Managing Internal Communications1-MICMTH
- 1. Managing Internal Communication Week 7 – Tools and channels Marianna Trimarchi, PhD 12 January 2024
- 2. Evaluation • At least 80% presence to classes • Group presentations (30% of the final grade) • At-home individual assignment (70% of the final grade) – min 55% to pass Group presentations: • performed in group and individually assessed • Based on workshops • Output is a power point • Presentation time split equally within the group Individual assignment: • fake company, but content based on module’s topics • slide-deck (15-25/excl front, end, references) with text, images, tables, graphs, etc. • Sunday, February 4th 2024, by 11:00 pm. Missing the deadline will imply fail and need to resit • Resit: April 21st 2024 – not to improve grade
- 3. Individual assignment ECOS is a Dutch company selling eco-friendly cosmetics and toiletry. Its name is well known amongst consumers due to a high environmental commitment that bans animal testing and a mission statement that aims at creating products that are “good for the planet and mankind”. The company has an established history of 19 years. Since the early beginning as a laboratory in the outskirts of Amsterdam, to date, ECOS has grown to a medium-size company, counting on almost 400 employees in the Netherlands. Its facilities include the headquarters in Amsterdam Zuid, where the operating company sits, and the production site with the warehouse, near Schiphol. The enabling functions are located in the city. For the past 5 years, ECOS has been shortlisted as “best place to work” at national level, thanks to the high scores recorded in the annual employee engagement surveys and to a distinctive human- centred company culture built around the values of equality, respect for nature and fairness. With the 20th anniversary approaching, ECOS wants to take a step forward in its environmental commitment and promote ECOS-V a Health&Sustainability initiative on vegan culture amongst its employees. The events taking place over the course of 2024 include presentations and webinars with key opinion leaders, social events and workshops, along with the canteen in the production site and the café in the headquarter excluding animal derivatives from their food supply. The main highlight and most awaited event of the year is ECOS-raw, 4 evening cooking classes, one per quarter, on raw food preparation. Costs will be covered by the company, and participation will be voluntary upon subscription to a max of 50 people per night. For the whole initiative, ECOS has established a steering committee made up of the leadership team and created a project team lead by the IC manager. Six ambassadors have been recruited in the company to grant representativeness of all departments and help with dissemination and engagement activities. An external agency was recruited to produce creative assets. You are the project lead for the whole initiative and you are now crafting the ad hoc communication campaign for ECOS-raw. Given the premises above and some assumptions that you can make: 1. Develop a proposal for how you would approach this project and what solutions you would propose to the steering committee 2. Create a communications plan to show how you would launch the project with employees. You can assume you have access to a budget for the whole initiative and that part of it can be put on the project. You have access to typical employee communications channels (email, Slack, intranet, meetings, etc) 3. Draft at least 3 text-based communications which would be included in your communications plan. You should use your creativity, strategic thinking, project management skills and ideate compelling key messages.
- 4. Our roadmap Introduction to internal communication Organization design Change management Leadership: the role of management Employee engagement and branding The communication plan Implementation and measurement Tools and channels
- 5. Overview of today’s lesson Learning objectives: after this lesson you are expected to understand: • Key messages and storytelling in a communications plan • The communication assets • Channels and tools to develop the communication plan Readings: • (Chapter 8 of the textbook) Quirke, B. (2008). Making the connections: Using internal communication to turn strategy into action. Routledge. • Ewing, M., Men, L. R., & O’Neil, J. (2019). Using social media to engage employees: Insights from internal communication managers. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 13(2), 110-132. • Deloitte (2014) The digital Workplace: think, share, do. Transform your employee experience. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/be/Documents/technology/The_digital_workplace_Deloitte.pdf
- 6. Agenda and activities Content • Messaging and storytelling in the communications plan • Communication assets: the communications toolkit • Channels: how to engage and inform
- 7. From our last lesson Communication value chain governance research Comm strategy insights message audience production assets deployment evaluation Definition Examples Interested groups Data collection Data interpretat ion Strategic planning Creative concepts Communica tion collaterals Creation of the assets and budgeting Roll-out, distribution, publishing, maintenance Monitoring, measurement, analysis All employees, leadership team, management Qualitative analysis, market analysis, benchmark User behaviour, target groups, analytics Content strategy, social media strategy Themes, key messages Speeches, articles, artwork, press release Creative agency, formats, translation, print/digital Channel management , community management Tracking, social listening, media monitoring channels Formal and informal vehicles Townhall, newsletter, conversatio ns, events
