Media Communication

Make your intranet useful, then usable

2008-03-14T12:39:00.000+07:00

In the latest issue of KM Review, Aidan Cook says that “most organizations have intranets that might best be described as failures.”

Cook says this is because, too often, those organizations set a series of lofty goals for their intranets that sound great at the time, but which haven’t really been thought through, and are certainly never delivered by the project teams.

If you’re looking to overhaul your intranet, you need to find out what will be useful to the people that you want to use it and then you have to make it usable.

Here are five tips from Cook on how to improve your intranet.

1. Ask “What will people use our intranet for?” This is a time to be careful. If you ask users what they want, they will tell you. Users will be creative and imaginative about all the things they might personally want from an intranet; departments will also list things that are essential for inclusion, so that they can look as important or conscientious as other departments.
Most of their answers will be wrong. Within a month or so of launch, departments will no longer maintain their “essential” information and users will no longer look at the intranet at all. Nobody will use it for anything. The only valid answer to this first question should be: “To make their lives easier.”

2. Ask “Why do we want them to use the intranet?” You’re not just building a resource for the individual user’s benefit – it has to be useful for the organization too.
But what counts as useful? If usage alone is to be the measure of success, then you may as well just set up a Group for your company on Facebook and let them spend their days on there. You also don’t want them to use the intranet for its own sake. If you discover people are spending hours on the intranet each day, has that saved your company time, money and resources, or have you just introduced a new inefficiency to your staff? The answer to this question should be: “To make our company more efficient.”

3. Add useful features – things you love to hate Think about simple, regular tasks that your users need to get right. These are the things that will generate the most e-mails and phone calls in the organization if they’re done incorrectly or neglected entirely.
Some examples of features your intranet users might find useful include ways to find internal phone numbers, book and manage holidays, expenses claim management, help on preparing for appraisals, car parking/car pooling/anything to do with commuting, today’s lunch specials in the canteen.

4. Make it usable “Usability” is an ugly word and an imprecise science. Here’s an analogy: as a reference book, a dictionary is eminently usable. But even then, there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” dictionary. Different editions are produced for different uses and users: pocket-sized, quick reference, student, medical, legal and so on. The user has a number of options and can choose the solution that best fits their need for a usable word reference tool.

Most organizations’ intranets resemble a dictionary only in that they contain a vast amount of words. Beyond that, there is little similarity. There is, for example, far less logic to the way information is placed on an intranet, compared to the strict alphabetical order of a dictionary. Information is often organized by department, or by terms with which the user may not be familiar.
Here’s a simple scenario: a new starter at your organization needs to book a day off for a hospital appointment. Do they search for “Leave”, “Holiday”, “Absence”, “Sickness”, “Policies”, or for something else entirely?

5. Take a tip from the web Look at Google or Facebook. A simple framework for information, submitted and controlled by the user, and the ability to add applications that are useful and relevant. People like this – it’s popular.

Websites are increasingly becoming online applications, delivering real services. However, most intranets remain information-dumping grounds, of little real use to the user. If this disparity between the public web and corporate intranet continues, then user-frustration with the shortcomings of the latter can only increase. Give users a degree of freedom in what they do and don’t want to see. Let them “drag and drop” different features and functions to different areas of their page to give them a sense of ownership over the applications.

source

mari berdialog!

2006-06-20T22:34:00.000+07:00

Komunikasi Lewat Dialog

Terjemahan bebas dari materi oleh: Robert Rosell

Komunikasi dan berkomunikasi itu punya banyak kendala. Kendala inibiasa disebut dengan noise atau distorsi. Penyebabnya ada bermacam-macam. Ada yang teknis dan ada yang non teknis.

Berapa sering Andamencoba berkomunikasi dan terkendala oleh hal-hal yang non teknisseperti ini?
- Etnis;
- Ras;
- Gender;
- Generasi;
- Agama;
- Pangkat atau status;
- Kelompok atau golongan;
- Kesenjangan usia; dan sebagainya.

Semua itu, bisa mengganggu komunikasi Anda.Jika Anda seperti para praktisi HR alias Human Resources atau menjaditrainer profesional, Anda pasti bisa memahami bahwa aspek demografidi dalam perusahaan terus berubah dan berkembang.

Perubahan ini akanmenghasilkan berbagai tantangan baru dalam mencapai efektifitaskolaborasi dan komunikasi secara internal di dalam perusahaan atauorganisasi.Inilah tantangan terbesar orang-orang yang bergerak di dunia humanresources alias HR.

Mereka harus siap dengan semua jawaban atassetiap pertanyaan yang muncul dari kendala-kendala di atas. Dankegagalan dalam mengatasi semua kendala itu, adalah kemundurandalam budaya dan profitabilitas perusahaan.

Bagaimana menjembatani semua perbedaan persepsi di atas?Jawabannya ada pada keahlian yang sudah berumur tua tapi sempatdilupakan oleh manusia, yaitu dialog. Dan dialog, menjadi alatterbaik yang bisa membantu Anda, manakala Anda menghadapi kendalakomunikasi.Dialog itu penemuan purbakala. Berabad-abad lamanya ia dilupakan olehberbagai peradaban. Sampai kemudian, ia 'ditemukan kembali' olehDavid Bohm, seorang ahli fisika di London University.

Dan kini,dialog mendapat pengakuan kembali sebagai harta yang tak ternilaiharganya.

DIALOG BUKAN PERCAKAPAN

Dialog bukanlah percakapan, sebab ada aturan khusus di dalam dialog,yang tidak digunakan dalam percakapan yang biasa.

DIALOG BUKAN NEGOSIASI

Sebab Anda tidak sedang mencoba mencapai secara langsung, keputusanatau kesepahaman tertentu dengan lawan bicara Anda.

DIALOG BUKAN DEBAT

Di dalam debat, setiap pihak yang berdebat meyakini bahwa posisinyaadalah benar. Artinya, posisi lawan bicara adalah salah. Di dalamdialog, setiap pihak yang terlibat akan menerima informasi yangberharga dan pada saat yang sama, sama-sama mencoba memahami posisilawan bicara.Di dalam debat, Anda mendengar dan mencari, apa-apa yang salah dariargumentasi lawan bicara Anda.

Dengan begitu Anda berkeinginan untukmengkonternya dan menunjukkan betapa benarnya posisi Anda. Di dalamdialog, Anda harus mendengar apa yang benar dari argumentasi lawanbicara Anda, untuk lebih memahami dan mengerti posisinya. Lebih jauhlagi, Anda mencari tahu apa-apa yang bisa Anda pelajari dariperspektif yang berbeda.Di dalam debat, Anda mempertahankan sudut pandang Anda sendiri, danmengkritisi sudut pandang lawan bicara. Di dalam dialog, Anda mengujisemua sudut pandang -- sudut Anda dan sudut lawan bicara Anda, untukmencari tahu apa yang bisa Anda berdua pelajari.

Anda menunda'penghakiman' Anda, dan mencoba melihat segala sesuatu dengan carayang baru.Di dalam debat, tujuan Anda adalah menang. Di dalam dialog, tidak adayang menang dan tidak ada yang kalah. Sasarannya adalah salingmengerti.

KAPAN PERLU DIALOG

Dialog bukan alat komunikasi yang universal untuk segala situasi.Jika Anda sudah punya cara lain yang lebih sederhana dan bisaberfungsi dengan baik, Anda tidak perlu berdialog. Dengan kata lain,dialog adalah pilihan terakhir dalam berkomunikasi. Jika hanya denganmengangguk atau menggeleng sudah cukup, untuk apa membuka mulut?

Dialog menjadi alat yang sangat berarti untuk membangun rasa salingmenghormati di antara sesama kolega. Di suatu organisasi, atau disuatu perusahaan. Dengan rasa saling menghormati itu, apa-apa yangmenjadi tujuan perusahaan dan organisasi, bisa tercapai denganefektif.

DI MANA BERDIALOG

Pada hampir semua kasus, hasil terbaik dari dialog bisa diperolehdengan dialog yang diselenggarakan di luar tempat kerja, alias off-site dialog. Ini bisa menghindari kecurigaan, judgement atau salahpersepsi.

BUKAN TENTANG KENDALA

Semua ini bukanlah persoalannya:- Etnis;- Ras;- Gender;- Generasi;- Agama;- Pangkat atau status;- Kelompok atau golongan;- Kesenjangan usia; dan sebagainya.Dasar dari proses dialog tidak terkait langsung dengan semua kendalaitu. Dialog bisa dilangsungkan antara dua orang atau antar kelompok.Bahkan, dialog bisa dilakukan tanpa fasilitator, walaupun fasilitatorprofesional biasanya bisa membuat proses dialog menjadi lebihefektif, khususnya untuk dialog dalam kelompok besar.

ENAM ATURAN DASAR BERDIALOG

1. Bersikap terbuka dan menunda 'penghakiman' - jangan menyalahkansudut pandang lawan dialog;
2. Pisahkan proses dialog dari proses pengambilan keputusan - dialogmendahului pengambilan keputusan, negosiasi atau tindakan;
3. Bicaralah atas nama diri Anda sendiri, tidak mewakili orang lain,dan perlakukan orang lain setara dan seimbang;
4. Dengarkan mereka dengan empati - buat mereka tahu bahwa Andamendengarkan dan punya perhatian;
5. Carilah persamaan-persamaan - yaitu wilayah-wilayah poin yang Andajuga bisa menyetujuinya;
6. Cari asumsi-asumsi yang tersembunyi, lalu kemukakan dengan bijak -apalagi, jika itu ada di dalam diri Anda sendiri.Aturan dasar berdialog di atas, bisa dikategorikan ke dalam tigakelompok besar aktivitas yaitu:- Menahan diri;- Mendengarkan;- Menemukan.

MENAHAN DIRI

Tahan diri Anda dari judgement, mengambil keputusan sepihak ataumempermasalahkan status. Lupakan sementara, apa saja yang ada didalam kepala Anda tentang mereka, untuk membuka kemungkinan munculnyaberbagai hal yang belum Anda ketahui sebelumnya. Dengan begini, Andaakan memahami sudut pandang orang lain. Lupakan dulu status Anda,sebab orang lain akan memcoba melihat konsekuensi berdasarkan statusAnda. Apalagi, jika jabatan Anda cukup tinggi. Ingatkan merekatentang status Anda, hanya jika dialog usai dan telah tiba saatnyauntuk mengambil keputusan.

MENDENGARKAN

Mendengar adalah untuk mencari tahu pemahaman di belakang semuaposisi dan perspektif yang berbeda. Dengarlah dengan aktif.Konfirmasikan hal-hal yang Anda kurang memahaminya. Dengar tanpamemformulasikan respon. Sebab, itulah yang terjadi dalam debat ataunegosiasi.

Anda tidak perlu meyakinkan mereka tentang perspektifAnda. Anda hanya perlu menunjukkan bahwa Anda mendengar dan punyaperhatian. Mereka akan terbuka dan merasa nyaman. Dan mereka akanberhenti, jika merasa ada perbedaan dalam hal keyakinan, tata nilaidan perasaan.

MENEMUKAN

Bertanyalah untuk menemukan dan mengklarifikasi apa yang Anda dengar,dan yakinkan bahwa Anda memang mengerti. Temukan berbagai asumsi yangtersembunyi. Dialog adalah alat terbaik untuk memunculkannya kepermukaan. Dan asumsi yang tersembunyi, biasanya berakar padaketidakpahaman dan ketidakpercayaan. Membuatnya tidak tersembunyilagi, akan memperbaiki tingkat pengertian dan penghargaan, danmengarah pada berbagai kemungkinan baru yang lebih baik.Berkomunikasilah untuk saling mengisi, dan berdialog jika mentok.

Source: milis bicara

The LMS and LCMS Demystified

2006-05-19T10:40:00.000+07:00

The LMS and LCMS Demystified

tne Letter Away from Each Other as Acronyms, but Miles Apart in Practice
Learning management systems (LMS) and learning content management systems (LCMS) really have two very different functions. It's unfortunate that both have such similar names and a shared acronym, which only serves to confuse e-learning buyers even more.

The primary objective of a learning management system is to manage learners, keeping track of their progress and performance across all types of training activities. By contrast, a learning content management system manages content or learning objects that are served up to the right learner at the right time.

Understanding the difference can be very confusing because most of the LCMS systems also have built-in LMS functionality. In fact, 74 percent of the systems in our LCMS Research include LMS functionality as part of their system. Many of these LCMSs have also performed interoperability tests with leading LMS products.

Besides the embedded learning management system functionality, there can also be significant overlap between LCMS and LMS capabilities and purpose. The following chart is based on what we've observed by analyzing both LMS and LCMS products. While some products have functionality that crosses the boundaries, we found most systems generally focused on their own domain as follows (see the figure).

More About LCMS Products
A learning content management system is a multi-developer environment where developers can create, store, reuse, manage, and deliver learning content from a central object repository. An LCMS will generally have a majority of the following characteristics. You can use this checklist to determine if a software application could be called a learning content management system. The primary differentiator to determine if a product is an LCMS is if it offers reusability of learning content and is generally constructed using a learning object model.

LCMS Common Characteristics Checklist

Based on a learning object model.
Content is reusable across courses, curricula, or across the entire enterprise.
Content is not tightly bound to a specific template and can be re-deployed in a variety of formats, such as e-learning, CD-ROM, print-based learning, Palm, EPSS, etc.
Navigational controls are not hard coded at the content (or page) level.
There is a complete separation of content and presentation logic.
Content is stored in a central database repository.
Content can be represented as XML or is stored as XML.
Content can be tagged for advanced searchability (both at the media and the topic level).
Pre-tests and post-tests can be automatically aggregated from test questions written for the primary instruction. In addition, the system can deliver the test and prescribe learning based on performance.
The system manages the development process by providing some level of workflow tools to manage a multi-developer, team environment.
Version controls and archiving capabilities to store previous versions of content.
Advanced searching capabilities across all objects in the repository.
Interoperability with third-party learning management systems.
Includes a delivery engine for serving up content, automatically adapting to user or group profiles, adding navigation controls, collaboration tools, utilities, and look and feel (skins).

Source: http://www.brandon-hall.com/free_resources/lms_and_lcms.shtml

Bad management and lack of communication skills are endemic

2006-05-12T17:04:00.000+07:00

Bad management and lack of communication skills are endemic in the UK workplace

Poor communication, lack of direction and weak decision making are widespread among UK bosses, a report has maintained.

Nine out of ten employees say they’ve worked for a bad manager and an astonishing 97% say they would like their bosses to communicate more clearly and directly. More specifically, employees say that management-speak is a major cause of irritation, with phrases such as “are we all singing from the same hymn sheet” and “thinking out of the box” among the chief culprits.
Lack of management clarity
Law firm Eversheds canvassed the views of 1,500 employees, 58% of whom said their manager was a poor communicator, 47.7% said their manager was a poor decision maker and 45.7% said their manager had no clear direction. Half of those questioned said they had worked for a bully.
According to David Gray, chief executive of “Eversheds, the findings clearly show that managers have got to achieve a fine balance. Workers say they respond to managers who are straight-talking and honest, but also someone who is approachable and friendly.”

He added that the report revealed a distinct lack of respect for management, with more than one-third of workers having a negative perception of their current boss. The top-three important attributes in a manager were defined as:
1. being approachable by 77.8%;
2. honesty by 74.9%;
3. and clear decision making by 71.7%.

Gender and age impacts management needs

The study also exposed a split between in opinionin both different gender and age groups: the majority of women say an approachable and friendly management style gets the most out of them, whereas men prefer to work for a manager who’s straight talking and honest. But younger workers, aged between 16 to 24 years old, believe that women are the more effective managers.

http://www.internalcommshub.com/open/news/badboss.shtml

Employee Survey

2006-05-12T16:55:00.000+07:00

Q: How should I interpret employee survey results when a large percentage of staff say they will leave the organization in a few years?
I’ve noticed that in employee surveys that ask whether "you intend to leave the company within 2/3 years," the result is an often alarmingly high number responding positively. One organization I’m familiar with had 70% of staff saying they would like to leave.
There’s always the possibility that these truly are terrible companies and the employees are desperate to leave, but I find that hard to believe.
In your experience, is there an element of interpretation that needs to be included when looking at results like these?

A: Great question! Typically, I've seen this question asked from the positive perspective: "If it is up to you, do you want to be working here 12 months from now?" (or some other time period). When this question is asked on a five-point scale ranging from "definitely yes" to "definitely no," the range I've seen for the last five companies where I asked this question was from 49% to 85% choosing one of the top two positive responses ("definitely yes" and "probably yes").

So the organization with 70% saying that they probably or definitely do NOT want to be there may be doing something wrong in its employee relations, or it is in a very high-pressure or low-security industry, or has a lot of people with jobs that have a high demand at many other companies so lots of job-changing is the smartest way to manage a career.
Other questions on the survey can identify which of these or other environmental issues could be influencing the intention to stay.

Interpreting resultsI do think there is some interpretation to apply, based primarily on how anonymous employees perceive the survey to be. If the survey starts out with a large number of demographic questions that could pinpoint individuals ("Gee, I'm the only woman manager over fifty in the Communications Department in this location"), you might actually get more people saying they intend to stay than really feel that way--just in case their boss finds out that most of the department is intending to leave.

Asking this type of question on a communication survey, by the way, is a really good idea. Retention is a bottom-line measurement. If you can prove statistical correlations of various communications to increased likelihood of retention, you can show that communication helps reduce recruitment and training costs by encouraging retention.

© Angela Sinickas 2005. Angela Sinickas is the president of Sinickas Communications, Inc., an international consulting firm dedicated to helping corporations achieve business results through focused diagnostics and practical solutions.

METRIC MATTERS: Measuring the ROI of your intranet

2006-05-12T16:19:00.000+07:00

By Toby Ward, Prescient Digital Media

Measuring the value of an intranet has moved on leaps and bounds since the early halcyon "bubble" days of the late 1990s. Now, Intranets are present in almost every major corporation. Here, Toby Ward explains the benefits of accurately measuring the ROI of your intranet.

IBM, Oracle and Cisco all measure the impact and benefits of their intranet. All of them have measured the value to be greater than US$1 billion. In fact, IBM has realized benefits from e-learning via the intranet alone to be more than US$284 million.

BT, the UK telecommunications company, uses an online idea jar for employees, called "Personnel Today." Employee ideas have saved BT nearly UK£100 million over the past four years.

As impressive as those numbers are, you don't have to be a large technology company to realize measured ROI benefits. ROI though isn't reserved solely for big multinationals.

QAS is a world leader in address management and data accuracy. Based on data secured from national postal authorities and other leading sources, QAS captures, cleans and enhances the integrity of name and address data.

