part of a wider channel framework. Like any channel though, the key is to use it in the right way and to resist the temptation to over-use it.

What I really like about the Grasswhispers system is that it is measurable - as a user you receive data on, for instance, how many people have listened to your message and for how long. That's useful information for any communicator.

During our conversation we observed that, in this era of all-singing, all-dancing electronic comms many people are adopting a back-to-basics strategy by utilising 'old school' communication channels - like the good old telephone and face-to-face. Martin, in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way, referred to this as 'retro communication'.

It's a phrase that's grown on me since - and there's definitely something in this. Face-to-face has always been critical but I feel business leaders are now at last beginning to treat it more seriously, more strategically.

Similarly, as social media begins to make its presence felt inside organizations, we're once again seeing the advantages of more traditional approaches and technologies - print publications, telephone messages, physical workspace comms (posters, etc) and the like.

The result, and it's a real result, is that leaders are now seeing the need for a multiple-channel approach - realising that the intranet or an occasional newsletter are no longer sufficient and that most large organizations require a mix of print, face-to-face and electronic channels.

I get really excited about social media, but I'm equally passionate about these 'retro' channels. As a child of the 1970s I think that's rather appropriate.

Digital storytelling - a great tool for internal communicators

Over the last few weeks we've been talking to a potential client about developing an internal communication campaign based around digital storytelling.

It's a great idea and one that's got me really excited about the potential of this tool. 

As a way to engage employees, to cut through corporate bullshit and to capture the emotional side or organizational life, digital storytelling takes some beating. And considered alongside recent developments in social media (see my recent post on YouTube) it's an idea whose time has come.

Good stories, however they're told, are memorable, attention grabbing, entertaining, creative, social and personal. Those are important characteristcs to every internal communicator.

Furthermore, storytelling has near universal appeal - it can be used to engage with all sorts of employees, from (see below) bus drivers to management consultants. 

There's a wealth of research that backs this up too- from the critical incident technique used in psychology, to the application of stories in knowledge management.

But whilst the principles of storytelling are becoming more popular inside organisations, there still aren't many examples of digital storytelling being used by internal communicators.

That's a shame. It's a really powerful and, thanks to video streaming, a highly cost effective tool.

It won't suit every organsiation (for a start you have to be willing to let employees tell their stories without corporate spin), but if you're willing to give your people a voice, it's something to give serious consideration to.   

Here's a couple of superb examples of employee-driven digital storytelling:

• Accenture's digital stories - used here to build its employer brand
• How Transport for London is celebrating the 50 year anniversary of its Caribbean recruitment scheme

And here's a few additional links on the subject:

The BBC Wales Digital Storytelling initiative

Tech Head Stories - an enormous collection of additional weblinks on the topic

Digistories - the website of Barrie Stephenson, a former BBC producer who now offers training in digital storytelling techniques

Responding to an employee survey

Over the last few weeks I've been talking to a number of people who have recently undertaken their first employee survey and are now grappling with the results. What they all want to know is how they should respond to it - what they should do to communicate the results and act on them.

Here's a very brief summary of the key points we discussed:

1. Respond quickly – don’t sit on the survey results for six months
2. Publish a clear and simple summary of the findings – make it as visual as possible and focus on themes, rather than detail. Make some observations and recommend next steps.
3. Use some sort of survey brand (e.g. ‘Have Your Say’) to badge the programme and use the brand whenever you communicate something that relates to the survey or the issues it uncovered.
4. Be honest – resist the temptation to put a positive spin on the results or to hide or disguise negatives.
5. Prioritise the issues - be clear about where you’ll focus on making improvements and where you’ll leave things well alone (reward is often flagged as an issue in first surveys, though it can rarely be changed in a major way).
6. ‘Cut’ the results to see trends by department, business unit or location, but....
7. ...avoid ‘paralysis by analysis’ – once you have properly analysed and reviewed the survey results use your judgement and knowledge of the organization to draw sensible conclusions.
8. Use focus groups to get behind the headlines, and as an integral part of your response plan.
9. Involve your line managers - brief them and get them to own local action planning. 
10. Use the results as a benchmark against which to track future progress.

Some of these points are obvious, but you'd be surprised how often they're ignored. I'm still staggered by the number of organisations that invest large sums of money in a survey and then don't bother to respond to it in any visible or meaningful way.

For more on surveys, check out the free articles from Angela Sinickas and Rodney Gray.

Communication champions - top tips

I was speaking to someone yesterday about the valuable role champions or networks can play in delivering great programmes and extending the reach of an over-stretched comms team.

