Executive Communication

3 biggest communication challenges of 2012

February 6, 2012

When asked to identify the greatest challenges we expect to face this year as corporate communicators, our IABC WestFair communicators presented a picture of life in the trenches, where responsibilities were anything but predictable and change was the only constant. Not surprisingly, the effective use of social media topped the list, followed closely by change [...]

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Curation, collaboration & crowdsourcing (oh, my): 3 ways communicators can add value

June 20, 2011

Matching the right technology platform and communication channel to the right organizational goal has become a core competency for corporate communicators, underscoring our role as facilitators of conversation in addition to communication planning, writing and editing. Using curation, collaboration and crowdsourcing (somebody slap me for using these 3 words in one sentence) communicators can facilitate [...]

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Social Media with Executive Support Bridges Gap between EE Appreciation and Inclusion

May 13, 2011

The promise of social media in the corporate context is inclusion—inclusive, consensual decision-making, not tacit acknowledgment. There’s a difference. I was privy to a conversation with an individual at a particular organization who left for a time and then returned: Senior leader: “I think you left because you felt like you weren’t appreciated for what [...]

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Redeeming the Lowly Employee Newsletter

March 7, 2011

When it comes to choosing communication channels employee newsletters are viewed as an anachronism by most organizations, harkening back to days when publishing required something more from us like manual layout, typesetting and the assistance of a graphics or print shop. Like other traditional communication vehicles, newsletters nosed out into traffic on the digital highway, [...]

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6 Ways Sarah Palin Uses Social Media to Stir the Beltway Status Quo

January 7, 2011

Sarah Palin’s unprecedented use of social media to set the agenda in Washington is something communication strategists and leaders should study, regardless of their political persuasion. “I tweet; that’s just the way I roll,” says Palin, somewhat annoyingly. But she’s no shrinking violet and doesn’t need our permission to speak out. Some say she should [...]

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Leader as Communicator—Five Engagement Competencies Every Leader Must Have

October 25, 2010

What are the engagement and communication competencies every organizational leader should possess during times of change? We counsel senior leaders, saying communication content must roll up to the strategic goals of the organization. But what does that mean, exactly? Does this corporate-speak belie the fact that a leader must be good with people? A look [...]

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Insert here: Using social media to align messages with existing workplace dialogue

May 7, 2010

The essential value of social media channels in the workplace is two-way conversation. Beyond the strictured medium of the employee (engagement) survey, social media channels allow the corporate communicator to listen in new ways, keeping an ear to the ground and driving engagement. Using tools like Digg we can learn which messages resonate most with [...]

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Eight good ways to break bad news

April 6, 2010

A client asked about the best way to share bad news, so I tried to share some useful guidelines. Much of this could apply to a manager sharing difficult news with a direct report, as it could to a corporate communicator with change management communication responsibilities. Be empathetic: Stating the facts simply and directly is [...]

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Four communication principles organizations can use to avoid the Tiger Woods effect in 2010

December 28, 2009

Public relations is counter-intuitive in the sense that it’s a study of what you’re communicating by choosing not to communicate. We’re not taught to think this way, and to do so seems slightly paranoid. Here’s a couple of communication principles organizations and senior leaders can put into practice in order to avoid the fallout—the Tiger [...]

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