The company has 400 employees with offices in the UK (headquarters), US, Canada, Singapore, Australia and across Europe and it intranet is delivering measured results and value for the business. Some of the measured ROI benefits include:
• Online expenses: saved four person-days per month.
• Finance savings: online workflow has reduced administrative processing time from two weeks to one day.
• Purchase ordering: saved four person-days per month and an ROI savings of US$20,000 per year
• Sales proposal builder: streamlined proposal and sales process saves almost US$25,000 per year.
• Intranet use: 115 percent increase in usage of the intranet (infers a yet to be measured productivity gain).

Of all the above measurements, perhaps the single most important is ROI. To maximize the intranet's value and potential, you must secure the support of senior management. If you want their attention and support, you better talk their talk. Nothing gets their attention more than ROI.

If executives view the intranet as a cost center, then it's your responsibility to sell the sizzle and prove the value with hard data. ROI is everything in some organizations (for example, in financial services). Other more progressive companies are intent to know and track employee satisfaction and productivity.

Still others want to know both. It all depends on your organization and culture. However, only through measurement will the intranet become a measured quantity and a proven asset.

Excerpted from the new Melcrum report, Transforming your intranet: New techniques in strategy, technology and measurement from the world's leading organizations.

To find out more about the report, click here
SOURCE: The Source

Three ways to improve manager communication

2006-05-12T15:18:00.000+07:00

Three ways to improve manager communication
How to harness the organization’s most popular information source.

by Andy Szpekman, president, AHS Communications

Managers are popular sources of information because employees often have little interest in what’s communicated through other sources. Much of what they read on the intranet, see on closed circuit television or hear from senior executives might be mildly enlightening, but it has little impact on their day-to-day lives.

Managers, on the other hand, can relay information that applies directly to people’s jobs and careers. They can provide performance feedback and recognition, discuss opportunities for professional development and career advancement and hold salary reviews. Other sources of information, no matter how well crafted or well intentioned, are hard-pressed to provide such compelling news.

If improving the management skills of your organization’s managers is a business priority, here’s a simple three-step process you can use to help make them better communicators. One tip before we get started: don’t expect to go it alone. You’ll need support from HR and senior management to be successful.

Step one: Define manager communication accountabilities

When employees think of “good manager communication,” they are generally envisioning a manager who engages in frequent, two-way dialogue about topics the employee finds personally meaningful. They are picturing a manager who, besides giving performance feedback, involves employees in important decisions, recognizes contributions, discusses career and professional development, and is receptive to ideas and suggestions. Employees are not thinking of a manager who provides frequent briefings on companywide programs, updates on other departments’ activities and messages from the chairman.

Here are a list of actions all managers at Bank of America (where I was previously head of HR communications) are expected to take:

· Communicating clear and specific performance expectations and measures of success.
· Providing candid performance feedback.
· Conducting formal reviews at least once a year to appraise performance, plan career and professional development, and discuss compensation.
· Encouraging associates to speak openly and candidly about issues.
· Explaining business unit goals and results, and how associate contributions made a difference.
· Encouraging and rewarding associates who do the right thing for customers, clients and shareholders.

Has your company defined a similar list? If not, I urge you to do so as a first step in improving manager communication.

Step two: Motivate managers to communicate

If you want managers to communicate with employees, you need to consider the items in the figure below. For example:
· Do senior leaders serve as communication role models?
· Do manager hiring, coaching and development processes emphasize communication skills?
· Do incentive and recognition programs reward manager communication?

Motivating managers to communicate

Step three: Provide training and tools

Once managers know what they are expected to communicate and are motivated to do it, they will view communication training and tools as resources that can help them meet their business objectives.

From my experience, managers need competencies in four areas, shown in the figure below. Based on how you define managers’ communication accountabilities, your list of competencies might be different, but this provides a good starting place.

Developing managers' communication competencies

For the actual training session, here’s the agenda I would follow. Start off by explaining the benefits of improved employee communication from the manager’s perspective – i.e., more motivated and productive employees. Next, describe the type of communication employees want from their managers. We covered this in the first part of the article. Use the balance of the session to review the competencies managers need, and then let managers practice demonstrating these competencies.

Here are a few best practices to follow:
· Keep the sessions brief. Two hours is usually long enough.
· Begin or end the session with a senior leader emphasizing the importance of manager communication.
· Use role-play to give managers the chance to practice what they learned and critique each other in small groups. Rotate managers through the roles of manager, employee and observer.
· Provide reference materials and resources managers can use after the training to continue building their skills.
· Be realistic. Don’t expect to transform anyone after a one-time event. Set practical goals and craft a plan to build on your progress.

Part of your ongoing campaign to help managers communicate more effectively might involve developing a standardized communication tool. At Bank of America we developed a "huddle template" (see below). Sometimes, it’s filled out and given to managers. Other times, managers complete the blank template themselves to prepare for a team meeting about an important change. The huddle is meant to be brief, as it generally occurs before or after a shift. The meeting structure, however, is adaptable, and an actual huddle can be shorter or longer depending on the topic.

The communication huddle template

Management’s big advantage

When you add up employees’ communication needs and managers’ accountabilities, it may seem like a tall order to get managers to communicate effectively. But managers possess a big advantage: they know their teams well. They know their team’s interests and subject-matter knowledge. They know how their team will respond to an issue. They understand the work environment, and they are generally seen as trustworthy. In short, managers have the insight necessary to tailor information to their audience’s needs – something few communicators are as qualified to do.

Source: The Hub, Melcrum Publishing

motivate managers to communicate more effectively

2006-05-03T23:45:00.000+07:00

Q: How can I motivate managers to communicate more effectively?

A: Most managers are bombarded with requests for their time and attention. Employees and outside consultants continually develop and promote new programs and initiatives that depend on manager involvement. In deciding where to focus their energies, managers take their cues from what’s occurring around them, beginning with what senior leaders say and do.

The questions leaders ask, the issues they discuss, the resources they assign to initiatives, the decisions they make – all loudly communicate what’s important, and what’s not. Simple rubber stamp endorsement from leaders, like inserting a cover note from the chairman into a communication package, fools no one.

HR processes also play a powerful role. For example, the issues probed on a job interview signal to candidates what will really be expected of the position holder – despite what the job description might say. Performance management and 360- degree feedback processes suggest the type of behaviors the company is trying to foster. Training programs and job aids further emphasize what matters to the company.

Managers’ own performance measures and incentives forcefully communicate what’s important. If a requested activity or suggested behavior doesn’t square with what the manager is paid to do, it’s unreasonable to expect the manager to do it.

Finally, formal messages encouraging managers to communicate – the kind found in Web sites, articles, presentations, and so forth – can help generate awareness and understanding. But by themselves, they are unlikely to change someone’s behavior.

Andy Szpekman is president of AHS Communications, which provides HR and communication research, strategies and tools to improve business performance. His clients include Bank of America, BC Hydro, Cardinal Health, McKinsey & Co., Microsoft, News Corporation, Scholastic and Wachovia. Earlier in his career, Andy held positions at Bank of America, Warner-Lambert and Brecker & Merryman.

Source: The Hub, Melcrum Publishing

Communication practices are out of step with the current climate

2006-05-03T23:43:00.000+07:00

Communication practices are out of step with the current climate

Many organizations are using inadequate communication approaches and techniques leading to a lack of communication support for employees, according to recent research.
The IC Survey 2006, published by UK consultancy Karian & Box, says the pace of organizational change has outstripped that of the internal communication profession and its ability to provide the type of advice and back-up needed is insufficient for the nature of the challenges facing much of industry and the public sector.

Change not well managedOver 70% of respondents say that change and uncertainty are major factors for their organization, but nearly 50% said their organizations did not mange change communications well. A further 34% of communicators don’t feel they get the training and coaching they need to improve in their role and a worrying 32% said communication measurement and evaluation is not a regular focus for them.

Nor do the majority of communicators feel that line managers are given the support and resources they need to become better communicators and engage their teams. Only 13% said line managers have the necessary skills for effective team engagement, yet barely a third say their organizations insist on line managers having communications or engagement in their performance target.

Lack of employee involvement in strategyEmployees feel excluded from shaping their organizational strategy according to the majority of respondents, as only 9% strongly agree that employees feel included. Nor is two-way communication an apparent priority for organizations, with 42% of respondents refute the claim that communication channels genuinely enable interactive communication with staff.

Leadership say/do gapCommunicators also perceive a strong say/do gap in their organizational leaders. While 45% of respondents believe their leaders are committed to engaging the workforce, 34% said their leadership engaged in face-to-face communication once every 6 months or less. The report summarizes: “In short, it is a picture where leaderships have the intent to genuinely engage employees — but not the will, the wherewithal or the time to actually deliver on that intent.”

The IC Survey 2006 is based on survey responses from 639 communicators, predominately from UK-based companies of which over 56% were based in London or the South East. Only 8% were based outside the UK (3% in Australia, 2% in the US and 3% in the EU). The survey took place in January and February 2006.

Source: The Hub, Melcrum Publishing

The top seven macro-trends in internal communications

2006-05-03T23:41:00.000+07:00

The top seven macro-trends in internal communications

The changing state of the business environment, shifting demographics and technological advances are shaping the world in which communicators operate, according to recent research.
The 2006 Macro-Trends in Internal Communications report, published by US-based Stromberg Consulting, identified seven macro-trends that impact the way communicators work, influence their decisions and inevitably blur and reshape the boundaries of communication. They are:

1. Democratization of informationNew technology has significantly reduced the need for internal communications in its traditional role of information dissemination. Forced to change the way it defines its primary roles and activities, it’s moving its focus up the value chain from information to influence and having to prove its strategic worth. According to Stromberg, communicators must learn how to "leverage emerging technology and develop new strategies for engaging employees."

2. Strategic imperativeCommunicators are using a variety of techniques to achieve the shift from information dissemination to offering services as a consultant, enabler and strategic business partner. Techniques include aligning comms strategy and planning with the annual business cycle by increasingly having a centralized planning process; creating message platforms that focus on impacting behaviours and business results; structural integration; and an increasing use of cross-business groups and networks.

3. Employee engagement A broader focus among communicators has led to increasing collaboration with HR and marketing on the shared objective of understanding and building employee engagement. According to Stromberg: “Internal communicators need to consider the right mix of media, message and ‘moment’ to impact their internal audiences.”

4. Demonstrating ROITechnology, and the demand for ROI from Six-Sigma and the like, has enabled communicators to increase the speed and volume of measurement activity, but has not always been used strategically leading to “survey fatigue” and employee cynicism. But more sophisticated and strategic models of measurement are beginning to emerge.

5. Segmentation and globalizationContinuing changes to workforce demographics and, in particular, the transition from baby boomers to Generation X, may increase the need for segmentation. Leading internal comms organizations are focusing on initiatives including global networks of comms champions, technology to support cross-cultural collaboration, new ways to communicate with shift and non-wired workers and overcoming language barriers.

6. SimplicityMost new communication channels haven’t replaced previous ones but merely added to the overall volume of comms. The report finds that segmentation and customization is one way to deal with information overload and that communicators are becoming more adept at cutting through clutter by exploring visual and verbal simplification. It concludes that they must: “work proactively” with leaders in order that they can align and integrate communications into “one cohesive message or a small number of core themes that connect multiple messages together.”

7. The emerging trend: personalizationHow can communicators market their messages and media to create “one-to-one” communications? The answer is that communicators need to harness the communication talents of all employees: “In the 21st century, the internal communication function is your employees.”

Source: The Hub, Melcrum Publishing

The future is bright for intranets and new technology

2006-05-03T23:37:00.000+07:00

The future is bright for intranets and new technology

Delegates find common challenges and discover how to enhance their intranets with new technology. Every second a blog is born and - if you believe the statistics - there will be almost 100 million blogs in the blogosphere by the end of 2006.

The message at Melcrum's recent workshop on enhancing the intranet with new technology was clear: In order to stay ahead of the game and relate to blog-savvy employees, it's essential for today's internal communicators to be fluent in the language of technology.

Taking the intranet to the next levelLast Thursday saw the second in the series of Melcrum Workshops on intranets and social media, presented by technology gurus, Neville Hobson and Dave Wallace. The first was held in Manchester at the end of March.

Dave Wallace of web consultants Heath Wallace first explained to delegates how a fundamentally sound intranet basis can, and should, interact with new technologies. Self-confessed blogger and revolutionary technologist, Neville Hobson then went on to explain the differences between the bewildering array of new social media up-for-grabs in the communicator's palette.

Facing common challengesDelegates from leading organizations such as Barclays, Nokia, HBOS and BT, who despite differences in organizational set-up, found some common ground over key challenges in effectively implementing new technology. Hobson summarized these on his blog:
· The intranet is big, unmanageable and out of date.
· Disconnect between content and what employees are looking for.
· Technology driving the agenda.
· Lack of appreciation about how the intranet fits as a strategic tool.
· The intranet acts as a mirror for organizations often reflecting the political structure rather than a useful structure.

The future's brightAlso commenting on his blog, Hobson said: "The really interesting part began when we moved along from the broad presentation and definitions of blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS and so on, into deeper discussion about how such tools can work inside organizations as part of a communication strategy."

"If our two workshops are any indicator, then the future is bright indeed," he added.

Source: HUB – melcrum publishing

The Communicator

2006-05-03T23:32:00.000+07:00

The COMMUNICATOR

1. Winning Thoughts

The purpose of life is not to win. The purpose of life is to grow and to share. Then you come to look back on all that you have done in life, you will get more satisfaction from the pleasure you have brought into other people's lives than you will from the times that you outdid and defeated them. ~ Harold Kushner

2. Vocabulary Builder

CONFIDANT This noun, which has the feminine form confidante means "one with whom secrets are shared, a trusted friend." Confident, the adjective, means assured, certain, trusting."During that critical period Jesus was my only confidant.She is confident that the public will respond to our plea.

3. One-Minute Communicator

MEETING ENERGIZERS
Meeting Energizers are brief, interactive exercises and surprising games that you can Plug n’ Play at key points throughout your agenda, and keep everyone guessing about "What the heck is going to happen next?"Energizers work best when they are pre-planned, and thematically linked to meeting topics or principles, and get people actively involved in expressing that topic through fun and upbeat sounds, voice, movement, and interpersonal contact. Also, Energizers give people a needed physiological boost, and a mental break from the usual meeting format.I have collected some meetings organizers. See them at
http://growthsessions.blogspot.com/2006/04/business-meeting-icebreakers.html http://growthsessions.blogspot.com/2006/04/trainers-survival-guide.html

4. Advance Communication Skills

BOARD MEETINGS(From 10 Quick Ways to Improve Board Meetings, by Jan Masaoka, Executive Director of Compasspoint nonprofit services)
When we think about the boards we’re on, we usually think about the board meeting –which says a lot about the importance of having good meetings. In order to make your meeting better, make a resolution to implement one of the following ideas each month:

1. Name tags for everyone, at every meeting. It’s embarrassing to have seen people at several meetings and wondered what their names are. Later it’s really hard to admit you don’t know their names.

2. Post an acronym chart. Make a poster of frequently used external and internal acronyms (such a CWA- Clean Water Act) and post it on the wall of every meeting. (If you distribute the list on paper it is soon lost.)

3. Don’t include committee reports on the agenda just to make the committees feel worthwhile. If a committee has done work but doesn’t need it discussed, put it in the board packet. In the meeting, be sure to recognize the committee’s good work and refer peopleto the written report. Schedule committee reports in the context of the main discussion.

4. Write an “anticipated action” for each agenda item.Examples:

• “Finance Committee report, brief questions and answers: No action needed”
• “Volunteer recruitment and philosophy: Anticipated Action: form committee or three to four board members”
• “Public Policy Committee: Anticipated Action: approve organizational statement to city council on zone changes.”

5. Make sure the room is comfortable! Not too hot or cold or crowded. Offer beverages and something light to eat, such as cookies or fruit.Email me when you want some more tips on conducting meetings. I can send you some practical and proven tips which I have collected, applied, and improved for years. We can also conduct a three-hour growth session (workshop) for your company.

5. Healthy Humour

A doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn't pay his bill, so he gave him another six months.==> Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.==> I started out with nothing & still have most of it left.

6. Lifelong Learning

DON'T DEFEND YOUR POINT OF VIEW AGAINST EVERY CRITICISMAt least once a week from now on, each and every time someone catches a weakness in your argument that you know is a weakness, admit it. Say, "Yes, that does appear to be a weakness." Your argument will gain strength from your added credibility because your listeners will soon learn that you will acknowledge weaknesses where you see them. This will make them feel that when you don't acknowledge weaknesses, there may be actually none!-from Brain Power by Marilyn vos Savant

7. Creativity Center

SHOW AND TELLHave your staff bring something that they've created, that they are proud of, or from their childhood that the group would find interesting or funny. Demonstrate an interesting or unusual talent, perhaps. We loved this game when we were in kindergarten, and for some reason they made us stop playing as we got older.

Jef

Blooging at work

2006-05-03T19:37:00.000+07:00

Blogging has a lof of potential as a knowledge management supporttool in business settings. The software can be used to create,store, transfer, and transform employee and organizational knowledgeto support decision-making processes and direct actions.

I presented a paper on blogging at the Association ofManagement/International Association of Management conference lastsummer in Norfolk, Virginia (USA). Here are some of the ideas thatwere introduced in the paper.

* Employee knowledge, or what is often referred to as know-how,emerges from interactions with the various elements in learningsituations, or what might be called the doing. There are twodimensions of knowledge: (1) explicit and (2) tacit. Productivity ofboth types of knowledge can be measured by the frequency or impactof learning on a new situation or extent to which the knowledge canbe reused by others.

* Explicit knowledge production among employees can be increased bydistributing artifacts via multiple communication channels andmodes. Increasing the productivity of tacit knowledge is morecomplex. Key issues are how knowledge can be expressed in a concreteform, communicated effectively, codified for reuse, and retrieved insubsequent learning situations in a coherent and consistent manner.

* Organizations are developing strategies to generate and manageboth explicit and tacit knowledge in ways that combine experience,context, interpretation, and reflection. Blogging software supportsthis knowledge management approach.* Blogging creates an opportunity for an individual to write andshare, or publish, thoughts and understandings with others, whichpromotes critical thinking (codification process). This process isessential for the transformation of learning to knowledge.

* Individuals can choose to have others read and comment on blogentries, which creates an opportunity to receive feedback and, inturn, scaffold new ideas into concrete learning experiences andsubsequent knowledge.

