Improve Communication

I'm not.

I've admitted that here on this blog. But in a lot of large corporations, employee engagement surveys can be a necessary evil for employee communication professionals. You can only fight them for so long. 

So if your company is bound and determined to conduct an engagement survey, here are some tips from CustomInsight to improve the response rate. 

1. Ensure anonymity. 
2. Secure an endorsement from senior management. 
3. Keep the survey brief. 
4. Explain the benefits to all employees. 
5. Explain the next steps. 
6. Follow through on your promises. 
7. Offer...

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I'll be the first to admit that I do not make New Year's resolutions. But people making promises and commitments to themselves is a good thing. Melcrum published a piece about 8 New Year's resolutions for internal communication pros. 

Some are weak, but some also have a lot of value. I added my two cents in italics. Here we go...

1. Think of outcome, not output

   Focus on business outcomes, not simply on producing communication collateral. Use communication as a means to an end, not an end in itself. There’s a big difference between saying “who’s got...

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We put a lot of work into our blog (and I hope those that read it find our posts helpful). I thought I'd go back and find the top eight most-read blog posts from the past year. Why eight? Because it was a crazy year. 

I hope you enjoy. 

1. If you're in employee communications, watch this video now
    
2. The top holiday gift ideas for internal communicators
    
3. What impact did Twitter have on the IABC World Conference? 
    
4. Digital signage and the Powerpoint problem
    
5. Repetition is key to successful internal communication
    
6. Another incredible milestone for the...

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Our friends at IPG's MediaLab certainly know how to throw a party – from innovative eats (pizza hanging from meat hooks), a funked up DJ and highly attentive service hosts, this launch event in NYC yesterday evening was definitely Madison Avenue-style (actually 100 West 33rd to be precise).  With roaming camera crews, floating celebs, and of course the hip swinging robot with cute LED blue eyes – guests were put at ease to casually learn and get hands-on experience of some of the cutting edge (some of them bleeding) applications of technology...Read More »

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).

Sebastian White, JetBlue Airways: “How Culture Drives Business Performance”

• JetBlue is now the largest airline in New York City. 
• Focus on service starts inside with a fanatacism toward culture: Safety, Caring, Integrity, Fun and Passion. 
• To combat declining JD Power scores, they created a "Culture is Service" to drive improved business results. 
• JetBlue asked front-facing...

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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).


Pete Tosches, The ServiceMaster Company: "'Who Uses That Website Anyway?' Communication Secrets from the Front Lines"

• Under the ServiceMaster umbrella are brands like TruGreen, Terminix, and merry maids. 
• They have 24,000 full-time employees & another 5,000 seasonal, with no work PCs, no email and no office phone. 
• Producitivity drives revenue, which is why it's a tough conversation...

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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).

Renee Kopkowski, Mars Chocolate North America: “The Power of Intentional Conversations”

• 82% of employees are manufacturing associates and there are more than 3,500 across the US at 10 different sites. 
• Business is based on 5 principles - quality, efficiency, freedom, responsibility and mutuality.
• In 2007, company noticed that employee engagement scores were very low (17% engaged).
• Sta...

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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).

Tom Walter, Tasty Catering: "Engage or Entangle? How to Link Communications Objectives That Result in Employee Entanglement"

• Tasty Catering has a unique approach from other companies with regards to hiring. They bring people in to train them on the culture at a young age (high school and college). 
• 2010 Gallup Poll said that the average company has 49% not engaged and 19% actively...

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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). 

Guenther Scherelis and Tommi Paris, Volkswagen Group of America: “Building a New Plant with New People in a New Place: The Role of Internal Communications at Volkswagen Chattanooga”

• Many don't know that the Volkswagen brand family includes Audio, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti. In 2010, Volkswagen was third internationally in vehicle sales. 
• Volkswagen closed a US plant in 1988...

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To say the role of a corporate communicator is diverse would be like saying the Sistine Chapel has a nice ceiling painting. And maybe that's laying it on a bit heavy but the point is that corporate communications staffs have so much on their shoulders. 

When it's being responsible for tracking public relations activities, managing corporate social responsibility or coordinating employee communication activities, they carry a hefty load. (And this is just highlighting the "fun" activities. It's always about improving communication. . . or should...Read More »