Internal Comms, Home

Editor's Notes

• #2: SUE Introduction Sue and Claire, Home 33 year old design agency, specialising in internal comms for 14 years Working with everyone from global giants HSBC to smaller, national brands such as Cancer research
• #3: SUE Here to talk about communications, which is traditionally seen as: Ugly sister to external comms Command and control, broadcast communications But this is all changing and, just as well, as we’re not very traditional, we believe in the power of internal communications to create employee engagement and truly mobilise employees
• #4: SUE AON HEWITT DEFINITION
• #5: CLAIRE But first, we want to briefly explore the relationship between int and ext: We like to compare it to the difference between a first date and a long term relationship. To help us with this analogy we thought we’d get some help from these guys…
• #6: CLAIRE Some retro Video Dating hopefuls
• #7: CLAIRE Play a minute
• #8: CLAIRE What did all of our Lotharios have in common? Well, like external brands do, they’re trying (albeit failing0 to present the most attractive version of themselves: They’re saying things they think you want to hear They’ve carefully managed what they look like They’re trying to be charming, alluring, seductive Just like external brand sdo. This is the promise the external brand makes.
• #9: CLAIRE An internal brand is more like a long term relationship, like June and Leon. By this time the allure and mystery presented in the first date is gone It’s more
• #10: An internal brand is more like a long term relationship, like June and Leon. By this time the allure and mystery presented in the first date is gone. You know the truth. The annoying habits, the day to day reality – essentially the truth. But as June and Leon demonstrate every week on gogglebox, that doesn’t need ot be negative – you can have a long and happy relationship in spite – and sometimes because – of these truths.
• #11: SUE The problem happens when you promise this (top picture) and deliver this reality
• #12: SUE Internal comms plays a really important part in ensuring the gap between the internal and external brand is minimal.
• #13: SUE And the key to a long, happy relationship is honesty, good communication and plenty of common ground.
• #14: SUE It’s the age old classic of ensuring that you don’t just talk the talk
• #15: SUE You walk the walk.
• #16: SUE That what you promised in the external brand, in that first date scenario, is what you deliver on someone’s first day as well as on their tenth year anniversary.
• #17: SUE The promise vs the reality What’s your favourite brand? What do you think it would be like to work there? What would you do if it was the opposite?
• #18: CLAIRE So why are internal comms important?
• #19: CLAIRE Because they allow people to stay in love with their company. They help people become emotionally entangled with a brand, so that it becomes part of them, part of something they believe, not just a 9-5 job, they become engaged in it.
• #20: CLAIRE Brands with a good reputation to work at both attract and retain the best talent around: Competitive job market, where candidates are increasingly choosing you as opposed to the other way round Having a strong brand helps you attract the right kind of talent, keeping that brand strong internally helps you keep it Being renowned for a good working environment is increasingly important for younger generations - they want brands that fit with their values, as well as be true to themselves
• #21: CLAIRE Once you have the talent, you need to ensure you get the most from it Recruitment market is fast paced as ever and gaining momentum Lifers are now the anomonly as opposed to the rule Therefore talent is transient - so you need to make the most of it when it’s with you Engaged employees STAT GOES HERE ABOUT INNOVATION
• #22: CLAIRE Internal comms impacts the bottom line too - for example in 2006 Gallup examined 23,910 businesses and compared top quartile and bottom quartile financial performance with employee engagement scores, finding that those with high engagement scores averaged: 18% higher productivity 12% higher profitability
• #23: CLAIRE Internal comms impacts the bottom line too - for example in 2006 Gallup examined 23,910 businesses and compared top quartile and bottom quartile financial performance with employee engagement scores, finding that those with high engagement scores averaged: 18% higher productivity 12% higher profitability
• #24: CLAIRE Internal comms impacts the bottom line too - for example in 2006 Gallup examined 23,910 businesses and compared top quartile and bottom quartile financial performance with employee engagement scores, finding that those with high engagement scores averaged: 18% higher productivity 12% higher profitability
• #25: CLAIRE In fact, you could see your client’s people as a whole new medium - a key part of any external media campaign
• #26: CLAIRE And because of these employees create your reputation
• #27: CLAIRE They can make or break it
• #28: CLAIRE At it’s best internal comms can create an army of brand advocates 78% would recommend their company’s products of services, against 13% of the disengaged. (Gallup)
• #29: CLAIRE At it’s best it creates an army of brand advocates 78% would recommend their company’s products of services, against 13% of the disengaged. (Gallup)
• #30: CLAIRE At it’s best it creates an army of brand advocates 78% would recommend their company’s products of services, against 13% of the disengaged. (Gallup) 67% against only 3% of the disengaged. (Gallup)
• #31: SUE But your people, and your client’s people, aren’t just sitting there waiting to be rallied and mobilised - they’re already out there, talking to their friends and family, speaking out on social media,
• #32: SUE So will they be a force for good or for evil?
• #33: SUE http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/opinion/why-i-am-leaving-goldman-sachs.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 NYT 1.25 million readership, went viral.
• #34: SUE Need people to uphold the magic. Created new language around internal comms, ‘cast members’ This mentality creates and incredible customer experience Walk Disney values: No cynicism • Nurturing and promulgation of "wholesome American values" • Creativity, dreams and imagination • Fanatical attention to consistency and detail • Preservation and control of the Disney "magic"
• #35: SUE http://winners.canneslions.com/2014/pr/entry.cfm?entryid=21063&award=101&order=0&direction=1&keywords=HSBC
• #36: SUE A whole new medium which can be good or evil
• #37: How can you ensure your people are a force for good?
• #39: PURPOSE Higher purpose, not making money Connect everyone with it, promote it, link everything you do back to it Let it lead your strategy and inform your decisions Be true to it, creating a culture in which that purpose is apparent every day
• #40: Live the brand from the inside out. It’s cheesy, but you should be as strict with it as your external brand. Every piece of internal comms should feel like it’s got the same tone and visual.
• #41: Empower line managers Face to face is still the most trusted and well liked internal comms channel, so make sure your line managers are on baord and engaged. Their role will increasingly become to be more like mentors
• #42: Encourage people to connect and learn from each other. Share best practice across your company so that everyone knows what excellent looks like
• #43: Make internal comms exciting Don’t neglect internal comms - mobilise it. In your next media schedule or external campaign, think about how colleagues can help shape, create and shout about it. Think about how they can bolster your communications.
• #44: That way you can create…