* The ability to establish hyperlinks to news stories, comments, andother items outside the blog validates thoughts and understandingsthat are being shared with others. This action is one thatreinforces learning for the individual through validation.

* The individual creating the blog, and readers alike, constructtheir knowledge around whatever information might be presented bydetermining how information being presented fits with their existingschemata of a situation.I also addressed some of the challenges associated with using thisapproach. In particular, barriers related to the adoption and use ofthe technology in support of learning. I am starting to assistothers in gaining an understanding of how to address legal concernsrelated with employee use of this technology.I have been invited to give a presentation at a blogging symposia onthe "legal horrors of workplace blogging" that the University ofNorth Carolina Journal of Law and Technology is sponsoring in acouple months. I will be talking about the value this technology canbring to businesses and suggesting ways legal concerns can beaddressed through the development of technology appropriate usepolicies.

Gail Taylor, M.Ed.Human Resource Education Ph.D. StudentEducational Psychology Teaching AssistantU of I Urbana-Champaign

Four essential ingredients for transforming culture: what communicators can do to support culture change

2006-04-19T15:39:00.000+07:00

Four essential ingredients for transforming culture: what communicators can do to support culture change

When it comes to culture change, the communicator's dilemma is a thorny one. Organizational communication is first and foremost a reflection of culture. But without communication, there's no hope of culture change. To get the process in motion, Roger D'Aprix and Cheryl Fields Tyler suggest communicators start by teaching their organizations to communicate more effectively.

Here, they share four crucial areas to focus on.
1. Explain why change is necessaryThe driving force of culture change is the marketplace. Its urgencies represent the only compelling rationale for organizational change. Leaders may want to discuss what actions they've decided on, but employees want to know why the change is necessary in the first place.
2. Create a clear and compelling plot lineA clear, simple and compelling "plot line" for the change story is the second essential ingredient to successful culture change. What is the business strategy and how will it make us a winner in the marketplace? How will we need to change to execute this strategy successfully? What will we need to change in the way we do business?
3. Understand those involved in the processCreating a successful communication strategy to change culture starts with understanding who needs to be communicating with one another and the current mindset, experience and expectations of these individuals and audiences. For example, front-line managers, caught between the anxiety of middle management and the fear and frustration of employees, ride the rumor mill roller coaster and wonder why no one is telling them what the future holds.
4. Aim to engageBy this we don't mean high scores on the annual survey tool, nor a permanent state of employee satisfaction and motivation. The simple truth is that most companies that have cause for major culture transformation are on the negative end of the engagement continuum. Communication strategy that supports engagement in this context must be understood as a sophisticated process that creates the situations and understandings that lead people to literally choose to engage with one another, and through that engagement, to change their behavior.

Source: Strategic Communication Management Volume 10, Issue 3 April/May 2006.

Communicating with financial analysts

2006-04-04T21:29:00.000+07:00

Communicating with financial analysts

The results of a new global survey of financial analysts’ opinions on corporate reputation management, have interesting implications for corporate communicators. "Return on Reputation," published by Hill & Knowlton in association with market and public opinion research agency MORI, examines the way investment analysts assess company performance and shareholder value and identifies the key factors driving investment decisions.

The report notes that “clear and consistent communication with key stakeholders and transparent disclosure are crucial non-financial elements contributing to the assessment of a company’s value - the great majority of the analysts interviewed have given negative ratings on account of poor communication with stakeholders.”

Other interesting findings around analysts' communication preferences include:
One-to-one meetings and conference calls with analysts have the greatest impact. Company presentations and annual reports are also important ways of communicating with analysts.
Clear communication of company strategy is vital, followed by achievements against strategy markers and any necessary changes of senior executives.

Most analysts wish to be communicated with monthly or quarterly and only half of analysts think companies should listen to them more.

Building a brand for the new CEO

2006-04-04T20:54:00.000+07:00

Building a brand for the new CEO

The first 100 days are critical for building the brand for your new CEO, says Kate Hogben, internal communications manager at British American Tobacco. The following ideas should help get things off on the right footing:'

Create impact: get the CEO in front of the whole company at the first opportunity. “We put our CEO on the cover of the company magazine and gave him the opportunity to address all employees at a company event and out in the field on a roadshow tour in his first month.”
Hasten the CEO’s immersion into the business by organizing monthly “buzz groups”: informal breakfast or lunch forums with the company’s key opinion leaders or connectors (i.e., the networkers). These are not necessarily senior management – they should include employees and union and staff council reps. “The idea is to help the CEO connect with employees both to surface the real issues and to use them as a sounding board for new ideas,” says Hogben. Employees in turn will create buzz about the CEO’s vision, message and personal style. To personalize the invitations to buzz groups, Hogben used a voicemail message from the CEO followed by e-mail to set expectations.

Hogben believes it’s important early on for the new CEO to be seen shaping, influencing and uniting his own top team – the board. Orchestrate opportunities for the top team to be seen to be working together such as shared activities, panel style briefings or an interactive Q&A site on the intranet.

Finally, blogs are a great way for the new CEO to share his personal opinions and give employees a sense of his personality. However, this medium works best when your CEO is willing to write and maintain the blog personally.

Making an impact as a new comms leader

2006-04-04T20:49:00.000+07:00

Making an impact as a new comms leader

How do you set the foundations for success during the first few weeks in a new role? Jane Sparrow, senior manager at Internal Communication and Change at Sony Europe, makes the following useful suggestions:

Step 1: Get to know key stakeholders Use a variety of techniques such as one-to-one meetings and roundtables to understand more about your stakeholders needs, views of communication and attitudes. Go cross-level, cross-attitude and talk to people one level below the board. Ask agencies and consultancies that the company has used recently to talk about key stakeholder needs and aspirations.

Step 2: Understand business goalsFind out as much as possible about the aims, objectives, strategies, key issues and priorities within the organization. Identify where communication has the biggest potential return on investment. Read annual reports, intranet sites, past newsletters and other communication. How effective has communication been in the past? Ask external organizations for their view of the company and its priorities, get their view on quick wins, organization strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.Identify where communication has the biggest potential return on investment.

Step 3: Identify movers and shakersAsk yourself who the influencers are? Where do key stakeholders go for council and advice? To whom do they listen? Once you’ve identified these people, build relationships with them, ask their views and position your work with them.

Step 4: Assess communication issuesAsk your team to present the current communication strategy. Study data from employee opinion surveys, communication surveys and measurements. Look for issues, opportunities and benchmarks. Conduct a “quick” media audit. Find out what channels exist to communicate which messages, at what frequency. Ask which are the most valuable channels during other formal and informal conversations with people.Find out what channels exist to communicate which messages, at what frequency.

Step 5: Find out how you will be measuredAsk your boss how he/she will know that you’ve been successful. Get a clear understanding of how you will be measured so that you can focus your efforts accordingly. Once you understand business priorities and stakeholder needs, show you’re proactive and you know your profession by suggesting other measures that you believe will be important.

Step 6: Be visible across the organizationTalk to, and be seen by, as many people as possible. Ask to attend department meetings to introduce yourself and gather views. Talk to people at the coffee machine. Walk around and introduce yourself to others.

source: http://www.melcrum.com

The upside of budget cuts

2006-03-10T10:50:00.000+07:00

The upside of budget cuts

The following question was recently posted to The Communicators' Network: I'm looking for ideas on how communicators can save money and get more out of their budgets. Any tips?

A: "I've always viewed these belt-tightening situations as an opportunity to ditch some of the more superfluous albeit time-monopolizing projects or initiatives that haven't gone anywhere or haven't any place to go, yet you've been expected to continue managing them.

More than once, I've played the "doing more with less" card, using it as a plausible explanation for why I, or my team, could no longer dedicate our time to so-and-so. With so much on our plates at any given time, it's often easy to lose sight of which activities are truly the critical ones and which ones are expendable.

So when you're first informed that a percentage of your budget is going away, don't despair; start weeding out. You may very well find that you can afford to take on some new projects - despite added budget constraints. Furthermore, it's likely that no one is going to cry over those projects you're kissing goodbye.

Denise BaronPresident, Baron Communications & Editorial Services
source: Business Communicator - Melcrum

Getting more from your budget

2006-03-10T10:32:00.000+07:00

Getting more from your budget

Do you need to become a more effective financial manager when it comes to managing the comms budget? Alex Aiken, head of communication at London's Westminster City Council, shares some tried-and-tested ideas on how to save big bucks on your budget:

1. Do the research: Unless you understand your audience you'll waste money. When we centralized research and consultation we cut costs and were able to show that a proposed consultation costing GBP15,000 was unnecessary because the required research had already been done for a different project. Decentralized communications tends to lead to wasteful duplication.

2. Understand your objective: I meet too many heads of communication who complain about "lack of resources." What they usually mean is that they don't understand their goals, so they can't plan how to deliver them. You must be very clear about the business objectives you can meet with the resources at your disposal.

3. Define a structure that is streamlined and accountable: Too many communication specialists exist outside the corporate team, in HR or elsewhere. Unify them, and create a professional center of excellence. A local authority recently found that it could save GBP200,000 by centralizing communications, which in turn allowed the board to set the team clear and measurable targets.

4. Implement your plan using cost-effective channels first: Internal communication creates ambassadors and public relations should reach most audiences before the more expensive marketing tools are deployed. Westminster's "Innovation competition" to find ways to deliver more efficient government has realized more than 200 ideas from staff and local people which could save us 5 million GBP.

5. Evaluate: Work out whether your publications, electronic communications and internal initiatives are having an impact. If they are not, stop them. Bin the vanity publications and expensive events that don't have a verifiable impact. Communications should be brilliantly creative, but financial discipline is essential to proving its worth, otherwise it's simply not contributing to the business.

Source: The Business Communicator, March 2006.

Dealing with sweaty palms?

2005-12-08T16:08:00.000+07:00

Dealing with sweaty palms?

The single most important thing you can do for sweaty palms is rehearse. The second most important thing you can do for sweaty palms is rehearse. Guess what the third thing is?
Anyone can learn to give a presentation, but to get really good, you need to rehearse. Actors don't go on stage without learning their lines and rehearsing where they will stand; ice skaters don't take to the rink without learning all the moves and going over them again and again. The same goes for giving a presentation. Learn what you're going to say, then rehearse how you're going to say it, where you're going to stand and when to move to the next slide. When you're confident about what to say and how to say it, your sweaty palms will disappear.

Making Newsletter Alive..

2005-12-07T16:38:00.000+07:00

UNCOVER THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND MAKING YOUR NEWSLETTER YOUR READER'S BEST FRIEND!

by Michael Green

If you edit your own newsletter then this piece of advice could be the most important you'll ever receive...

"Aim to turn your newsletter into your reader's very own new best friend!"

Why you may ask? Let me explain...

FRIENDS SEEK HELP FROM FRIENDS

Let's imagine that your air-conditioning unit has just broken down and you're without a contract to get it fixed. Who do you turn to?

ANSWER: Maybe the Yellow Pages, but just as likely you'll seek a recommendation from a friend and get the name of a company who can fix the problem.

In fact the same scenario applies with just about everything else in life; from finding a new dentist to helping you source a piece of software or finding marketing solutions online.

No matter what, our natural inclination is always to turn to someone we know AND trust for help and a recommendation.

YOUR NEWSLETTER'S PURPOSE IS ALWAYS TO PROMOTE!

Now although I don't know the subject or title of your own newsletter publication, I do already know that you write it with the specific purpose in mind - *PROMOTING SOMETHING*.

Maybe it is a product, a service or even a person. Perhaps your newsletter promotes other people's products, based on your own recommendations to your readership.

My point is that no matter what your newsletter's stated purpose is, you are in fact producing it to endorse and sell something!

We've already proved that when requirements arise everyone turns to a friend to get a recommended supplier to solve the problem. But what we haven't said is that the reason that people do this is entirely because of the psychology of trust.

YOUR FRIEND CHUCK DOESN'T REALLY KNOW THE BEST PLUMBER

Look, when you have a water leak to fix, the brutal reality is that your best friend chuck doesn't necessarily know the best plumber in town...

But you are willing to sacrifice getting the best of the best in return for removing the possible risk of ending up with the very worst plumber in town. After all, you know with some certainty that the plumber Chuck recommends is going to be pretty good at least.

He must be, your best friend made the recommendation! That means he's probably used the plumber before himself. This isn't just a name plucked out of the air, or from an anonymous Yellow Pages ad, this is from your friend who you already know and trust. He wouldn't recommend just anyone.

BUT YOUR NEWSLETTER CAN ALSO BE YOUR READER'S BEST FRIEND

When the need actually arises, not everyone has a friend like Chuck on standby to recommend the best company, product or service to solve the particular problem.

And this is where your newsletter can fill the gap.

If you've done your job, you will have built up confidence and a rapport with your newsletter subscribers. The trick is to build trust so that when the need arises, your readers turn to you for the solution to their problems.

Through the pages of your newsletter or Ezine, they will seek answers and you will be ready to provide them, making healthy profits by selling the products and services required either directly or as an affiliate along the way.

CHECKLIST TO HELP BUILD TRUST WITH YOUR SUBSCRIBERS

1. Never recommend a product or service that you don't have full confidence in yourself.

2. Ideally test products or services before advising anyone else to purchase them.

3. Your readership is more perceptive than you think. A truly heartfelt recommendation will show through in your newsletter copy.

4. Remember that your reputation is ALWAYS on the line. Don't make half hearted recommendations.

5. Be absolutely honest about the products that you advise your readers to buy.

6. Don't be afraid to point out some minor negatives with a product you recommend. Your subscribers will appreciate your candidness.

7. Avoid constant and blatant over-promotion, it turns people off. Your readers may not have bothered to
unsubscribe - but they may have just given up reading your newsletter without bothering to remove themselves from your list?

8. Get closer to your readers by offering doses of free advice. Never let them feel that you are always after their credit card.

Measuring manager communication

2005-11-30T17:55:00.000+07:00

Measuring manager communication

The following question was recently posted to The Communicators' Network:

Q: How can you make managers better communicators?

A: "Why not give each manager a specific 'effective communication' objective, making it clear that their performance will be reviewed and measured against this as well as all their other objectives. One of the ways to measure this one specifically could be through 360 degree assessment, giving their teams, peers and superiors the chance to highlight which elements of their manager's communication could be improved."

Helen Johnston
Head of Internal Communications
Marconi Corporation

A: "It can be as simple as including the requirement for a set number of communication meetings, such as one-on-one meetings etc., to a scale rating the effectiveness of the manager's communication with his team. You would need to establish a benchmark so you can gauge improvement once your new measurement programs are in place."

Carol Cox
Senior Corporate Communications Consultant
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida

Workers "in the know" more motivated

2005-11-30T17:46:00.000+07:00

Workers "in the know" more motivated

UK workers are bombarded with corporate-speak and are unsure what their organization stands for, where it is going or how their contribution makes a difference.

Communications consultancy CHA, which carried out over 1,000 interviews with UK workers, found that 60 percent of workers who are kept in the dark by their bosses plan to leave in the next two years.

That figure drops to just 23 percent among those who don't feel they're kept in the dark. But when workers receive clear communication, their motivation increases dramatically with 80 percent motivated to add value, dropping to less than 36 percent in organizations where the communication is confusing.

Workers who know what the company plan is are five times more likely to be motivated, while 65 percent say too much of the information they receive isn't relevant to their job and 39 percent say they are told too late about major changes in their place of work.

Source: CHA PR report, A little more conversation. For more information visit: www.chapr.co.uk

Prove the worth of communication

2005-11-30T17:30:00.000+07:00

Prove the worth of communication

Not all managers are convinced of the argument that good communication not only improves employee morale but also business performance.

Alex Jaconelli, development manager at Scottish & Newcastle, has tackled the problem head-on by providing them with proof from their own workforce. He conducted a survey of 150 employees at a workshop, asking them to think of the best and the worst managers they had worked for.

Next they were asked to imagine that they currently worked for their best manager but were offered a promotion working for their worst manager. How much money would it take for them to move?

Those on the lowest pay scale said it would take at least a third of their current salary before they were tempted. Those on higher salaries said that no pay rise would make them move.

The team then asked the employees to describe real-life examples of what the best managers did. Unsurprisingly, they made them feel included and involved by communicating with them regularly.

In a separate exercise, Jaconelli took two similar teams with the same working environment, but one with a manager who was an active communicator and one who wasn't. It was easy to see from the teams' monthly performance results which team performed best.

Source: The Business Communicator.

Communication Measurement FAQs

2005-11-28T15:17:00.000+07:00

Communication Measurement FAQs

Angela Sinickas of Sinickas Communications, Inc. answers your communication measurement questions.

How do you start developing a communication measurement strategy?
Besides readership surveys and focus groups, how else can a company effectively measure its customer communication?
How often should you measure communication?
How can I measure how well supervisors are communicating with their employees?

If you want to ask a question e-mail info@melcrum.com

Q: How do you start developing a communication measurement strategy?

A: Start with a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). Consider such elements as how well your current communication program will:
Support business strategy;
Reach and meet the needs of various stakeholder groups;
Have an appropriate mix of channels (type of channel, direction of flow, timeliness, etc.);
communicate the right messages;
have the right organizational staffing, reporting relationship and financial resources to do all the above effectively.

As you brainstorm with others on your SWOT analysis, you will discover that on many aspects of your program, you don't know enough to categorize something as a strength or a weakness. You may not be sure of the distribution of many channels, you may not know what your stakeholders are interested in knowing about or how well they understand subjects that senior leadership might want them to know about. All of these will suggest content areas that should be included in your measurement process.

A typical communication measurement process starts with some objective assessments of what you are communicating. Objective analysis tools include inventories, content analysis and reading grade level tests. Once you are clear on what communication you are sending out, it's time to ask your audience for their input, using some qualitative research first (executive interviews and focus groups) to identify areas for quantitative analysis (typically surveys).

Q: Besides readership surveys and focus groups, how else can a company effectively measure its customer communication?

A: The ultimate measure is sales, but the trick is to find ways of tracking your communications against sales in a way that eliminates the effect of other factors. One way is to pre-test various approaches to communication with different, demographically identical segments of your customer audience.

For example, a California utility company had been sending out a brochure to encourage customers to call for a free home energy audit. (California energy utilities are required to reduce the per capita consumption of energy, so the audit finds ways for a customer to use less energy.) Response rates from the current brochure had started decreasing. The marketing communication manager pre-tested mock-ups of several different new brochures with focus groups. He then printed small quantities of the two most preferred versions and mailed them to different random samples of his audience. He mass-produced the brochure that resulted in significantly more customer calls.