I've always found these volunteer networks to be really helpful. They can add value in so many ways - as your 'eyes and ears' in the far flung reaches of your empire, as content providers, as grassroots activists, as an early warning system, as distributors of printed materials, as tidy-uppers of notice boards, as the voice of reason, and so on. 

I have developed and used champion networks wherever I've worked and I've learned a number of things along the way. Here are my top ten tips:

1. Make sure your leaders are supportive. Champions shouldn't be management moles, but it helps them be more effective if they've got the support of the top team (or at least the senior players in their part of the organisation).
2. Select people who are credible in the eyes of their peers. You don't want raving cynics, but nor do you want 'yes' men and women. You want people who are prepared to speak up when they don't like something (but who aren't militant) and who generally support what the organisation is trying to do (but without standing on their desk and singing the company song). Avoid the office odd ball and make sure your champions aren't too junior.
3. Be really clear about their responsibilities - are they primarily there as your 'eyes and ears', to help with logistics (e.g. distributing the magazine) or as content providers for a particular area? A clear role description will help.
4. Make sure the network reflects the fault lines of the organisations - there should be representation from the key teams, functions, geographic locations, etc.
5. Talk regularly - monthly or perhaps quarterly. If face-to-face is too difficult, arrange conference calls. This is really important. To be an effective team you have to create a sense of common purpose.
6. Treat them as key members of your team. Recognise and reward them. Give them access to information before general release and where possible seek their input on messages, style, etc, before you roll out your communications.
7. Make sure they're clear on the boundaries of their role, but demonstrate that you trust them.
8. Train them in the basics of good internal comms and ensure they understand your comms and business strategy and 'live' the organisation's values.
9. Consider creating a simple 'Champion's Toolkit' containing proformas and guidance notes.
10. Don't expect too much too soon. Take it easy during the early days - you can broaden their responsibilities once they get the hang of the basics.

Word of mouth..on steroids

Earlier today I bought a copy of Robert Scoble and Shel Israel's excellent book, Naked Conversations (see 'Recommended reads' below left).

It's a book about blogging and how it's changing the way businesses talk with their stakeholders. But it's far from dull.

After spending three hours on the train between London and Birmingham, I'm about 150 pages into it.  And I'm beginning to get quite excited about this blogging thing.

The pair describe blogging as 'word of mouth on steroids' and, through a series of interviews (based on a series real life and blog-based discussions) outline how blogging is revolutionising corporate communication.

I really do buy what they're saying. Next to face-to-face, blogs are one of the best ways for individuals within an organisation to have an authentic dialogue with employees, customers and other stakeholders.

It is this authenticity (blogs should be real and uncensored by PROs, lawyers, etc) and dialogue (blogs should be a conversation) that makes blogging such a great way to build trust. 

Trust is the basic ingredient for getting things done inside and outside organisations and, as we've seen in the Great Place to Work and Best Companies research, is key to superior performance.

I believe communications are the natural trust builders inside organisations and that's exactly why we need to understand blogging and help our employers and clients harness its massive potential. 

Mind mapping revisited

I'd forgotten what a fantastic process mind mapping is.

I read Tony Buzan's book years ago and was, for a short while, an avid user. Then I stopped.

My reawakening came earlier today when I did some work with a client and another specialist supplier, M62 Visual Communications, on reviewing the content, flow and messages contained in a mammoth slide deck. 

M62 recommended we use Mindjet software to capture our thinking. This resulted in the rapid creation of a series of mind maps which will now help us restructure the material, simplfy our messages and ensure there is a clear, logical flow to the overall presentation and the other communication materials that will flow from it.

It's a tool I commend to fellow communicators.

In our jobs it's far too easy to get sucked into the detail and to lose sight of the big picture. Using Powerpoint to capture your thinking (in an inevitably linear fashion) isn't the answer, yet it's what some many of us rely on.

Mind mapping is far superior. It's a great tool for capturing thoughts, mapping out messages and, perhaps most importantly, illustrating the multiple connections between different pieces of information. After all, so much of what we do is about alignment (in this case between different 'layers' of strategy - group, business unit and function) and flow (e.g. a timeline for rolling out various programmes of work).

If you're interested in finding out more, check out the following websites:

• The Wikipedia entry on mind maps
• A useful overview from Derby University
• Illumine, a UK training company that focuses on mind mapping
• Mindjet - superb mind mapping software on Mac and PC

I'll definitely be investing in a copy of Mind Manager Pro and using it to capture and clarify my thinking from now on.