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Chaos theory says that if a butterfly in Australia flaps its wings, the tiny changes that this action creates in the atmosphere could ultimately create a tsunami that would hit the West Coast of the U.S.
As communicators, you are currently faced with a tsunami of a different kind: the task of explaining and interpreting how global financial and economic upheaval (with origins in one country) affects your employees, donors, volunteers, investors, taxpayers and customers.
If this is your first recession, you’re probably overwhelmed by the headlines, dire predictions, widespread gloom and doom, and of course, the endless supply of red ink. Take a deep breath. There is no one-size-fits-all communication program that you can download and put into play.
Instead, you must create a communication program tailored to each specific audience, focusing on the areas most important to that audience. Employees want information about jobs, pensions, layoffs and long-term outlook. Retirees want assurance about their pension or retirement funds. Investors need proof that they will get a return on their investment. Customers want to know if your business will stay open or declare bankruptcy, or even if it will continue to honor gift cards.
For help with each of these focused areas and others, here are some resources.
Kathy Collura of Collura Consulting recently produced The Corporate Communicators’ Guide: Employee Communication and the Financial Market Crisis, in which she outlines some of employees’ biggest worries (job security, paychecks, retirement savings and insurance) and what communicators can do to address them. Perhaps the greatest benefit is the section on “Planning Questions and Discussion Points,” which provides specific questions for use with business and HR leaders. For more information visit Collura Consulting.
For many audiences, specific upheavals aren’t as worrisome as the larger upheaval itself. We are more comfortable with yesterday than we are with tomorrow. And we like being in control of our own destiny.
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., has written and lectured on change for 25 years. In a monograph produced earlier this year, she reflected on what she has learned about communicating change to employees and how these lessons are especially beneficial today. Some of Kinsey Goman’s key messages about change communication include the following:
- “It isn’t about strategy. It’s about people.”
- “Emotion is more powerful than logic.”
- “What [employees] see is more powerful than what you say.”
- “Informal communication is more powerful than formal communication.”
- “Nonverbal communication is more powerful than verbal communication.”
Another monograph, this one called “Thriving on Discontinuous Change,” focuses on understanding both incremental change (“the process of continuous development”) and discontinuous change (“large-scale transformation that turns organizations inside out and upside down”) and how to put that knowledge to use for your audiences.
For more information visit Kinsey Consulting Services.
What should your leadership be doing?
According to an October 2008 KRC Research effort, leaders haven’t been doing much to assuage employee fears and provide information. The survey results showed that 71 percent of people “felt that their company’s leadership should be communicating more about current economic problems,” while 54 percent of respondents stated that they “had not heard from their leadership about the possible impact of the economic crisis on their company.”
The survey also showed that 74 percent of respondents indicated that they had heard both co-workers and colleagues discussing the crisis.
In an article published on 20 October, Ragan Consulting’s Jim Ylisela wrote: “Tell employees the truth: Don’t run from bad news.” Ylisela states that “Candor should be all the rage these days,” and compares many employee publications with the old Soviet Union’s Pravda, arguably the best-known propaganda sheet, which never carried the truth but always portrayed a joyful (if starving) and enthusiastic (if freezing) populace.
To bring this point home, Ylisela cited recent headlines from company publications such as “Let’s continue our momentum,” “Let’s keep it up!” and “Our momentum continues!”
According to Ylisela, there are ramifications to avoiding bad news: “Cheerleading destroys readership. The absence of bad news turns the rumor mill into the only legitimate way of getting information. Morale nosedives.” For more insight, visit ragan.com.
One of the great challenges for communicators is how to provide information that is, at times, complex, constantly changing and often frightening. Communicators should remember that people don’t take in and retain information in the same way. Some people prefer print; others prefer electronic media. Some learn best with video, while others feel that audio is best. Some will want charts and graphs; others learn better with examples and detailed explanations. Some want assurances from inside the company; others rely on outside experts’ views. Many want in-person discussions with those in leadership positions; some will wait for the reviews.
Your communication plan should be in-depth, long-term and repetitious, and should use all media that makes the most sense given your specific organization and situation. This may not be the best time to delve into all the social media possibilities, but don’t discount them either. It all depends on the communication preferences of your audiences.
Also, it is of key importance to constantly and consistently measure and evaluate your audiences’ acceptance and understanding of your message. This economic crisis could last for several years, so be prepared to repeat your message(s) loudly and routinely.
In the same way that an umbrella does nothing to protect against a tsunami, inadequate communication practices do not provide the kind of audience support your organization needs to weather a financial storm.
Wilma Mathews, ABC, IABC Fellow, is a writer/editor based in Phoenix, Arizona. She is co-author of On Deadline: Managing Media Relations (now available in Chinese) and author of numerous articles on communication topics. |