Another approach is to measure the effectiveness of different types of communications in generating sales leads. A very simple way is to list a different phone number or post office box for potential customers to reach you in each different communication piece, news release, advertising, direct mail, Web site, etc. Your computerized phone system can track how many calls come through on different phone lines, even if all the lines are answered by the same group of people. You can then calculate the average number of leads divided by the cost of each channel of communication. If your tracking system is a little more elaborate, you could go a step further and also track what percentage of leads from each communication results in sales. You could then calculate the revenue generated from each type of communication divided by its cost. If your company has a system for tracking customer questions or concerns, you could monitor the number of customer calls on various topics, change your communications to better address those issues, and then track whether the number of questions on those issues goes down.

Q: How often should you measure communication?

A: The answer depends on what you're measuring, if you've had time to make any changes since the last measurement and how large your audience is. Typically, surveys are conducted no more than once every 12 to 24 months. However, if there are aspects of your culture or a publication you are actively trying to change, you may want to supplement the large surveys with mini-surveys on key measures administered to small samples of your audience more frequently, perhaps quarterly or even monthly. During a time of massive change, you might even survey more frequently to measure the impact of specific changes or announcements.

On the other hand, if you have a relatively small audience of only several thousand, conducting frequent surveys with a large enough sample to be statistically reliable would mean surveying the same people several times a year, which is not recommended.

Q: How can I measure how well supervisors are communicating with their employees?

A: First, be clear on whether you need "soft," qualitative findings or "hard," quantitative data. For example, if you want to track improvement or compare different supervisors, you will need the kind of statistically reliable results available from a survey. Even if you need hard numbers, initial focus groups with supervisors and employees will help you ask the right questions and pick the right measurement method. Focus groups might discover that the problem isn't communication skills at all, but that supervisors haven't been given the content to communicate. This information can be found by asking the supervisors themselves how well-informed they feel. Another thing to measure is the frequency of staff meetings. It's possible to have supervisors who know how to conduct meetings, but who rarely do. Track this by asking employees how frequently they have staff meetings and how often they should be conducted.

Second, determine the purpose of your information gathering. If the goal is to assess the general level of supervisory communication, you can include questions on an employee survey administered to a random sample of employees and use that information to prioritize communication training content. If you want to assess the communication effectiveness of individual supervisors, you would instead need to conduct a survey of all employees to obtain enough responses to tell how well supervisors in different organizational units are doing. Better yet, surveys can be administered in work groups to assess the skills of the group's own manager. 360-degree feedback on each supervisor from peers, subordinates and bosses is often used as part of the performance appraisal process. When conducting a 360-degree appraisal, it is important to ask managers to evaluate themselves as well. Comparing the results of how well they think they communicate with how their subordinates rate them often highlights very interesting and surprising discrepancies.

You can also ask employees and supervisors their perceptions of the relative importance of various supervisor communication skills for doing their jobs well. Different skills may be more important in some parts of your organization or for different types of jobs. The priorities for training will then be the skills that are rated as very important, yet are not frequently or well demonstrated. In addition, a statistical technique called regression analysis can help determine the relative importance of various communication behaviors.

Q: How will the results be fed back to employees and supervisors?

A: Typically, the results of a broad survey will be fed back to all managers at once, and then to all employees. However, if part of the purpose of the measurement is to improve communication within work groups, it can be even more useful to fee back results in a "cascade" from top management to individual work groups. First the president would share his or her results in a meeting with the vice presidents. They would also discuss what actions will be taken to improve weaknesses and make more use of the strengths. These vice presidents' direct reports feed back the results to their staffs. When the assessment cascades downward, each new group of evaluators feels safe in being candid because they have already experienced the benefits of providing this type of information to their own bosses in a safe environment.

This article was taken from Strategic Communication Management.

The Twelve Dimensions of Strategic Internal Communication

2005-11-28T15:16:00.000+07:00

The Twelve Dimensions of Strategic Internal Communication
By Thomas J. Lee

Tom Lee, Principal of Arceil Leadership Communication and member of the editorial board of Strategic Communication Management Magazine, provides an overview of Strategic Internal Communication. With more than 25 years of professional experience in communication, Tom has developed innovative approaches to communication modelling, planning, and evaluation systems with broad strategic applications. In this section he shares his knowledge.
Strategic Orientation and Imperative
Integrity and Integration
Dignity and Respect
Flow of Strategic Information
Clarity and Power of Messages
External Perspective
Roles and Responsibilities
Listening and Visible Presence
Training and Support
Structure and Process
Measurement Systems
Continuous Improvement
Strategic Orientation and Imperative
Communication is an organization's lifeblood. The fundamental purpose of communication in an organization is to enable and energize employees to carry out its strategic intent. Organizations need the capability to rapidly identify, send, receive, and understand strategic information that is credible, sensible, and relevant. But successfully executing a strategy, or bringing about operational or cultural change, or achieving stretch or breakthrough goals requires something more: the broad awareness, understanding and acceptance of strategic intent by people as a foundation to their commitment. Decisions on strategy and policy must take into account the imperative and the challenge of communication, and the tools and talent of the communication function must be oriented to the organization's strategic priorities.

Integrity and Integration
Communication must, above all else, be credible. The cornerstone of credibility is integrity; the foundation of integrity is constant and complete consistency between communication and conduct. The challenge of building credibility is the work of integrating an organization's formal, semi-formal, and informal voices. The rhetoric by which an organization manages its affairs and presents itself to others is manifestly important, but its impact as communication is never equal to or greater than that of the organization's decisions and actions. For through such decisions and actions, an organization continually tests and defines itself.

Dignity and Respect
Communication thrives on mutual dignity and respect; together, these are the fundamental building blocks for relationships of trust and accountability. Organizations that are blessed by such relationships will, over time, develop greater internal commitment and thus outperform and surpass organizations that are not. An organization's success ultimately depends on the fully aligned, discretionary, principled, and inspired effort of its people. Communication characterized by mutual dignity and respect, because it builds relationships of trust and accountability among people, is foundational to such effort and therefore to the success of the organization.

Flow of Strategic Information
Information is the currency of communication. Just as the flow of money creates wealth, so the rapid and steady flow of strategic information enriches and empowers an organization. Organizations must nurture and sustain the systematic flow of credible, sensible, timely, and relevant information - up, down, and across their structure - so as to bring all their resources to bear on the execution of their strategic intent. That requires the full commitment of leadership, the application of appropriate technology, and the broad participation and support of employees. The upward flow of information is critical; leadership's receptivity to upward thrusts of negative information, especially, is a reflection of the trust it holds in people. For better or worse, the flow of strategic information through an organization is a barometer of its ability to compete.

Clarity and Power of Messages
Clarity is a hallmark of excellent communication. Its absence leads to confusion, complacency, even chaos. Clear and powerful messages are, first and foremost, carefully considered, so they do not conflict with other messages. Though often repeated, they are few in number. Clear and powerful messages strike a balance between simplicity and complexity; they are expressed with an economy of words but a wealth of meaning. Their language is the language of ordinary people in everyday conversation. Because clear messages address the concerns and needs of listeners, they naturally take the form of a conversation more than a lecture or announcement. Finally, clear and powerful messages are coherent, consistent, and complete; they acknowledge their own limits, they explain their rationale, and they speak to whatever questions they have raised.

External Perspective
An organization's internal communication systems require an external perspective and orientation. Strategy, of course, is the means by which an organization copes with its external environment - its customers, competitors, and suppliers, as well as the communities and governments where it operates. Individuals and teams in an organization seeking to implement a strategy must understand not only the strategy itself but also the reasons for it and the measures of its success. Only a communication system anchored in the company's external environment can provide that information in a compelling way and place it in a tenable context. The external orientation may include the arenas of public policy and philanthropy; in its totality, information with an external bearing must be balanced, strategic, and truthful.

Roles and Responsibilities
A high-performance system of communication depends on the timely, energetic, capable participation of employees throughout an organization. Each employee has a role in communication; some have multiple roles. All employees should have clearly defined responsibilities for vertical (upward and downward) and for lateral communication appropriate to their position. These responsibilities should explicitly address both receiving and sending information as well as building relationships conducive to rapid, credible, strategic communication. Responsibilities should specify what information ought to be communicated, to whom, when, how and why. Accountabilities should include the real consequences of fulfiling or not fulfiling these responsibilities. A healthy communication environment should encourage and reward employees for active communication within the organization regardless of the information or message they communicate.

Listening and Visible Presence
Listening is the fiber of good communication. The best communication resembles not so much an eloquent announcement or persuasive admonition as it does a balanced conversation and robust discussion. There can be no communication without listening, and there can be no listening without genuine receptivity and a real inclination to act in response to whatever information or message is being communicated. Good listening is more than polite silence and attention when others speak, and it's altogether different from manipulative tactics masquerading as skill. It is rather a high virtue, a value, a reflection of bedrock belief that learning what other people have on their mind is a wise investment of one's time. It requires intellectual humility and the willingness to learn from people at all stations of life. Through visible presence, one not only learns by listening but also establishes a welcoming rapport that builds relationships of respect and dignity, conducive to frequent, candid and rapid communication.

Training and Support
Recognizing each employee's vital role in communication, organizations must ensure that all employees have the capability, the tools, and the support to fulfill their responsibilities. Suitable education and training will depend on the nature of the industry and the particular needs of the individual and the organization; in any case it will furnish the capability for busy people to communicate competently and comfortably. Appropriate and adequate tools will include both the technology and the resources for Regular communication. Support for communication will include a stream of strategic information, time on the clock, channels of upward communication, and the physical facilities conducive to good communication; above all, it must include simple respect and the presumption of good faith, so as not to "shoot the messenger for the message"; Without this foundation, an organization cannot realistically expect people to communicate with the timeliness, clarity, and credibility that are essential.

Structure and Process
The structure and process of internal communication should reflect the fact that communication is a means, not an end, to success. The fundamental purpose of workplace communication is to enhance the business performance of the organization. Communication succeeds only to the extent that it enables and energizes employees to align their work with the organization's strategic intent. A preoccupation with artistry or diction may divert attention away from the business issues at hand. The responsibility and tools for strategic communication should be distributed throughout the organization, so that each employee is an integral part of the process. The communication function should build alliances with the management teams of operating units. Given a choice between centralizing and decentralizing the communication function, the latter affords more Regular contact with line managers, which in turn builds mutual understanding between line and staff functions.

Measurement Systems
Measurement is a vital aspect of a high-performance system of strategic workplace communication, but it must be undertaken with care and skill. It is a myth that everything of importance in organizations is measured; integrity, perseverance, teamwork, agility and other essential attributes of a vital work culture all but defy measurement. The importance or value of strategic communication is not an appropriate subject for measurement; by definition, it is always and precisely the value of the strategy or the change or the goal that it supports. Nor are the tactical and mundane aspects of communication a worthwhile focus of measurement. Rather, the measurement of communication must concentrate on its effectiveness with respect to strategic direction, so as to adapt it to changing circumstances, to engage management in the essential tasks of leadership communication, to establish a basis for accountability, and to chart progress. The best measurement processes address not only formal communication but also semi-formal and informal communication. They focus on outcomes, not outputs or inputs. They measure against a progression of awareness, understanding, acceptance, and commitment, and they reflect the fundamental purpose of communication as a bridge between strategy and its successful execution.

Continuous Improvement
More than just another management fad, continuous improvement is a never-ending quest for a better way. It is both a personal and professional habit, and an individual and organizational commitment, to change, progress, and growth. Without it we become stagnant, and we cease to grow. The philosophy, processes, and tools of the quality literature offer abundant means for improving strategic workplace communication, but they require a genuine receptivity to improvement. The time and resources devoted to a thoughtful, well-managed program of continuous improvement will return their investment many times over. Research into best practices should be undertaken from time to time with the understanding that each organization is unique and must ultimately find its own path to its own future. Above all, our processes must be driven by the legitimate needs of the customer, whose satisfaction is our reason for being.

This article was taken from Strategic Communication Management.

The Five Myths of Managers

2005-11-28T15:15:00.000+07:00

The Five Myths of Managers
By Ed Robertson

There are five commonly held misconceptions about communication. These "myths" have a strong influence on how management not only view communication, but, more importantly, how they mis-manage the communication process inside their organizations.

Until these myths are exposed as false beliefs that obstruct true communication, managers will continue to repeat the same mistakes that have historically plagued organizations.

Click on one of the following items to dispel the misconceptions about organizational communication.

Myth #1 - Words Contain Meaning
Myth #2 - Communication and information are synonymous
Myth #3 - Communication doesn't require much effort
Myth #4 - Communication is a product
Myth #5 - Good speakers are good communicators

Myth #1 - Words Contain Meaning
Don't we wish it were that simple, that every time we said a word, the same picture we have in our mind would appear in the other person's mind. The fact that refutes this misconception about communication is that meaning resides in the minds of people. Words are merely cues or triggers that elicit meaning. All of us have our own personal meanings for words because we filter them through our varied frames of reference that originate in our widely divergent experiences and backgrounds.

I once asked a group of Canadian managers what came into their minds when I said "dog," People answered with pet names and obviously with the predictable answer: "cat." Then one participant blurted out "Georgia!" Having never heard this response before, I asked him why he associated the term "dog" with a state hundreds of miles across the border. His explanation was a real eye-opener for the other managers and myself on the enormous semantic variation in our language. What the manager heard from my utterance was not the word "dog" as it is commonly pronounced in Canada. My southern dialect and his intense interest in college football created in his mind the word "dawg." The mascot for the University of Georgia is the bulldog whose name in slang is articulated on bumper stickers and among chanting fans in the slogan "Go Dawgs."

Managers should never be so naive as to assume that because they said or wrote the words, their employee listeners grasped the meaning of their statements. That's why soliciting feedback is such an important communication skill for managers to learn and use in their interpersonal interactions.

Myth #2 - Communication and information are synonymous
Information is not the same as communication and communication is not the same as information. Many managers interchange the two words with little awareness of the vast semantic distance that separates them. Information is the raw product that is used in the communication process to create an output or result which is shared understanding and meaning. Information is not made meaningful to another person until it is processed. The mere act of disseminating information is not an adequate substitute for communicating.

Communication is a much more sophisticated process than transmitting or disseminating information because it seeks to produce a cognitive, and/or emotional, result and then determine how well it was achieved by acquiring feedback from the listener/receiver. Therefore, the feedback channel is an essential component of the communication process. In other words, "if it hasn't got feedback, it isn't communication."

Myth #3 - Communication doesn't require much effort
Poor, inaccurate, or ineffective communication don't require much effort. To truly communicate one must make a commitment to invest time, energy, attention and, above all, let go of some "self" in the interest of sharing understanding and meaning with another individual. As Stephen Covey states, "seek first to understand then to be understood." Communication between people who value their relationship is not a competitive sport where someone wins and someone loses. I like to think of communication as something you do with someone for the mutual benefit of both parties, rather than for the benefit of one.

The way in which managers communicate can make employees feel supported and affirmed or it can make them feel defensive and unappreciated. Think about this for a moment: "The act of communicating is communication." Managers can become so focused on the message or content in a communication that they lose sight of the importance of the method by which they are interacting. Managers should never underestimate the powerful effect affirming communication skills have on employees' attitudes, which can cultivate a climate of supportiveness in the organization.

Myth #4 - Communication is a product
Some managers view communication as a physical commodity like products manufactured on an assembly line. This pervasive false perception is perhaps the biggest impediment to improving communication in most organizations. Managers tend to be easily misled by what they see communication professionals "producing" in the form of publications and electronic media. They see these communication products as "the communications" in the company. Notice that when the term "communication" is made plural it automatically becomes a noun. And we all know that nouns describe things made of matter like newsletters, magazines, videos and this article.

What happens, if no one tells them differently, is that managers begin believing that when the message has been sent, in one of these communication vehicles, communication has occurred. How many times have you heard a manager say "let's get the word out" when giving the command to communicate? In this case "the word" represents the message produced in printed or audio visual formats that will appear in the corporate media.

One small, but very big, way we can stop perpetuating the "communication is a product" myth is by changing the corporate vernacular. By creating new terminology about communication that reduces management's over-reliance on making media and increases talk about improving the communication process, we can signal that our role and theirs need some upgrading. For example, the next time someone asks you what you do in your department, instead of saying "we publish the company newspaper" or "we produce the corporate videos" consider saying "we help management ensure that the communication process is working in the company." The more managers come to realize that communication is a process that is either working or not, the more likely they will see themselves as managers of that process.

Myth #5 - Good speakers are good communicators
From birth we are taught to talk. Our early "communication training" in school through to our formal training is almost totally focused on teaching us how to create and send messages, not receive them. Is it any wonder that when we become adults and enter the workplace where we must interact with others, we find ourselves asking why so many misunderstandings occur? Why are working relationships so weak? And why is getting work done through others more difficult than it should be?

Managers who are effective communicators and good listeners make good leaders. The reason listening is such a powerful communication skill is because it produces double dividends. It not only increases a manager's chances of accurately understanding what employees are saying, it also builds positive relationships with them. When managers listen to their employees they demonstrate their respect for them and their ideas.

Good listeners aren't born. Listening skills can be taught. One simple way managers can begin to be better listeners is by starting to give more verbal feedback to employees. Managers should paraphrase in their own words what they hear employees saying and then ask if their interpretations are accurate. Again, it's the observable act of listening that strengthens the manager/employee relationship.

Biography
Ed Robertson retired in April 2001 as manager, employee communication at FedEx after 25 years with the firm. He joined Western Kentucky University Department of Communication in August 2001 where, as professional in residence, he teaches courses in organizational communication and works with business leaders to help bridge the gap between communication scholastics and practices.

This article was taken from Strategic Communication Management.

How to prepare for a focus group

2005-11-28T15:09:00.000+07:00

How to prepare for a focus group
By Angela Sinickas

You're considering staging a series of focus groups. Your organization is in the early phase of an environmental assessment that will have it polling employees for their opinion on a variety of performance-critical topics. The focus groups will start the ball rolling. What do you do to prepare?

Focus groups can serve a host of purposes, of course. Like panels filled with consumers asked to give advance feedback on some new product, employee focus groups can be a remarkably effective way to test-market key messages or communication strategies. They can be an effective way for communicators to put their ears to the ground and listen for what employees will say when asked open-ended questions. They can also be effective lead-ins for surveys in the early stages of development. For organizations facing serious performance issues, focus sessions are a useful means to lay the groundwork for asking the right questions in a way calculated to produce the best data.

1. Where to start
Start where any good consultant starts - with the client. Is there a principal figure (or group) in the organization asking for the data? If so, find out as much as you can about what has prompted the request. Educate yourself about the problem lying behind the request. You may find yourself talking with the CEO, or with the director of a division. Schedulean appointment and be clear about its purpose. Before you go, prepare a checklist for yourself detailing the ground you want to cover.

