For communication professionals, the matter of whether to pay one’s annual dues in a communications association is often a big question mark. Often the choice comes down to a me-centred choice: “what do I get for my money?” Yes, as I submitted my annual dues payment for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), I… Continue reading It’s time to join: why association membership has never been more important
Top-down hierarchy meets a four-dimensional world: making it all work
As an internal communicator, one of my biggest challenges has been to reconcile my understanding of both the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of hierarchy as a driver of communication, with the continuing demand for hierarchy-based communication tactics and approaches. I’m not a believer in the “committees over titles” approach known as “holacracy,” or other more anarchic… Continue reading Top-down hierarchy meets a four-dimensional world: making it all work
Four dimensions of internal influence: ambassadors, influencers, advocates and followers
One of the enduring memories of my undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin is a comment made by an otherwise forgotten Statistics professor: “There are two kinds of people in this world – those who think there are two kinds of people, and those who don’t.” When it comes to organizations and their social… Continue reading Four dimensions of internal influence: ambassadors, influencers, advocates and followers
Writing for leaders and managers – some things that work
As a communications professional working with senior leaders and managers in large organizations, I make no apologies for the fact that I like to write. For me, writing assignments are not simply opportunities for me to put my best foot forward with clients, they are also moments where I can help amplify and accelerate my… Continue reading Writing for leaders and managers – some things that work
What I would do with a research budget right now
As an internal communicator with a strong bias towards written communication and the use of survey research tools, I often have faced challenges from employers and potential clients over strategic and tactical preferences and precedents. In many organizations, tactical priorities and the budgets attached to them are non-negotiable, with employee engagement surveys and management conferences… Continue reading What I would do with a research budget right now
Putting the “I” back into Internal Communication
As I completed the last days of my six-month stint as an in-house internal communications (IC) pro, I recognized that I’ve picked up some substantial insights about the current state of IC. There’s an old saying: “there ain’t no ‘I’ in ‘team,’” but there is very much an “I” in Internal Communication. In fact, many… Continue reading Putting the “I” back into Internal Communication
Engagement? Awareness? How about Participation?
One of the challenges of business communication is that the objectives can get a bit murky from time to time. The longstanding pursuit of “engagement,” for instance, is the result of a term being exalted beyond its operational or actionable meaning – engagement is often being sought for its own sake without a direct connection… Continue reading Engagement? Awareness? How about Participation?