- 8. Message Communication value chain governance research Comm strategy insights message audience production assets deployment evaluation Definition Examples Interested groups Data collection Data interpretat ion Strategic planning Creative concepts Communica tion collaterals Creation of the assets and budgeting Roll-out, distribution, publishing, maintenance Monitoring, measurement, analysis All employees, leadership team, management Qualitative analysis, market analysis, benchmark User behaviour, target groups, analytics Content strategy, social media strategy Themes, key messages Speeches, articles, artwork, press release Creative agency, formats, translation, print/digital Channel management , community management Tracking, social listening, media monitoring channels Formal and informal vehicles Townhall, newsletter, conversatio ns, events
- 9. Key messages are informed by research RAW DATA TRANSCRIBED DATA INFORMATION CLUSTERS INSIGHTS FRAMEWORKS OPPORTUNITIES Information and data collected from research in the form of notes, transcripts, photos. A transcription of most important and relevant data onto post-its, already undergoing a selection and consolidation process. A process of information clustering, done by grouping of findings based on their similar nature. The formation of clear, deep, and meaningful interpretations of data. A systemic way of presenting insights in frameworks, which enable and support decision making. Statements that inform the strategy NOTES PHOTOS INTERVIEWS CLUSTER 1 CLUSTER 2 CLUSTER 3 CLUSTER 1 CLUSTER 2 CLUSTER 3 PERSONAS, JOURNEYS OPPORTUNITIES SUMMARIZED INTO STATEMENTS Customer Journey Persona profile
- 10. Key messages They articulate what you do, why you do it, and what value you bring to stakeholders They serve as the foundation of a communication effort and should be reflected in all written and spoken communications Key messages are the main points of information you want your audience to hear, understand, and remember They help to prioritize and define information ensuring consistency, continuity and accuracy when speaking with the stakeholders
- 11. Key messages relate with the communication goal Organizations expect to see results and communicators are exhorted to think about Outcomes (the beneficial impact they should be having) rather than Outputs (the content that they produce) (Yeomans, 2008) What do we want to achieve? How does this relate to the wider agenda (strategy and mission)? What are the implications/what is the impact? What process should be put in place? DEFINE THE GOAL
- 12. What do we want to achieve? Adapted from Gregory 2014 Conative (doing) Affective (emotional) Cognitive (thinking/knowing) Drivers for human action What should people do as a result of the communication? How should people feel as a result of the communication? What should people know as a result of the communication? Are there specific behaviours that the organization wants to promote? (e.g. good customer service, safe working place…) What do people need to believe to prompt the desired behaviorus? (e.g. customer service is crucial for the company strategy, safety is a personal responsibility) What information do people need to shape their beliefs? (e.g. support with data on customer satisfaction, case studies about safety in the workplace)
- 13. Different communication needs An organisation will want to identify those groups who need to be more deeply involved than others perhaps because of their skills, expertise or authority. Accordingly, different groups will need different approaches to communication. (Yeomans 2008) Communication need Be aware Understand Support Be committed Be involved announce, state, introduce: you want people to know explain, comprehend, relate inspire, excite, galvanise demonstrate, teach, describe: you want people to be educated participate, join, compete
- 14. The core team has multiple groups to address Steering committee Ambassadors External/creativ e partners Core team Audiences (depending on level of interest/concern) Key messages Key messages Key messages Key messages are the same, but should be addressed with different styles, moods and tone of voice as the communication need of each addressed group differs
- 15. Different audiences Interest/Concern Reassure Concerned Don’t need to be Inform not concerned Don’t need to be wake-up Not concerned Need to be Engage Concerned Need to be Quirke, 2008
- 16. How different audiences are impacted Interest/Concern Reassure Concerned Don’t need to be Inform not concerned Don’t need to be wake-up Not concerned Need to be Engage Concerned Need to be Target group Ambassadorship program All employees Intranet general announcement Target group Project channel Target group stakeholders Invitation to event
- 17. How to develop key messages Align, validate and approve key messages with the sponsor Key messages What overarching message are we telling? Why is this important to the target audience? Why is it different? What are the benefits? Mood: What emotions does it appeal to? Credible: Facts, figures, statistics, stories, visuals to sustain the message Concise: 3-5 key messages per topic, 1-2 sentences each Relevant: what does your audience need to know? Simple: easy-to- understand language (avoid jargon and acronyms) Memorable: easy to recall and repeat Tailored to different target audiences (language and depth of information) Communication goal (what we want to achieve)
- 18. Storytelling Can you write a story in six words? “Baby shoes. For sale. Never worn.” (E. Hemingway) “Found true love. Married someone else” “Coyote howls, dark night, flat tire.” “Wax wings. High hopes. Long fall.” “Loved a broad. She moved abroad” “Old neighbours, once enemies, now friends” Conveying information through stories makes them interesting to the audience, and more memorable. It gives communication a human face.