2. What you need to know
Remember that you may not always get the information you need on the first try. Consider the questions to ask again from another perspective. Above all, listen. What are the specific goals the client has in mind? Does the client have a pre-determined view of the outcome? Probe for the trouble spots, if there are any. What are you likely to hear about?

3. Find out who else you should speak to
Who else in the company, or division (or whatever the organizational unit that's to be the focus of the research) will have useful information to help you prepare? It may be a senior manager, or someone who's a long-time veteran of the organization. You may find yourself conducting several one-on-one interviews to help round out the picture. If you're a recent arrival in the company, consider whether anything else in the organization's history might be useful to know. Has the problem or issue occurred before? Has the program been tried earlier?

4. And now for the sessions..
Now that you've developed the background and sounded out the client, think ahead to the session (or sessions, if there's to be a series). Who should be there? How large should the sessions be? How long should they last? Where will they take place: off-site or in-house? Will they be open to volunteers? How many do you want to convene? How important is geographic or organizational coverage? How might the lack of cross-functional - or cross-sectional - diversity affect the outcome? What's a useful sampling? Where is the point of diminishing returns? Who will facilitate the sessions: a member of the communication team, an in-house trained facilitator, or a neutral outsider?

5. Widen your scope
The answers to many of these questions will partly be determined by the scope of the research. The larger the scope of the issues you're polling for, the larger the panel of groups you'll need to convene. At the same time, remember to ask yourself what you intend to do with the results. Will the sessions be taped, videotaped or otherwise recorded? What kind of qualitative data do you expect to get? Make sure to provide for the resources to analyze the results adequately.

6. Tear up the script, but not the agenda.
You'll likely not want to script the sessions. It's important that participants feel free to express themselves without being hemmed in by too much structure. On the other hand, an agenda is essential to make sure you cover the points you need to explore before thanking the group for coming. What are the goals of you and your client? What do you need to ask the group to make sure your survey is as effective as possible? Again, don't forget to listen well, and ask helpful follow-up questions.

Measurement tip
Focus groups provide a valuable opportunity for participants to talk to you. As they speak, be sure to listen to the language they use, and the way in which they respond to the language in the questions you ask. Think ahead to your survey questions. Are participants using words or terms that you can incorporate into a later survey and that would be more meaningful to them?

This article was taken from Strategic Communication Management.

How intranets change the way we work

2005-11-28T14:56:00.000+07:00

How intranets change the way we work
By Paul Wright

Collecting and sharing information was once considered a job best left to librarians. With the advent of the corporate intranet, everyone has a role to play in that game. In a traditional library, it's the books on the shelves that serve as the central attraction. Intranet-browsers are as likely to be interested in what their colleagues know as any library reader might be in seeking out some rare text.

Indeed, this sense of collective resourcefulness that an intranet may stimulate offers a clue to what sets some corporate intranets apart from others, and underscores their dynamic nature. Intranets have acquired the reputation of being passports to magical new corporate behaviors. Confronting the myths that prevail about intranets can make all the difference between their becoming remarkable tools for knowledge management innovation and stultifying tangles of information overload.

Susan Wiener and Patterson Shafer, at Cognitive Communications (New York, NY), point out the traps that can derail an intranet. A paramount lesson, they stress, is the importance of addressing one's business before creating an intranet application or site because, says Wiener, "knowledge management means putting into action the knowledge that exists in the company so it can meet your business goals." Simply asking what an organization is trying to achieve by building an intranet can help avoid a lot of disappointment later. That approach also helps surface an awareness of some of the myths that can frustrate even the best of intentions.

Myth #1: An intranet is a product.
In fact, observes Wiener, it's a process, interactive, evolutionary, and without end. The hardware and software that support it are not what make an intranet function well, but rather the notion of carefully constructing the policies and guidelines that keep it moving and steadily integrating feedback and content. This links up with…

Myth #2: The infrastructure is the product.
The infrastructure may be mission critical along the way, stress Wiener and Shafer, but the real challenge comes with overcoming mindset and culture to tap into the potential of what the network offers.

Myth #3: Build it and they will come.
Says Wiener: "If it's not embedded in your work and if it doesn't scream value, employees may not come, and if they do, they probably won't come back." Shafer adds that by taking care to develop sound ergonomics and ease of use, and by stressing perceived value, return on investment can be impressive.

Myth #4: Intranets are inherently collaborative.
This myth goes to the heart of many an assumption of what an intranet can accomplish. Because a corporate web requires considerable focus and commitment, it reflects the culture that already exists. Without a collaborative culture, an intranet can do little to create one in its place. Collaboration comes about, in part, as an imperative of market forces: in a fast-paced world, it's crucial to respond ever faster to customer needs with new products and services. This means supplying information rapidly to your workforce, and putting in their hands the means to get it independently. Wiener and Shafer suggest that those companies interested in becoming collaborative consider using the intranet as a tool along the way as they re-structure, and develop in tandem a compensation structure that rewards information sharing.

Harmonizing information Post-Acquisition
Let's look at some examples of intranets that have evolved with some of these myths in mind. Platinum Technology, Inc. (Oakbrook Terrace, IL) faces the problem familiar to many of rapid growth and rapid-fire acquisitions. Glenn Shimkus, Platinum's director of worldwide sales enablement, reports that in the past five years the company has seen its sales reach $1billion from a starting-point of $50 million. Behind this climb lie some 70 acquisitions, resulting in a knot of 30 intranet sites, over 80 Lotus Notes—databases, and more than 1,000 network drives. Shimkus reports that this presented the sales force with a difficult challenge of sorting out where to find the up-to-date product and company information it needed to do its job. In 1997, Platinum began to untangle this snarl by developing an intranet to capture explicit data in document format from throughout the world. Its goal was to ensure that sales members in Singapore had the same information available to people two doors down the hall. The initial result, says Shimkus, was a productivity improvement of six to seven percent, or a minimum of one hour a week saved by each member of the sales force. The intranet base established has spurred the company to move forward to looking at ways to use the web to capture best practice sharing, in part through establishing chat rooms, bulletin boards, and rapid response e-mail.

Shimkus reports that as decision-making occurs increasingly in the field, fewer calls come into senior management for referral and advice. Weekly sessions convened on the intranet introduce company experts to their peers, and bring together people who would not ordinarily find themselves talking. A particular challenge is to monitor the age of content on the 'net. The company looks at how frequently content gets updated (content not refined for a period of time gets pulled for review). The intranet also allows for monitoring to determine how quickly feedback from users results in action, and a rating system is being developed to allow users to assess content and usability.

How USWest Avoids Reinventing the Wheel
Similar forces have spurred USWest Communications (Denver, CO) in development of its intranet. Daya Haddock, project manager for the company's Global Village Labs (Global Village refers to the USWest intranet), reports that the rapid changes unleashed by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 have driven the company to rethink its business. Leveraging its web technology with its legacy and mainframe information systems became a priority to move information efficiently and quickly to its employees. While much of its intranet effort has focused on eliminating manual processes enabling its work force to tackle more complex problems (say, rapid information exchange between work areas without the need for rekeying), considerable effort has gone into developing ways for employees to help themselves and one another. With 35,000 browsers on employee desks (out of a workforce of 50,000), the USWest intranet, says Haddock, reflects a certain self-service bias. Training, for example, has been converted to online self-paced tutorials; a unified help desk speeds answers to employee questions; an application deployed within six weeks to some 10,000 service representatives now offers current data on company services.

In addition, observes Haddock, work teams and project teams have clamored for web sites that enable them to mount and exchange information, "breaking down barriers to information sharing." A registration process grew out of this need, to design standards and guidelines for web-sites, paving the way for easier keyword searches. (Any business-oriented web-site is permitted without restriction.) One standard that applies to web-sites provides that each must come complete with feedback mechanism. Focus groups, held at least quarterly, also provide input for user-oriented refinements. Because growing pieces of the company's Global Village web represent grass-roots initiatives, says Haddock, information formerly housed in the company's silos is rapidly becoming distributed across the company. "We'd much rather beg, borrow, and steal than re-experience the pain of re-inventing something." That attitude, in turn, spurs the freedom to create anew.

How the Intranet Supports Work Processes at The McGraw-Hill Companies
Meanwhile, fifteen years ago, reports Jack Goodman, senior director of corporate communications at The McGraw-Hill Companies (New York, NY), the then-chairman envisioned (long before the supportive technology existed) an "information turbine" that, as a meeting place of sorts for goods and services from throughout the organization, would spur the creation of products in new permutations. This vision later took root as one of the company's five objectives for launching its intranet some four years ago. (Saving money, improving communications, expanding relationships within and outside the organization, and enhancing work processes rounded out the set of five.)

While Goodman points to demonstrable results in use of the intranet to cut costs and strengthen communications, assessing its impact on work processes and collaboration requires more care. In December 1996, The McGraw-Hill Companies launched two newsgroups on the intranet. (A newsgroup rates as an exercise in collaboration involving at least one employee outside one's individual business unit.) The newsgroups now number 40, and extend throughout the enterprise. As the web's "adopter" community expands, the network, suggests Goodman, approaches the frontier separating intranet as novelty from intranet as a tool essential to do one's job. The fact that The McGraw-Hill Companies is moving toward its third generation underscores this shift. (Goodman reflects that McGraw-Hill initially seeded the "intranet marketplace" by identifying and spotlighting those who would be its "early adopters." In hindsight, he voices a preference for top-down, as well as bottom-up, support to launch the web into the company's mainstream.) As the newsgroups provide a growing number of forums for employees to raise challenging problems, explore alternative solutions, and broach new ideas, the workforce no longer depends on offline mechanisms to validate their ideas. Employees can instead obtain rapid validation online through their colleagues' expertise.

In this sense, the collaborative potential of the web begins to dovetail with its capacity to alter the way people work. Goodman notes that, once people begin to use the intranet, they recognize many of its benefits right off—its ability to help one work faster, for example, by providing ready access to information. But an inherently collaborative tool it is not. The first generation of the McGraw-Hill web served largely as a publishing medium. The second generation, reports Goodman, focuses more on the intranet as a vehicle for "getting the work done," pushing to support work processes on a function-by-function basis. While the company hones its global business objectives, its senior management—now recognizing new ways in which the intranet can support those objectives—pushes its value while employees, understanding its usability, pull to expand its reach.

True Collaboration at Xerox Corp.
Perhaps few companies better demonstrate the collaborative use to which an intranet can be put by a committed workforce than Xerox Corp. (Rochester, NY). David Woodruff, program manager in the office of the intranet, reports that the company, like others we've seen, originally envisioned its intranet as a publishing medium. As studies showed that nearly 80 percent of users simply scanned for information, and feedback poured in that the web often presented too much text, content grew more concise. "There was a desire to interact with the content. When people scanned a document, they wouldn't get enough information to allow them to ask reasonable questions." Here is a case of less is more.

Interaction—questions, bulletin boards, team and individual web-sites—became the hallmark of the company's intranet, at the behest of its users, who knew what they wanted and how they wanted it to work. Some 8,000 web-sites now populate the Xerox intranet, with each contributor the arbiter of access and content. Woodruff notes that his ultimate goal is that everyone in the company become a contributor.

Guidelines and protocols for use of the Xerox web grew directly out of agreements among users, who understood the value in having uniformity for search purposes, as well as to facilitate creation for new web sites. Use of the intranet, remarks Woodruff, has now become a given in the company, with value demonstrated constantly. He cites the example of a team in Italy picking up on schematics published by a U.S.-based design team. When the Italians suggested design changes that would result in a better machine at less cost, it was a solid lesson in the value of broadcasting information beyond the usually accepted boundaries.

Intranets are fast teaching the lesson that they do not transform an organization's culture, and do not create collaboration where none existed before. As a key ingredient in a comprehensive knowledge management strategy, they hold pride of place. And with a workforce galvanized to share knowledge and appropriately rewarded for doing so, intranets can become remarkable hothouses of creativity that demonstrate true ownership among their users.

Paul Wright is a contributing editor to Strategic Communication Management .

Bond Like Super-Glue

2005-11-20T20:36:00.000+07:00

How-To 'Bond Like Super-Glue' With Your Subscribers!

By Michael Green

Every successful Ezine editor knows one thing that all failing editors have yet to learn...

"If you're going to make 'real' money from your Ezine newsletter, by earning cash every time you hit the 'Send' key to dispatch your latest edition; then first you need to gain the undying trust and devotion of your list of subscribers in fact, you've got to 'Bond like Super-Glue' to each and every one of your readers!"

SOLD OUT!

But where does the average Ezine owner get their hands on that kind of 'Subscriber Bonding-Substance?'

The answer is that an Ezine editor has to make their own glue and it takes a little time, perseverance and effort!

You see people buy products once trust has been developed (not before) and too many list owners make the basic mistake of trying to put the kart before the horse. They attempt to 'hard-sell' products that they are affiliated to, right from issue number #1 of their Ezine. But unfortunately – they fail to realize that trust has yet to be built-up between the newsletter and its readers. And that is fatal!

GETTING IN CLOSER

Nobody wants to be hard-sold to by a virtual or complete stranger, and that's in the real offline world. You can multiply that old maxim by a hundred in the scam-rich online environment.

Now Ezine list owners who forget that they promised their readership quality, useful and informative information - when they first signed up - are then the exact same people who are most surprised when they discover that they're not making a decent return from their online efforts.

SHOCKED BY HIS OWN FAILURE

Recently an Ezine owner contacted me anxious to discover why his own Ezine (with a 5,000 subscriber base) was failing to make profits.

I asked to see a copy and when I did, the answer was shockingly obvious...

1. There was no original content of benefit to the reader.
2. EVERY link was an affiliate program he was signed up to.
3. The editor made no attempt to befriend the reader.
4. No sense of which angle the Ezine was coming from.
5. There was nothing to indicate who it was aimed at either.

The answer to why this list owner was disappointed by his Ezine income was very clear...

He had failed to 'bond' with his readership. In fact, he had forgotten to apply any glue at all!

So how do you insert glue between you and your subscribers?

It's easy -- follow these 4 SUPER-GLUE STEPS:

1. GIVE THEM QUALITY CONTENT
You have to make certain that there are benefits to the reader in subscribing and this means bringing them fresh interesting articles and perspectives on the subject that your Ezine tackles.

2. BE CLEAR WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM
If you told new subscribers your Ezine was about how to "better work from home", then at least roughly stick to your subject matter. If you don't your Ezine will become completely defocused, confusing your reader.

3. BE CERTAIN YOUR READER KNOWS ABOUT YOU
Your task is to build trust. The only way we come to trust each other is to get to know one another first. So you've got to be bringing your reader up to speed about yourself as editor. Your likes, dislikes and views are all important. Don't hide them.

4. PROMISE AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP
The glue dries stronger, if your readers believe that you will still be around next week, month or year. You can't develop a powerful relationship with your reader if they believe that you are a fly-by-night newsletter editor.

Do all this and guess what?

The next time you happen to mention the latest, greatest, hottest new product on the block and then proceed to give it your personal seal of approval, your readers will follow you to purchase that item - as if they were actually stuck to you.

That will be because you've taken the time to 'Bond like Super-Glue' With Your Subscribers before trying to sell them anything that moves.

Operating a directors' hotline

2005-11-14T10:14:00.000+07:00

Operating a directors' hotline

The following question was recently posted to The Communicators' Network:

Q: What's the best way to establish an open forum that allows for anonymity?

A: We've operated a directors' hotline for a few years now with some success. We operate the hotline every Wednesday between 12 and 2pm and directors man it on a rota basis. The same phone number is used each week so we can advertise with ease and callers can remain anonymous (a difficulty with e-mail).

We have had to educate directors and employees that if the caller wants to remain anonymous then it may be difficult for any specific actions to be taken as a result of the call. Mostly we find that people don't mind giving their name but on occasion people want to sound off about an issue without getting involved personally.

In terms of usage, we average two or three calls a week. It's not massive, but we receive between 100 and 150 calls a year and the input from directors and running costs are low. We also tend to see big increases during times of major change so it's an established channel that comes into its own during these times, rather than having to create and advertise new channels.

Nigel Fitzhenry, Communication Manager, Romec

Creating a feedback culture

2005-11-14T10:13:00.000+07:00

Creating a feedback culture

Adrian Cropley, CEO and principal consultant at Cropley Communications, lists five essential ingredients for two-way communication:

1. Link to business outcomes: It's important that every employee is completely clear how their role contributes to the overall business outcomes. A clear link to the business outcomes will ensure that when you communicate the business results, employees are listening.

2. Survey regularly: Establish a regular timeframe for your survey and stick to it, so it becomes part of people's mindset. To have the greatest impact on developing the culture, make sure your survey is sent out at the same time of year so that employees are expecting it and are prepared.

3. Feed back the survey results: It may seem simple, but actually taking time out to feed back the survey results is very important. Make the results available first to the management for analysis and then to all employees. Focus on the most relevant bits to each part of the business.

4. Take meaningful action and get buy-in: This is the most potent ingredient of all. Look at your top issues and create an action plan within the next survey period to take meaningful actions. Most importantly, get the buy-in by allowing employees to be involved in some way: through a workgroup or part of team meetings. Ask for input and involvement.

5. Feed back actions and show the link: This is probably the most overlooked ingredient, but is the difference between a good and great feedback culture. You'll have a number of people involved in developing plans and taking actions, but not everyone will be involved in everything. Make sure you communicate what actions have been taken and list the improvements. Also clearly show how this will impact the overall business outcome. After all, the first ingredient was the link to business outcomes, so simply close the loop.

Source: The Business Communicator.

TOP TIPS: Getting value from your measurement

2005-11-09T17:54:00.000+07:00

TOP TIPS: Getting value from your measurement
If you want to make your employee surveys more effective, the interval between survey and feedback should be as short as possible. Use these pointers to produce even better results.

by Phil Askham, head of communications, O2 UK

1. Be clear why you’re doing it
Think through how your findings will add value – what important gaps in knowledge will they fill? Relate the study to other priorities, like brand analysis or customer research. Framed accordingly, it may help you gain entry to discussions on the future direction of the company.

Relate the study to other priorities, like brand analysis or customer research.

2. Get sponsors on your side
The board will release budget only if you can persuade them how a knowledge of workforce opinion will help them achieve company goals and strategies. Court their support, but beware of promising too much or compromising the integrity of the research (it may come back to haunt you).

3. Explain what it’s for
There’s no such thing as pure data collection. By asking employees for their opinions, you raise expectations that something will be done with the results. Explain to employees why you’re doing it and what will happen as a result.

