#mslconnect11 live blog: John Deere's Kim Lott & Wendy Davies-Popelka

Rather than bother everybody's Twitter stream with updates, I thought it would be better to provide presentation thoughts here (and serves as good note-taking for me).

Kim Lott and Wendy Davies-Popelka, John Deere: “Connecting with Disconnected Employees: Successfully Communicating with Staff Who Aren’t Wired”

The legacy of John Deere is something employees hold dear. The company is committed to "those linked to the land."
Manufacturing sites in 16 countries and conduct business in 35 countries. Employee communications is translated into as many as 14 different languages.
Once a year, company distributes printed collateral that aligns goals with corporate strategy. Use the same icons that align back to other communication.
Like a lot of other companies John Deere uses "jam sessions" to bring in small groups to discuss internal topics.
Employees were asked to fill out "commitment cards" to identify personal goals, as well as what they will do to help other succeed and to connect with customers.
John Deere encourages customer interactions with employees, either through webcasts or live presentations. Marketing captured employee comments and then share those with employees.
"Deere Sightings" encourages employees to share photos of seeing the John Deere brand out in the community. This gets employees involved in employee communications.