- 19. What story do we want to tell? We believe in a world where … (This is the focus of the story expressed as a belief) We know in that world that … (This is the problem statement) Which is why we … (This is the product, service or behaviour) So we make sure … (This is what you do to resolve the problem statement) You can choose to highlight a character (a testimonial, an ambassador, a general character) and add facts and figures that support the story. Call to action! What do you expect the audience to do after your story?
- 20. NHS – UK vaccination campaign Problem statement: 28,189 people died from the flu in 2015. It’s vital that NHS staff receive flu jabs to protect others and to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus Objective: staff engagement campaign to encourage NHS employees to have the seasonal flu vaccine to protect patients • achieve 75% staff vaccination by 31 December 2016 • win pockets of resistance in the local workforce • highlight the benefits of having the flu vaccine Governance: Six NHS Trusts Cross-trust group of communications professionals Clinical delivery teams (ambassadors) Liverpool-based creative agency https://ciprawards.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/08_NHS_Merseyside.pdf
- 21. Research process 1. Staff insight (focus groups) that highlighted a recurring theme of ‘flu-season fatigue’. It also identified some common staff myths/excuses for not having the vaccine, such as: • “I don’t need it, I never get flu” • ‘It makes you ill” • “It doesn’t work” • “I’m too busy” 2. Research/planning with best practices from previous approaches 3. Creative concepts/ideas pitched to sounding board, and three preferred options were pre-tested with staff to help ensure maximum resonance 4. Imagery/messaging was then further amended/refined based on identified staff feedback Gap analysis for the action plan Raw data from primary research (directly with target audience) turned into insights secondary data Prototyping, test and validation
- 22. #JabDone Communication strategy: light-hearted and humorous puns and gentle sarcasm to challenge common myths/excuses bold/colourful creative, eye-catching typography/graphics Direct, no-nonsense tone (didn’t “beat around the bush”) Overarching message: No excuses. Head on to ‘just get the #jabdone’ Why is this important to the target audience? Why is it different? What are the benefits?. Mood: What emotions does it appeal to? Credible: Facts, figures, statistics, stories, visuals to sustain the message Concise: 3-5 key messages per topic, 1-2 sentences each Relevant: what does your audience needs to know? Simple: easy-to- understand language (avoid jargon and acronyms) Memorable: easy to recall and repeat Tailored to different target audiences (language and depth of information)
- 24. Assets Communication value chain governance research Comm strategy insights message audience production assets deployment evaluation Definition Examples Interested groups Data collection Data interpretat ion Strategic planning Creative concepts Communica tion collaterals Creation of the assets and budgeting Roll-out, distribution, publishing, maintenance Monitoring, measurement, analysis All employees, leadership team, management Qualitative analysis, market analysis, benchmark User behaviour, target groups, analytics Content strategy, social media strategy Themes, key messages Speeches, articles, artwork, press release Creative agency, formats, translation, print/digital Channel management , community management Tracking, social listening, media monitoring channels Formal and informal vehicles Townhall, newsletter, conversatio ns, events
- 25. Communication assets Once the key messages are defined, what type of documents, assets and collaterals better tell our story and facilitate the dissemination of those messages? Goal What do we want to achieve? E.g. informing is different than involving – what materials better serve this scope? What is the impact we want to have on each group? 1 Audiences + stakeholders Who are we talking to? what is the culture of our target audience? What are their ways of working? e.g. an employee in the warehouse needs different tools than a sales representative who is usually travelling An ambassador is different than both of them 2 Format Digital v physical Depending on the audience, what format/size suits their needs best? What is the desired use/action? e.g. an ambassador might need to edit a file A poster might need a specific size depending on where it should be placed A pin might be more comfortable to wear than a t-shirt 3