4. Move quickly
Make the interval between survey and feedback as short as possible. Don’t wait for the next annual survey to test opinion – start now with a short, focused piece of analysis. Surveys designed in April that report in July and receive a board hearing in September proceed too slowly to keep up with the changes in employee opinion they’re supposed to be measuring.

Don’t wait for the next annual survey to test opinion – start now with a short, focused piece of analysis.

5. Be ready to act on the findings
Research is only as valuable as the action that results from it. Prime your sponsors and decision-implementers in advance to decide how they will communicate the findings, act on the recommendations and measure the progress that has been made. One great piece of research – admired for its role in rallying people around change – could create the demand for more.

http://www.internalcommshub.com/trial/measuring/whatsworking/getvalue.shtml

Web writing

2005-11-08T10:16:00.000+07:00

The Six Rules of Web Writing

By: Merry Burns
Source: Executive Update, Feature Article
Published: November 2003

1. Create content for readers.

2. Show them the benefits.

3. Write to reach them.

4. Write more concisely.

5. Format for scanning.

6. Become interactive.

Your Web site is your business card — your front door — and the first view visitors have of your organization. A well-written, well-designed site tells visitors what you are doing for them and how you are addressing their needs and priorities.

People often make snap decisions based on what they see, and Web site content is no exception. Sometimes our decisions are erroneous. Associations that are truly member-driven may have sites that don't reflect it due to weak editing and editorial decisions regarding Web content and focus. Other sites look promising, with pricey designs, great visuals, and clever animation, but on second glance they have unreadable pages of dense text, a lack of reader focus, and myriad usability challenges.

Fortunately, associations can do a lot to dramatically improve that crucial first impression and position themselves for repeat visits by customers, members, and other site visitors. Web editing and writing are skills that anyone can learn, and the payoffs — well-informed members, loyal customers, impressed donors, satisfied media, and more — certainly are worth the effort. Here are six guidelines to get your started.

Create Content for Your Reader
Before talking to designers and programmers, you should recognize that developing a visitor-oriented focus is the most important item in any Web content strategy. Too often, overworked managers bury this critical element deep beneath the complex physical business of creating or relaunching a Web site, learning a content management system, or deciding who does what for the site. As a result, the reader — the very reason for the site — is missing from the process.

Perhaps the hardest part about Web content strategies is determining what's important to your readers as opposed to what's important to the organization. Your association's goals and those of your audience are sometimes aligned, but occasionally they may conflict.

It's tempting to think that what drives the internal workings of the organization — the processes by which things happen — are important and need to be prominently displayed on your Web site. But sometimes these internal issues are the ones least likely to demonstrate that you are thinking about visitors' needs, problems, and goals. They don't work at your organization; why should they care?

Look through the expansive pages of your site and ask yourself at each screen, "How well does this content address our visitors' questions and problems? Does this page show readers that we understand what's most important for them, or does it reflect primarily the meetings, processes, and tasks of the organization?"

Note that the question is not "Are we giving our readers enough information about the workings of our organization?" but "Do we understand enough about our readers to know what they need our help with, and are we giving it to them on our Web site?"

Show Them the Benefits
When placing informational content online — current events, association news, calendars, or e-learning opportunities, for instance — association writers must edit the information for maximum impact, so members can see immediately why and how the information benefits them.

Simply uploading information about an industry trade show and allowing members to register online are not enough. Tell them that attending the trade show will give them a unique chance to meet 500 potential buyers in their industry. Identify the specific ways the organization's event will meet their needs and desires. Share stories of real value gained from happy past participants. Analyze your content as you edit it to go online:

* Can your products streamline members' workloads?
* Will attendance at your next conference give people a huge discount on your products or a chance to interact with key speakers?
* Will your online classes give customers a jump on their competition in clearly defined ways?

As we increasingly rely on the Web for practical information, we're always looking for things that will help us work more efficiently, improve the quality of our jobs and home life, and keep us competitive. Showing your readers exactly how your information can help them achieve these goals is a good way to guarantee loyalty for your site.

Write to Reach Them
Text on Web sites should speak directly to the people you're trying to reach, so use appropriate language for the reader. Generally, Web writing styles are more conversational than in print, since we are, in effect, extending a friendly handshake to anyone who comes by and may be interested in what we're offering.

Jargon is a disaster on Web sites, since the audience is global. Your Web site is not your intranet, and outside readers can't possibly understand in-house terms. A pontifical tone and a pedantic writing style make pages seem canned and artificial. We all are annoyed by Web sites that appear to talk down to us, are filled with excessive marketing hype, or are clearly written from an insider-only perspective.

Writing for the reader in a more conversational tone also can ensure a clearer writing style, one that is more like the way we normally talk when explaining something. Clearer writing makes information more accessible, and readers are less likely to misunderstand what we're saying.

Direct, clear, and friendly writing also draws an instinctive, positive reaction from the reader. Informational text, presented in question form and answered the way we'd answer someone verbally, makes readers feel included, not excluded. We appear to be simply talking to them, happy to provide them with information.

Write More Concisely
Reading online is harder than reading print. Most documents we put online come from print versions. They're written to be read line by line, page by page. Unfortunately, people generally do not read Web pages that way. Sun Microsystems, which conducts usability testing on the way people read text on their monitors, determined that approximately 79 percent of readers skimmed through a Web page, and only 11 percent read online text line by line, as they would for a print piece.

Many physical reasons make online reading an uncomfortable experience. Staring at a screen makes your eyes weary, since you are focusing on fuzzy light. Indistinct text (much less legible than print) causes eye strain, especially when Web designers choose ridiculously small font sizes.

Because few people enjoy reading lengthy documents online, it pays to make your writing as concise as possible, whether you're starting from scratch or editing a print piece to go online. Include everything you need to say but try saying it with fewer words.

Writing more concisely allows the reader to get at the information with less effort, since less time is needed to read it. You may have read that everything you put online needs to be shortened by half. Not true. Sometimes just tightening the text a bit can make a huge difference. Writing with brevity online gets the meaning across faster and with greater impact and better reader retention. Usability tests show dramatic improvements in reader retention and comprehension with shorter text.

Format for Scanning
Those pages and pages of text on Web sites — each filled with long, unbroken paragraphs — are almost impossible to plow through in monitor-sized chunks. Too often, they are pulled straight from printed documents and "repurposed" as either a PDF document or a "Save As HTML" Web page.

Your reader is scanning those pages, seeing only a small piece of the document at a time, looking for something, anything, to let them know what the information is about. Your readers are busy, impatient, and focused entirely on getting at the nuggets of information in your document. Thus, they will profoundly appreciate a skim-friendly format.

Outline the ideas, concepts, points, or directions in your documents so readers can skim and retain the main points, understand any steps to follow, and grasp your most important concepts. Start the formatting process by thinking about questions your reader might have about the material:

* Where is the keyword I'm looking for? Any phrases here look like possible candidates?
* What's this page about? Do I have to read every word to find out what it means?
* How long is this thing anyway?

Use bullets, bold formatting, and spacing to create visual pathways through the material. Insert subheads over related paragraph blocks and make them shorter. It's a new way of thinking about processes you probably already know how to do. You also will need to thoroughly understand the document's content, because you may want to organize the information differently to create a clearer layout.

Become Interactive
The Web gives us tools that let us interact with our visitors in new ways. We can question, converse, and give instant feedback to members, customers, and others who want to do something on our site, whether ordering a book, registering for a conference, or finding directions for a meeting.

Visuals, even something as simple as a diagram, often communicate ideas more clearly than text alone. Web tools, including anything from forms to Flash, can show processes, substitute for lengthy descriptions, describe concepts visually, set moods, and sometimes improve usability.

Think of things that readers will want to do with your information. Can they do it online? From filling in forms or sending an e-mail query to selecting, buying, and evaluating products — all can be done online, saving time, phone calls, and steps.

Ask questions of your own material. Can they be answered online? Is everything adequately explained by the text, or would a diagram be easier and quicker to understand?

The degree of interactivity you choose varies according to your budget, goals, and information. Wise decisions at this stage will save you a great deal of money in the long run, and you won't be taken in by "cool tools" in the Web industry that are not all that useful.

Writing in a style more appropriate for reading online, editing your print material to go up on your site, and developing a strong audience focus are imperative to the development of good, relevant Web content. The process can take as little or as much time as you can afford, and frankly, any effort is worth it. But a careful analysis of your content, followed by a discussion of what's working and what isn't and fixing it, are not optional steps in the process of creating Web sites that truly communicate with readers, convince them that your organization is there for them, and enable them to move easily through your online material.

In the end, it all comes down to communicating, and the Web can be your biggest asset or a liability, depending on how you write, edit, and develop your site's content. The payoffs are true relationships with your readers and fewer headaches for your staff.

Tight Writing for the Web

Eliminate extraneous words and phrases that don't add much and that reduce retention and readability on a screen. The following three rules can help:

1. Trim synonymous words (basic and fundamental, true and accurate, each and every).

2. Edit redundant modifiers (each individual, past history, future plans).

Kill l-e-n-g-t-h-y phrases. ("Those engaged in the profession of teaching" = "teachers." "Information from written sources" = "written information." "Retains in memory" = "remembers.")

http://www.centeronline.org/knowledge/article.cfm?ID=2529&ContentProfileID=137787&Action=searching

Secret of Bloggers

2005-11-08T09:48:00.000+07:00

The secret’s out: bloggers and companies don’t trust each other

A new survey reveals that bloggers trust each other more than information from corporate websites.

An online survey of 821 bloggers, which probed their views of corporate blogs and companies generally, has revealed that 63% find fellow bloggers a more trustworthy source of information than corporate websites (26%), corporate blogs (6%) or press releases (5%).

A huge 85% of bloggers view corporate blogs as only somewhat credible or occasionally trustworthy sources of information about a company or its products, with 8% finding them totally untrustworthy. Only 7% found them trustworthy. Thirty-five percent of bloggers would most like to interact with other company employees who blog, compared to company executives with whom only 19% said they most wanted to interact.

48% of bloggers have never been approached by a company or its PR representative.

The study, carried out jointly by PR firm Edelman and blog search engine Technorati, also focused on bloggers' attitudes towards being engaged by companies in the same way that PR engages mainstream media. It showed that companies and PR have been slow to establish proper contact within the blogosphere; 48% of bloggers have never been approached by a company or its PR representative. Only 21% of respondents report weekly contact from companies or their PR representatives and only 16% report that companies or their PR firms generally attempt to interact with them in a personalized manner.

Is the blogosphere unfairly sidelined?
The findings also revealed that bloggers feel the blogosphere as a whole has been sidelined by the corporate world. Forty percent said companies either don’t respond as often as they should, or not at all, to blog postings referring to them, and 42% complained that companies don’t realize the influential power of blogs. A further 28% said companies used blogs as a PR or marketing tool.

But perhaps companies’ mistrust of bloggers has been misplaced: 88% of bloggers say they correct themselves if they post incorrect information and 70% say they would evaluate product samples on their blog.

Personality in Newsletter

2005-11-06T20:19:00.000+07:00

YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE YOUR PUBLICATION A TON OF "NEWSLETTER PERSONALITY".

Or to put it more accurately, you actually need to allow your own personality the space to shine through and dominate your written publication.

You see, when somebody meets you face-to-face they are quickly presented with (and pick up on) your personality traits and this makes you instantly memorable. Even when you have a conversation on the phone, you naturally give over a whole range of characteristics that mean that you'll likely be remembered in the future.

But once you're in writing, particularly if it's in the form of a plain text email, then you've got to fight
harder to have your personality shine through.

And the stakes couldn't be higher. If you fail to impress your readers, then they will quickly forget all
about you and move onto your competition. But the *best* way to distinguish yourself is to let your personality leap at the reader, right off the page or screen!

Now many newsletter editors face a problem that they are more accustomed to writing somber business documents than publishing a lively and memorable read.

HERE IS A TIP TO HELP YOU GET YOUR "NEWSLETTER PERSONALITY" RIGHT OUT THERE.

Think about your favorite newspaper. Maybe it's the New York Times, USA Today or some local paper that you buy weekly. Somewhere in that paper there will be a columnist that you probably turn to and read week-in week-out. Why? Because you feel you know the characteristics of the writer. You understand where they're coming from, on a whole range of issues. You either empathize with their views or read the column because it makes you angry and you enjoy the controversy.

No matter. What that journalist has achieved is to make their own personality leap from the paper. And you need to emulate precisely that approach in your entire newsletter!

HOW TO HAVE COMPLETE STRANGERS FEEL THEY KNOW YOU.

If you don't do it already, start telling your readership a little bit about yourself. People like to feel they
know you and understand where you're coming from. Here are some handy pointers. Just pull out and use the ones that best apply for your own newsletter readership.

- ENSURE THAT YOUR READERS KNOW WHERE YOU ARE FROM.
People automatically start to think they know you and build a picture just from a place name, State or Country. You may not have been there for years, but it'll start to build an image picture in your readers' minds!

- ESTABLISH WHETHER YOU ARE STRAIGHT-LACED OR A BIT OF A JOKER.
Humor can work wonders, but if you're not a natural funny man (or woman) then don't try and fake it.
Just be yourself.

- BE FORTHRIGHT ABOUT YOUR VIEWS.
Don't sit on the fence worrying about whether your readership will agree or not. Establish where you are
coming from straight-away and celebrate the fact. Either your readers will agree or if they disagree, it will
create some interest and soon you'll get readers letters, etc...you get the idea.

Whether you're new to the newsletter editing game or already established, remember that your readers have a choice. If your publication comes across as faceless and lacking in personality, the chances are your readers will jump ship, right across to the nearest competition.

by Michael Green

Overcoming seven common blog concerns

2005-10-25T09:26:00.000+07:00

Overcoming seven common blog concerns

If you think blogging comes with too many hidden glitches, prepare in advance for the more common problems, then see your blogging blossom.

Through a search engine, a directory of blogs, or other techniques, employees will be able to discover the blogs that are of interest to them. They can read blogs on a regular basis, or subscribe to the RSS feeds and get the information assembled in one place on their news readers (and to only the ones that are directly relevant to them). Under this scenario, what happens to the concerns about intranet blogging?

1. Inappropriate content
The uses of blogs are defined as part of the strategy and communicated as policy. Everyone knows what they can and cannot do on an internal blog.

2. Content is not official or approved
No, but it doesn't have to be - because it's not official. This is the kind of material that in the past travelled in memo form, was discussed in the hallway or sent via e-mail - none of which ever required approval. Nobody ever thought it was official. Because it's in blog format, employees will easily recognize the distinction between blogs and authoritative content.

3. Time investment (authoring)
Overall productivity increases as a result of the blogs, as information and knowledge move more freely through the organization. The time investment represents only a shift in what employees spend their time on. If companies are sincere about knowledge management, blogs represent a startlingly good channel for it.

4. Time investment (reading)
Employees won't read what doesn't help or relate to them. The blogs they do read will help solve problems and obtain knowledge. The combination of RSS and blogs makes accessing information a time saver rather than a time drain. Employees get all the content they need collected in one place - they won't be spending hours looking for the information.

5. Employees won't embrace blogs
Sure they will - eventually. Early adopters are able to show they are reaping benefits from using blogs, so others will cautiously get on board. You can give it a push by supporting blogs through culture change initiatives. (For example, by including blogging as a subject of reward and recognition. As those who blog appropriately in the organization get raises and other rewards, everyone else will figure that using blogs will pay off for them, too.)

6. Few aggregators work behind firewalls
But some do. Use them until something better comes along. As those who blog appropriately in the organization get raises and other rewards, everyone else will figure that using blogs will pay off for them, too.

7. IT service is required
True, somebody has to maintain the software and database box. But if blogs are shown to produce value for the organization, then management won't have any problem funding the position so the company can continue generating those returns.

By Shel Holtz, principal, Holtz Communication and Technology

Ten core skills for communicators

2005-10-25T09:17:00.000+07:00

Ten core skills for communicators

How do you get the best from yourself and your workforce? By developing these core skills, you should be well on your way to communication heaven.

1. Face-to-face
You need to get the best from your most effective communication channel by knowing precisely how and when to use it. This will involve listening, understanding nuance and even knowing when not to communicate.

2. Writing skills
Good writing never goes out of style, because it maximizes the impact of messages. All communicators should optimize their technical skills and work on a style which compels and motivates their audience to change its behavior.

3. Business literacy
Fluency in business jargon will earn the respect of senior management. Key competency areas are budget balancing, financial awareness, marketing theory and practice, business law, quantitative analysis and brand management.

4. Working in a wired world
Communicators need to understand the rules of new media: an understanding of why writing for the web is different and an ability to take control of e-mail to exploit its benefits and avoid its pitfalls. Use the corporate intranet to achieve wins for communication.

5. Strategic insight
Link your strategy with your organization's. It starts with crafting a communication plan which tackles the key issues facing the organization. It requires an understanding of both cross-functional strategy and how the audience applies communication to achieve strategic goals.

6. Building strategic models
This is how you breathe life into your communication plan and get key messages to stakeholders through the most effective channels. Use communication mapping to promote corporate strategy and models, which help to identify opinion leaders and pinpoint issues. This skill will require an understanding of how people use models.

7. Issue identification
Recognizing danger zones before they become problems for your company is a truly indispensable skill. Today's communicator needs to be media savvy and must understand the emotional and rational aspects of the brand. Look at both internal (e.g. employee surveys) and external (e.g. web activity, proposed laws) sources of intelligence.

8. Coaching
This could mean anything from helping managers with a presentation to identifying weak points in skills and processes. Coaching demands a wide-ranging skill set including presentation and motivational skills, training needs analysis and an understanding of how people learn. Remember, top-level support precedes high-level counsel.

9. Influence
Strategic alliances benefit the communicator and add more value to the business. If a communicator can't influence people, he or she will never change the way they work. Key characteristics of influence include focus (for impact), awareness, judgment, accessibility and trust.

10. Measurement
Communicators need to apply data to solve business problems and demonstrate cost-effectiveness. The challenge is to know what works and achieving that means measuring as you go. Focus on outcomes and use executive interviews and feedback management in addition to basic tools like surveys and focus groups.

source: the HUB

Are you guilty of spreading corporate jargon?

2005-10-25T06:05:00.000+07:00

Are you guilty of spreading corporate jargon?

We're all guilty of overusing business jargon - but why do we do it and which company's annual report is a particularly cringe-inducing example?

Speaking at this year's UK Strategic Communication Management Summit, Lucy Kellaway of the Financial Times explored the whys and wherefores of business jargon. As the writer behind the FT's Martin Lukes column, she is more familiar than most with a phenomenon that - at worst - can lead to what she describes as "woolly language that masks woolly thinking - or no thinking at all."

Commonly used business jargon on Kellaway's blacklist includes:

· to drive - only acceptable when there is a steering wheel involved;

· to own - as in "the team owns the change initiative;"

· to grow - you can grow tomatoes, not the bottom line;

· to deliver - instead of "delivering added value," you could say you are doing your job well;

· solutions - this has become a particularly meaningless catch-all.

Kellaway told the 180 communication professionals gathered for the Summit's opening keynote session that there are numerous reasons people use business jargon. These range from a need to sound knowledgeable or "in the club" to a more sinister desire to mask the truth. Corporate communicators, she said, have a duty to use clear, fresh and interesting language.

One delegate suggested that jargon has been spurred by globalization and a need for common points of reference and even Kellaway admits that sometimes there's just no alternative - there's no quicker, more logical way to describe "benchmarking" or "outsourcing" for instance.

Turning on the consultants
As several in the audience began to realize just how culpable they are are of immersing themselves in jargon, Kellaway closed by ravaging one organization's annual report. The report states that the company's "capabilities are global, track record is proven," and its "passion is relentless." It was the last phrase that stirred Kellaway's jargon-busting approach. Passion, she told the audience, means "having easily roused emotions, intense, easily angered, or sexually ardent," while relentless means "pitiless, merciless." Putting these two together paints a rather alarming organizational picture. And what kind of company would describe itself like this? The answer - Accenture.

Source: The Hub

The key to increased productivity is better staff communication

2005-10-23T15:37:00.000+07:00

The key to increased productivity is better staff communication

A new report from workplace communications consultancy CHA paints a pictureof a typical workplace where communication initiatives abound but workersstill aren't sure what their organization's plans are or how theircontribution is going to make a difference.

The report's main findings include:
- 60% of workers who are kept in the dark plan to leave in the next twoyears.
- Workers who know what the plan is are five times more likely to bemotivated.
- 65% say too much of the information they get is not relevant to their job.
- Over 80% of workers who receive clear communication are motivated to addvalue; the figure falls to less than 36% in organizations where the communication is confusing.
- Team meetings, leaders' visits and staff conferences are the three most motivating communications tactics.

Colette Hill, chief executive of CHA, says, “There is a clear message inthis data: the power of face-to-face communication should not beunderestimated. Some organizations hide behind high-tech solutions such asvideo and intranet which are not always the right answer. Business leadersneed to become better and more regular communicators.

They need to get outinto the field to have conversations with their employees; they need tobring staff together to share ideas and plans; and they need to ensureleaders at every level in their organization see employee communication as avital part of their day job.”

Source: "A little more conversation: Employee communications approaches and their impact" http://www.chapr.co.uk

How to improve team briefings

2005-10-23T06:15:00.000+07:00

How to improve team briefings

Q: If the primary objectives of a team briefing system are to get information out to staff and to encourage face-to-face communication, is there a better way to do it in this e-enabled age, or could even a very short, daily briefing system work instead? And how do you make sure managers use this system? Has anyone seen a team brief cascade system that works right across the organization?

A: Alasdair Edwards
E-mail and intranets are fine if every employee has access to a PC or is office-based. However, the telephone is the most universally available communications tool and a briefing from a chief executive or department head can be recorded on most voicemail systems.

Daily briefing sounds a little impractical. The key is to broadcast a monthly briefing from the top of an organization (conveyed by e-mail, intranet or telephone) so that all staff have access to a message before team briefings take place. The message from the top is then consistent and is not watered down or garbled and the team meeting can then deal with the issues raised.

The team meeting need no longer consist of the team leader sharing news and can become more issue- or discussion-focused as the "news" has already been delivered. In addition there is an increased obligation on the team leader to ensure the team meeting takes place as staff know that a briefing has been issued.

I can't say I have ever seen a cascade system that works right across the organization, as this scope usually means it depends on too many people to make them work effectively.

A: Arlene Muys
Organizations where the team briefing process operates best usually have it backed up by their performance management system (i.e., it's a specific requirement in the managers' performance agreements, linked to promotion or bonuses).

The most difficult aspect of getting a team briefing process to work is the behavioral change you are bringing to the way managers do their jobs and communicate with their staff. Perhaps you could talk to HR or look into other ways you can influence behavior, such as using reward and recognition; running focus groups or interactive training sessions with managers; and maybe even creating a minor embarrassment for people who are not doing it. (This can be done in many ways, but one is simply to publicize communication survey results by department – the under-performing ones will suddenly feel the pressure.)

If you are looking at ways to make briefings more effective, maybe you should get a few of the managers who use them to help redesign them. They will then have more ownership of the process, and it's more likely that you will find the best fit with their needs and working styles.

Defining corporate vision and values

2005-10-23T06:14:00.000+07:00

Defining corporate vision and values

Q: Has anyone done any work on defining corporate vision and values? If so, do you have any tips?

A: Christopher Hannegan
I'd suggest you start by interviewing those employees on the front line or those actually 'touching' the customer. You'll start to uncover common themes, reasons for working there, and insight into how to connect to them emotionally as well as rationally. In my experience, the vision and values have got to "bubble up" from the employee level and then be supported by senior management. By taking this approach, you can base your vision and values on ideas that are truly relevant, rather than just based on headquarters' thinking.

A: Judy Jones
The process needs both 'top' and 'bottom' participation. Consider that our most critical themes these days are senior management accountability and transparency in business conduct (trust), and where does our business fit in today's economy as we face armed conflict?

Clearly, both front line employees and leadership are necessary to the success of the process. If possible, the communication function needs to work closely with the organizational development function to support the internal dialogue. Interviews alone – no matter how inclusive – tend to feel isolated. Then the communicator pools the results and teases out the common themes and overlapping beliefs, but no matter how insightful and accurate the communicator is, the audience – management and employees – can feel like they're experiencing the effect of a "black box". The results are no longer their own and they don't buy in. In my experience, it's better to bring people together in facilitated discussion with the explicit aim to articulate a mission. Let the fights happen in the room with a professional facilitator. The communicator supports the process through documentation, excellent writing skills and a true ear for the broad audience – both internal and external.

Once you have final output, you'll need to turn your attention to the art of distribution and delivery. I use the word 'art' on purpose. The communicator needs to effectively support the managers, supervisors and whoever communicates directly with employees. The media isn't important, whatever works for your culture is what you use. But the communicator needs to be 'invisible' or the rollout will appear contrived, which means that the mission and values are contrived.

Here's a final tip: storyboard or write a narrative of the ideal process from beginning to end. In this way, you'll be able to effectively visualize and convey where all this 'soft stuff' is going. By pointing to your storyboard or narrative, you'll know where you are and your organizational development professional will love it. Management will thank you too.

Proving the value of internal communication

2005-10-23T06:13:00.000+07:00

Proving the value of internal communication

Q: How do you justify the expense of internal communication when there has been little impact on the bottom line? In other words, how do you defend your budget in the face of unimpressive business results?

A: Houston Spence
I'm in the telecoms industry. Even if my company had the best internal communication and most performance-oriented corporate culture, our revenues, credit rating and stock price would still be in the toilet right now, along with all our competitors. For years I thought the communication professional's holy grail was something like a "Communications ROI". I still think it's a fun idea, but I've become skeptical about it too. Even if internal communication adds value to the business, that value might fail to show up on the bottom line in any traceable form. It doesn't generate revenue. It doesn't lower costs. It's an enabler. It can enable initiatives that generate revenue. It can enable initiatives that lower costs. But it might not do either.

Still, I don't think we should give up and let nature take its course. The benefits of good internal communication are clearly measurable, they're just not clearly measurable on the bottom line. We've got to make the case for our value (and our budgets) in other ways. One way is to draw the logical case that better internal communications, down the line, improves senior executives' ability to direct the activities of the enterprise. That impact is measurable. Another argument is about employee satisfaction and retention. That is also measurable.

There are other examples, the most powerful being the ultimate impact of internal communications on customers. We've got many ways to measure the value of our work, but the bottom line probably isn't one of them.

A: Simon Bottery
I agree with the scepticism. More provocatively perhaps, I wonder whether we're making the mistake of turning an abstract concept (communication) into a real thing and then looking for a (non-existent) way of measuring and valuing it. If communication is 'an act of the receiver' then it's not the thing you do that constitutes communication but the state of mind it creates, like 'happiness' or 'fear'. Both of these probably have an impact on the bottom line as well but try measuring them.

A: David Kirchhoffer
I think the key is to define in advance the objective of any communication in line with strategic business objectives. For example, when advertising burgers our strategic business objective is to increase sales. Therefore, the objective of the communication is to make consumers buy more burgers. Knowing this in advance makes it easier to declare the success or failure of a campaign.

In the slightly more complex world of internal communications, if the business decrees that it is strategically desirable to create a culture that encourages honesty, then the objective of the communicator is to change people's behavior by making them more honest. One could measure the success of a campaign by monitoring the levels of internal fraud, for example. Measure the behavior that the communication is intended to create or change. Then you'll know if your communication is effective. How those behaviors impact on the bottom line is irrelevant to the communicator. The business leadership believes that such a behavior is beneficial for whatever reason. So be it.

The face of leadership communication

2005-10-23T06:12:00.000+07:00

The face of leadership communication

Although the term senior leadership can often cover many hundreds of people, communication activity around senior leadership often only seems to be centered on just a few people - or even only one.

In 48% of all companies surveyed by Melcrum, for its new leadership report, Delivering effective senior leadership communication, it is the CEO who is the face of leadership communication, followed by senior managers at 29%, the chairman at 9% and the chief operating officer at 5%.

But the face of leadership communication changes according to industry. In transport and logistics companies, only 32% put forward their CEO as spokesperson, with 42% saying senior managers are the predominant employee communicators.

The trend is also true in the healthcare and retail sectors, where 42% and 40% respectively say that senior managers are the face of leadership communication.

Respondents from the consumer goods/FMCG and utilities industries are more likely to report that they have a chairman/CEO who is their chief spokesperson. It seems that it's more common in these industries for the same leader to hold both these titles, and to be in charge of communicating with employees.

Source: Delivering effective senior leadership communication

Using the intranet for CEO communication

2005-10-23T06:09:00.000+07:00

Using the intranet for CEO communication

The following question was recently posted to The Communicators' Network:

Q: What's the best direct channel (via intranet), other than a letter or a blog, which encapsulates simple, direct and personal communications from the CEO?

A: Two suggestions, both very simple at heart.

1) An 800 number: The equivalent of an all-employee voicemail, but accessible from any phone in the world, or through the company network. In this format you can script and rehearse the (really short) message from the CEO to give it urgency and make sure it's jargon-free. As a high-tech add-on, you can also make the message available on the internet as a Pod-cast.

2) Stand up video: Again, both high-tech and low-tech. You travel with a little video camera and do stand up reports from various locations. You can then drop it almost straight onto your intranet (after saving it as low resolution).

A lot of this will depend on how adventurous and comfortable your leaders are. While the fear of self-exposure is high, the risk is low. And the effect and rewards in terms of employee engagement are really high.

David Ferrabee

Getting senior leaders to interact with each other

2005-10-23T06:05:00.000+07:00

Getting senior leaders to interact with each other

Megan Taylor, group manager of internal communications at Sensis, shares the following ideas used within her organization:

Senior leadership meetings: Every week, the company's top 80 leaders meet for a one-hour live video- and tele-conference to get updates from the CEO and to discuss revenue updates, customer performance, competitive intelligence, product development, etc.

Senior leader workshops: Two to four times per year, the top 80 leaders take part in a one-day workshop to discuss business updates, critically review and develop the strategy and provide feedback on business initiatives. They then share the key messages to come out of the workshop with their employees.

Leadership summit: On an annual basis, the company hosts a leadership summit, which involves all the company's 460 leaders (from executives to team leaders). The two-day event is designed to build business literacy among all leaders by exposing them to decision-making at both a corporate and a business-unit level. Leaders are expected to share the outcomes of the summit with their employees, so helping to cascade important business information throughout the company.

Leadership breakfasts: These informal breakfast gatherings provided the wider leadership team an opportunity to hear the business leaders from outside the company talk on a range of pertinent topics. Taylor believes these events help leaders build rapport and increase business knowledge.

CEO scholarship program: In January 2005, an annual scholarship program was launched to encourage the development of up-and-coming leaders within the company. Based on the demonstration of Sensis Leadership Capabilities, each senior executive nominates one leader from their team (there are 15 teams). The CEO then selects the top five performers to receive a scholarship, which offers them the opportunity to develop their career and leadership capabilities through professional development (e.g. through a university course or international benchmarking in their chosen field).

Source: Delivering effective senior leadership communication.

Web Sites Have Sex Appeal

2005-09-28T11:41:00.000+07:00

Web Sites Have Sex Appeal

By TechWeb News

Men and women are very different in what catches their eye on the Internet, which means a website can appeal to one while unintentionally turning off the other, a university study showed.

A study at the University of Glamorgan in the United Kingdom found that the sexes reacted very differently to sites when surfing the web.
Males, for example, favored the use of straight lines, as opposed to rounded forms, few colors in the typeface and background, and formal typography. As for language, they favored the use of formal or expert language with few abbreviations. Women were nearly the opposite.

The study also found that men and women preferred web sites designed by their own sex.
"The statistics are complicated, but there is no doubt about the strength of men and women's preference for sites produced by people of their own sex," statistician and co-researcher Rod Gunn said in a statement released Monday.

Nevertheless, a look at the web sites of 32 higher education institutions found 94 percent displaying a masculine orientation and just 2 percent a female bias, the study said. This was the case, even though all the schools' target audience was almost equally balanced between the sexes.

Research also found that a man or a predominantly male team built nearly 3 in 4 of the sites, while a woman or a female team designed just 7 percent of them.

`How to Draft an Effective Internet Policy'.

2005-09-21T16:26:00.000+07:00

`How to Draft an Effective Internet Policy'.

WHY DOES MY ORGANIZATION NEED AN EFFECTIVE INTERNET POLICY?

It doesn't matter whether your organization employees just a single part-time worker or hundreds of thousands of full-time staff, granting access to the Internet via your corporate system places your organization's assets, reputation and even its very existence at risk.

According to emarketer.com 32.6% of workers surf the Internet without a specific objective. businessweek.com suggest that as much as 40% of lost productivity is due to personal Internet use.

Misuse of the Internet, whether it be accidental or intentional, costs money and could impact your
organization's bottom line.

WHY?

Regardless of how the Internet is misused, a monetary cost is almost always the inevitable consequence in one form or another.

Loss of productivity caused by staff using the corporate Internet access for personal use has been highly publicized and the impact should not be underestimated.

However, use of the Internet whether it be for bona-fide business purposes or personal use can also expose the organization to other legal, reputational and IT risks, arising from:

* the downloading of material of an offensive nature
* unauthorized downloading of copyrighted software, music, video or other files
* increased vulnerability to the introduction of viruses to the corporate network
* posting inappropriate messages on newsgroups and bulletin boards using the employee's corporate email address
* breach of confidential information using web-based Internet email systems or Instant Messaging services

INFORMATION BREACH
A breach of confidential information is likely to result in competitive disadvantage - it could lead to the loss a specific sales contract, market share, or provide opportunities for a competitor to exploit that information at your organization's expense.

LEGAL ACTION

Similarly, legal action brought about as a consequence of misuse, such as breach of copyright or sexual harassment caused by the downloading and distribution of pornographic material may lead to severe financial penalties imposed by a court.
EMPLOYEE RISKS

It is also important to note that inexperienced or disgruntled employees are not the only ones who can expose an organization to these risks - senior or other experienced employees are just as likely to, intentionally or otherwise.

Further detail and examples highlighting the need for an effective Internet Policy can be found at
www.internet-policy.org

SUMMARY

An effective Internet Policy establishes a comprehensive set of rules and guidelines to enable your organization to manage the risks, allowing you to communicate the tandards and behaviors expected of employees.

So now we've established the necessity of an Internet Policy regardless of your organization's characteristics (large, small, operating in a regulated or unregulated industry, etc.), how do you go about drafting one?

`How to Draft an Effective Email Policy'.

2005-09-21T16:21:00.000+07:00

`How to Draft an Effective Email Policy'.

IN A HURRY AND LOOKING TO TAKE A SHORT CUT?

The Corporate Email Policy from WorkingDocs.comTM has been drafted utilizing these guidelines. If you need to get your email policy up and running quickly, without going to the trouble of following the detailed instructions contained within this mini-course, then consider obtaining a copy of the Email-Policy toolkit available immediately from http://www.Email-Policy.org
The purchased product also comes with a free implementation plan to ensure effective adoption within your organization, thereby ensuring that your new policy is not seen as `toothless'.
Click here now for immediate access: http://www.Email-Policy.org

WHY DOES MY ORGANIZATION NEED AN EFFECTIVE EMAIL POLICY?

First, let us recap why it's important to draft an Email Policy and implement it effectively within your organization.

It doesn't matter whether your organization employees just a single part-time worker or hundreds of thousands of full-time staff, granting access to your corporate email system places your organization's assets, reputation and even its very existence at risk.

According to the 2002 Computer Securities Institute/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey, 78% of employers reported staff abusing email and the Internet systems whilst at work.

Misuse of the email system, whether it be accidental or intentional, costs money and could impact your organization's bottom line.

WHY?

Regardless of how the email system is misused, a monetary impact is almost always the inevitable consequence in one form or another.

For example, a breach of confidential information is likely to result in competitive disadvantage - it could lead to the loss a specific sales contract, market share, or provide opportunities for a competitor to exploit that information at your organization's expense.

Similarly, legal action brought about as a consequence of misuse may lead to severe financial penalties imposed by a court.

Loss of productivity caused by staff using the corporate email system can, in addition to the lost work-time, also lead to increased IT network traffic and storage requirements, whilst also increasing the organizations vulnerability to the introduction of viruses to the corporate network. All these have cost implications in one form or another.

It is important to note that these risks do not always arise from direct employee misuse but from third parties sending unsolicited or other email to staff within the organization. However, if employees are not aware of how they are expected to deal with these offending emails
(specifically what they should not do), the risks can still be realized, sometimes to devastating effect.

Lastly, be aware that it is not always inexperienced or disgruntled employees who expose an organization to these risks. There are numerous examples of senior professionals - including CEOs of both large and small corporations as well lawyers who should know better - who have damaged their company's reputation by sending emails of an inappropriate nature which have been leaked to the media or posted on the Internet.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF A REAL-LIFE CEO EMAIL BUNGLE

Neal Patterson, CEO of Cerner Corporation, was upset at his employees' level of commitment to the company so he decided to email to his managers.

But what an email - it had everything: "SHOUTING" in capital letters, threats and a very crude measure of performance, how many cars were in the parking lot before and after normal working hours.

Here's an excerpt:

"Hell will freeze over before this CEO implements ANOTHER EMPLOYEE benefit in this Culture...We are getting less than 40 hours of work from a large number of our KC-based EMPLOYEES. The parking lot is sparsely used at 8 a.m.; likewise at 5 p.m. As managers - you either do not know what your EMPLOYEES are doing; or YOU do not CARE.... You have a problem and you will fix it or I will replace you.... What you are doing, as managers, with this company makes me SICK."

Unfortunately for Mr Patterson, someone forwarded the email on, and it made international news.

THE RESULT?

Cerner's stock slipped 22 percent in just 3 days and its reputation as well as that of its CEO was severely tarnished.

Further examples highlighting the need for an effective Email Policy can be found at http://www.Email-Policy.org

Media Plans

2005-09-21T13:45:00.000+07:00

Media Plans

The largest category in your advertising budget is likely to be your media costs--the dollars you spend for air time on radio or for ad space in newspapers, magazines, and more. Because of this, it makes sense to have a sound plan to manage that investment.

You'll want to set goals. You'll want to describe strategies for achieving them. You'll have to organize the day-to-day tasks of carrying out the strategies. The tool you'll need to do this is a media plan that begins with an overview and works its way down to the details. It will help you with every phase of your advertising.

Here's how many businesses manage their media buying. The person in charge of the budget starts saying yes to the salespeople who call. Advertising appears here and there as a result. When the budget's gone, the person in charge starts saying no, and the ad campaign is over. It's a method, but you wouldn't call it a media plan. And if that approach sounds familiar, you can bet you're passing up opportunities to maximize your return on investment.

Media planning is the process of choosing a course of action. Media planners develop yearly plans that list each media outlet--print or broadcast. Planning then gives way to buying, as each separate contract is negotiated, then finalized.

The media plan is a document in sections. A ring binder notebook is a good way to keep a media plan, because it's easy to update and easy to refer to. Or if you prefer to work on computer, simply think in terms of folders and files. The sections in your notebook will be:

• Media outlets (newspapers, etc.). This section lists all of the media in which advertising will be placed.
• Goals. This section describes the goals of the advertising, and explains why and how this plan meets these goals.
• Audience. In this section, collect all the information you can about your target audience. You will want statistics by demographics or lifestyle; your professional association can help you find this information, as can trade journals or your banker. Look for any relevant articles or information about your potential buyers. Pay attention to everything that helps you imagine an individual buyer who is typical of the whole.
• Strategy. You will write a statement of strategy backed up by a rationale. The action steps you describe here will guide a year's activity.
• Budget and calendar. Your media plan will outline what money is to be spent where, and when.

The document you've compiled in this notebook guides you in the execution of the plan throughout the year.

Over time, these plans provide a history of your advertising. If you make alterations to the schedule in the course of the year, be sure to record those decisions in your notebook. Ring binders make it easy to update your plan as it evolves.

When you've finished this section, you will have an overview and the tools you need to create a media plan for your business. Let's start with basic vocabulary. The term you'll hear most often is CPM, or cost per thousand. CPM analysis is the method media buyers use to convert various rate and circulation options to relative terms. CPM represents the cost of reaching one thousand people via different types of media. To calculate CPM, you find the cost for an ad, then divide it by the total circulation the ad reaches (in thousands). By finding this information and calculating this cost for each of your options, you can give them a numerical ranking for comparison. CPM is a basic media concept.

Print advertising prices are based on the circulation of the publication in question. Publications will quote you a circulation figure based on paid subscribers. The audited circulation figures are verified by monitoring organizations.

The publications will try to convince you that actual circulation is higher by including the free copies they distribute and the pass-along readership they claim. Sometimes these claims of "bonus" circulation are valid--for example, magazines distributed on airlines get at least eight readers per copy. Still, you should be wary of inflated circulation figures.

Audience is the equivalent of circulation when you're talking about broadcast media. Audience size varies throughout the day as people tune in and tune out. Therefore, the price for advertising at different times of day will vary, based on the audience size that the day-part delivers.

Penetration is related to circulation. Penetration describes how much of the total market available you are reaching. If you are in a town with a demographic count of 200,000 households, and you buy an ad in a coupon book that states a circulation of 140,000, you're reaching 70 percent of the possible market--high penetration. If, instead, you bought an ad in the city magazine, which goes to only 17,000 subscribers (households), your penetration would be much less--8.5 percent. What degree of penetration is necessary for you depends on whether your strategy is to dominate the market or to reach a certain niche within that market.

Reach and frequency are key media terms used more in broadcast than in print. Reach is the total number of people exposed to a message at least once in a set time period, usually four weeks. (Reach is the broadcast equivalent of circulation, for print advertising.) Frequency is the average number of times those people are exposed during that time period. To make reach go up, you buy a wider market area. To make frequency go up, you buy more ads during the time period. Usually, when reach goes up, you have to compromise and let frequency go down. You could spend a lot of money trying to achieve a high reach and a high frequency. The creative part of media planning comes in balancing reach, frequency, and budget constraints to find the best combination in view of your marketing goals.

In developing your media plan, you will:

• Review your marketing objectives through the "lens" of media planning.
• Review the options available.
• Evaluate them against your objectives.
• Set your minimum and maximum budget constraints.
• Create alternative scenarios until you uncover the strategy that accomplishes your objectives within those constraints.
• Develop a schedule describing ad appearances in each medium.
• Summarize your plan in the form of a calendar and a budget.
• Negotiate with media representatives to execute your plan.

* Source Streetwise Do-It-Yourself Advertising

Six Steps to Developing Your Public Relations and Media Plan

2005-09-21T08:26:00.000+07:00

Six Steps to Developing Your Public Relations and Media Plan

Marketing experts will tell you that a well planned public relations campaign is often far more effective than advertising. This tutorial will assist you in developing and creating the core of your public relations campaign in six easy steps.

• Step 1: Define and write down your objectives for your publicity or media plan.

How will you design your public relations campaign? Will it be designed to:
o Establish your expertise among your peers, the press, or your potential clients or customers?
o Build goodwill among your customer, supplier, or your community?
o Create and reinforce your brand and professional corporate image?
o Inform and create good perceptions regarding your company and services?
o Assist you in introducing a new service or product to your market?
o Generate sales or leads?
o Mitigate the impact of negative publicity and/or corporate crisis?

You may be wondering why I am asking you these things at the beginning of a tutorial that is supposed to show you how to create and your develop publicity plan? The answer is easy. In order for your publicity and media plan to be successful it's first most important to determine and define your objective. With a clear objective in mind you have laid the ground work to the complete the remainder of this tutorial.

• Step 2: Define your goals in achieving this objective. It is important that your goals be specific, measurable, results-oriented and time-bound. These goals must be in-line with your overall business, marketing, and sales objectives.

• Step 3: Determine who your target audience consists of. Who is it that you want to reach with this campaign? What do you want your key message to be?

• Step 4: Develop a schedule for your public relation campaigns. Create synergy by coinciding your public relations plan with other marketing and sale

• Step 5: Develop your plan of attack. What communication vehicles will you use to get your message to the public? Examples may include:
o Press releases
o Articles
o Customer Success Stories
o Letters to the Editor
o Press Conferences, Interview, or Media Tours
o Radio, Television, or Press Interviews
o Seminars or Speaking Engagements
o Event Sponsorships
Select three from the list and beginning researching and developing your approach.

• Step 6: Put measures in place to track the results of your PR Campaign. After each campaign sit down and review the results. Did you achieve the defined objectives and goals of this campaign? Should you consider modifying your original plan? If so, how and why?

Laura Lake

A Newsletter Can Be Completely Different

2005-09-20T18:03:00.000+07:00

A Newsletter Can Be Completely Different

Why is a newsletter so different? The answer is that unfortunately some are not!

I see a lot of newsletters that look like the organizations brochure, but just under a different name. The owners think that by calling the publication a newsletter, their audience won't
notice that all it does is carry on shouting about the same old stuff over and over.

So they fill their newsletter with pages of articles about how great they are, with some dull old news that no-one is ever gonna read and with statements from the President and so on…*VERY DULL*.

I've yet to see a convincing example of this type of newsletter and seriously doubt that it is ever actually cost-effective to produce something like this. How can it be? It's boring, extremely unconvincing and at best, it might just be perceived as another corporate brochure.

Your newsletter is capable of so much more!

Understand Why Newsletters Work So Incredibly Well!

2005-09-20T18:00:00.000+07:00

Understand Why Newsletters Work So Incredibly Well!

Whoever you're producing a newsletter for; yourself, your company, your club, society, school, voluntary organization - whoever…the chances are that it's intended to present you in a good light and can therefore be considered as a PROMOTION for your organization.

There are lots of ways to promote yourself; brochures, sales letters, the web, perhaps newspaper, radio or even TV. But they all have a disadvantage that few have noticed or taken the time
to discover.

The problem with all the other forms of marketing covered above is that everyone already knows that the sole purpose of producing the advertising is to promote you (your organization).

There's nothing wrong with blatant promotion. We all need to do it. It is just that the public (businesses, whoever) are simply all too sophisticated to think that you're trying to do anything else.

So no matter how clever or sneaky your advertising, they'll see it for what it is. You're trying to sell them your product or service. Period!

But this isn't the case with a newsletter...

How THE Key Secret is to Build Trust

2005-09-20T17:38:00.000+07:00

How THE Key Secret is to Build Trust

Think for one moment about the biggest factor that encourages people to buy or join one organization over another. The answer is “trust”.

People go with organizations that they trust or they know from somewhere. It's just human nature! But let's see why?

Imagine for a moment you require an electrician or a plumber to do some work in your home. Who do you turn to if you don't have a regular person you use?

Nine out of ten times you'll turn to a family member or close associate for a recommendation of an electrician or plumber that they used recently and were happy with.

Why is this?

The answer is that we'll trust the recommendation far more than we'll trust somebody who we located via the Yellow Pages.

Don't think that the above situation only exists in home life. No, it exists in business and all other environments. We always prefer to work on recommendation - we always look for an organization or individual that we can trust.

Now the chances are that you cannot win sufficient work, members (or whatever your objective is) through recommendation alone. So you're going to need an alternative model to work from. A
newsletter is that model and resource!

By publishing a newsletter, rather than another sales brochure, you will build credibility, inform your potential clients, and most critically of all - develop vital trust between you and your potential marketplace.

REMEMBER: Trust Builds Through Communication. So we now know that building trust is vital and the simple lesson is that the absolute key to building trust is great communication. And I can't think of a better communication tool, than a newsletter!

How Newsletters Can Build Incredible Credibility

2005-09-20T17:31:00.000+07:00

How Newsletters Can Build Incredible Credibility

“A newsletter is the greatest credibility building marketing tool known to man.”

Re-read that sentence and think about it for a moment…

The public has grown cynical of glossy self-congratulatory brochures and salesy marketing letters. Consider for a moment how many times on average per week, you receive a brochure or a letter through your mail trying to sell you additional credit cards. Most the time you just rip them up without a glance - right?

In short people have grown accustomed to receiving sales based marketing material.

But a newsletter is different - completely different…

That's because a newsletter doesn't appear to seek to sell you anything as its first and primary objective. Instead it seeks to inform, to educate, to build knowledge.

The secret to a newsletter success is that it can lift the credibility of your organization over all your rivals.

How To Write A Newsletter Without Doing All The Hard Work!

2005-09-20T17:25:00.000+07:00

How To Write A Newsletter Without Doing All The Hard Work!

One of the greatest challenges for any newsletter editor is not as the job title suggests 'editing', but finding or producing the content.

Some people view newsletter editors in the same light as magazine editors. Nice comparison shame it just isn't true!

You see a magazine editor probably has a sub-editor, a photographer, a picture editor and a number of reporters. They probably still complain that they are badly under-resourced. But they're not compared with you of course.

So you've got to learn a few shortcuts! Here's one to start with:

Conduct an Interview and Tape It.
Get hold of a key member of staff, head of the sailing club, whatever is appropriate. Tell them that you know that there's an audience out there who would just love to hear about his/her views and that you're coming down to do an interview (this can be done over the phone if need be).

Now set your Voice Recorder, Answering Machine or Dictaphone running and ask the key questions you know your readership is waiting to hear the answers to.

Remember to ask the open ended questions. Those are the ones starting with; who, what, why, when, where and how.

When you've finished the interview off you go with say 20-30 minutes of recording and your job is simply to play it back and write it out, editing as you go.

by Michael Green

Secret: Debunking The Many Newsletter Myths!

2005-09-20T17:20:00.000+07:00

Debunking The Many Newsletter Myths!

For some reason newsletters production seems to virtually "attract" legends and myths.

Let's start by debunking some of the myths that have grown up around the subject. I'm letting you in on these secrets because if you believe them, you'll never end up being an award winning newsletter editor. We don't have space to deal with them all here , but here are three from the list right here.

Myth 1 - Don't I need to be a professional writer?
You don't need to be a novelist to write a newsletter. You need a plan and a structure and then you really are ready to start.

The tips I'm giving you are to get you started. What you do need though is the ability to speak to people, ideally a sample of your readership, and ask them for ideas. What would they like to see in the newsletter?

So you certainly don't need to be a novelist or a writer. Your job is to try and get inside the heads of your readership and give them what they want.

Myth 4 - Won't I need to be an expert in everything I write about? Don't think you have to have the ability to write about all topics. Write about what's of interest to you. And, if you want to tackle a subject that you don't know a great deal about, then ask someone who does.

Most newsletters articles do not descend into great detail so, once you've got the facts together, you will find you can edit an article on virtually any subject even if you don't have personal knowledge.

I was editing an article about nuclear science - a subject that I do not know or understand anything about. I was still able to edit down the facts and present a short 450 word article that made perfect sense to my readership. You can do the same no matter how complex the
subject matter.

Myth 9 - My newsletter is being paid for by my organization, so that's all it should talk about.

This is really about striking a balance between product-oriented and Value-Added material.

Some people still think that “every article in my newsletter must feature my product and/or company, club, society”…(fill in the blank).

But as I've already touched on, one of a newsletter's many strengths is "credibility". If your newsletter contains no solid, practical information, readers are more likely to perceive it as 100 percent sales-oriented, and less likely to read the next issue. Strive for a balance by providing some useful information that doesn't require purchasing your product or service.

I think this balance can be as much as three-quarters Value Added Interest material and just quarter product/service or "about you" orientated. Come to your own balance, but please keep the balance in mind at all times.

'Deciding How or Where to Publish Your Newsletter'

2005-09-20T16:56:00.000+07:00

'Deciding How or Where to Publish Your Newsletter'

It used to be that printing was really the only option when it came to producing your newsletter. But now there are some clear choices:

Printing
Internet
Email
Other electronic means (like CD Rom, DVD, etc).

The Internet provides a tempting and cost-effective alternative as an answer to both producing and distributing your newsletter. But there are some important factors you should take into account.

PRINTING - THE ADVANTAGES
If you're looking to create sheer impact then there's no doubt that a printed newsletter still has a significant edge over publishing on the Internet. The fact that a printed newsletter is real; you can pick it up and feel the quality of the paper, along with its weight, texture and colors, does ensure a longer lasting impact on your reader.

• A printed newsletter is more portable than an Internet version.

• You can read it literally anywhere; plane, train or even in your bath.

• It requires no electricity or special equipment.

• Paper is more comfortable to read from than is a computer screen.

Think of printing this way. Despite the Internet now being very firmly established with high levels of access in both the home and work, and considering that many newspapers publish themselves completely free of charge online, newspaper sales globally have barely been affected.

This is because it is just easier to read a paper over your morning waffles or cereal, than it is to be hunched over your computer screen reading the news online.

PRINTING - THE DISADVANTAGES
There are three key disadvantages of a printed newsletter:

• The cost of the Print
Whether you intend to photocopy your newsletter or go for a better quality printed version, there will almost always be some costs attached to the actual production of a printed newsletter.

• The cost of Distribution
How are you going to distribute your newsletter? If it is by postal service then you need to factor this into your budget. Or maybe you'll hand it out personally, over the counter or in some other way that doesn't add to your expenses.

• Timescale delay with Print
From the moment you provide your printer with the final artwork there will be a pause before you receive the newsletter back. How long? This will depend on the complexity of your printing.

INTERNET OR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

An Internet published newsletter can take a number of forms:

• This can be in HTML (that's regular web pages).

• PDF's (Portable Document Format). This format can be read on screen, but is frequently intended to be printed out.

• By Email to be sent directly to a subscribers list for your newsletter. This can be as regular plan (ASCI) text or the email can be made to look like a web page (in other words an email can actually contain HTML code).

• Your newsletter can be a combination between an email and a web page! This can be an interesting format as the reader would typically see a headline and read a summary or lead in paragraph of an article, before clicking on a link which takes the viewer to the full article online.

GOOD FOR YOUR POCKETBOOK
The greatest advantage of an online newsletter - in any of the forms above - is that it is virtually free to publish (though not quite, you will have some Internet Service Provider costs). Interestingly this actually turns out to be the greatest
draw-back of an online newsletter too. Because they are so cheap to produce, there tend to be a lot of them. As a result it becomes harder for the reader to select 'quality' newsletters over something akin to junk or Spam mail.

LESS IMPACT MAYBE, BUT EASIER DISTRIBUTION...
As we've already discussed, an online newsletter doesn't have the impact of the printed version. But it does have some obvious distribution advantages over a printed version of the newsletter.

Suppose that you're publishing your newsletter and sending it out to your membership (customers, potential customers, potential members…fill in the blank).

Where do you actually send it?

In most cases to their home or to their work.

But what if they're not at home or work? One great advantage of email and internet based newsletters is that the recipient can typically pick up their email from anywhere in the world. This means they can read your newsletter from anywhere in the world too! And when it comes to time sensitivity, you really can't beat the online world. It's instant. Or at least as instant as the regularity with which your reader checks their email or browses to your newsletter website.

FACTORS HELPING YOU DECIDE WHETHER TO PUBLISH IN PRINT OR ON THE NET.

You've probably already developed a good sense as to whether you plan to publish in real life or online, but just in case you're still in two minds, here's a quick check list:

• Budgets - if they are very tight then the Internet is your best bet.

• Impact - if you've just got to have stunning impact, then printing is always going to win out.

• Portability - Both printing and Internet versions have their advantages here. Paper is generally more portable, but the Internet has faster global reach.

by Michael Green