- 26. The communication toolkit Core communication materials: Presentations (Power Point) Brochures, leaflets/flyers, one pagers, infographics, posters, quick cards… Screensavers Banners, GIFs Videos, interviews, demos Gadgets, giveaways …. BE CREATIVE! Create a repository! It is important to create a repository for the communication toolkit that the interested parties can access (e.g. Team, dedicated page in the intranet, shared folder…) Supporting materials: Are necessary to help with the dissemination of the core communication materials (announcements, press releases, speeches, news) Create visual consistency! It is important that the materials relate/complement each other through unitary graphics (e.g. logo, coordinated image, colours, font…)
- 27. #JabDone communication toolkit Each NHS Trust could pick/choose a mix of digital and print elements from: • A3/A4 posters • Postcards (attached on employee payslips) featuring flu facts/myths • Digital graphics for screens, internet/intranet banners • Template copy for staff emails, e-bulletins, press releases, staff magazines • Social media planner & fun ‘flu-fact’ graphics for use on twitter/facebook • Branded giveaways eg. #Jabdone stickers, lollies • Speech-bubble boards for use at staff vaccination sessions to post own selfies with #Jabdone on social media and encourage other so to do it as well
- 28. Examples of communication collaterals
- 29. Channels Communication value chain governance research Comm strategy insights message audience production assets deployment evaluation Definition Examples Interested groups Data collection Data interpretat ion Strategic planning Creative concepts Communica tion collaterals Creation of the assets and budgeting Roll-out, distribution, publishing, maintenance Monitoring, measurement, analysis All employees, leadership team, management Qualitative analysis, market analysis, benchmark User behaviour, target groups, analytics Content strategy, social media strategy Themes, key messages Speeches, articles, artwork, press release Creative agency, formats, translation, print/digital Channel management , community management Tracking, social listening, media monitoring channels Formal and informal vehicles Townhall, newsletter, conversatio ns, events
- 30. Horizontal and vertical communication Poor coordination across functions and sectors Poor internal communication Top down laissez faire senior management style Inadequate down the line leadership skills and development Ineffective senior management Quality of implementation Quality of direction create alignment of a strategy Horizontal communication Vertical communication exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences - managerial, behavioral and disciplinary topics create alignment throughout the organization in support of a strategy Give direction and context to the business: 1. Top down, formal communication (inform and align) 2. Informal communication (engage, energize, motivate, refocus) Exchange knowledge, ideas and experiences - managerial, behavioral and disciplinary topics General information on the status quo Simple and easy to read Inform, influence, negotiate Cascading: create alignment throughout the organization in support of the strategy
- 31. Mediated vs informal communication What is most engaging? Informal Mediated Mazzei, 2019
- 32. Communication channels STEERING COMMITTEE (SPONSOR) Takes strategic decisions on direction, budget… PROJECT LEAD (INTERNAL COMMS TEAM) Defines workstream roles & responsibilities, timelines, allocates budget, leads core team & extended team, ... – reports to steering committee Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Create a stronger connection with target audience (understand the need, disseminate message, foster adoption What channels should the internal communication team use with each stakeholder group? Agency Experts
- 33. Communication channels STEERING COMMITTEE (SPONSOR) Takes strategic decisions on direction, budget… PROJECT LEAD (INTERNAL COMMS TEAM) Defines workstream roles & responsibilities, timelines, allocates budget, leads core team & extended team, ... – reports to steering committee Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Create a stronger connection with target audience (understand the need, disseminate message, foster adoption What channels should the internal communication team use with each stakeholder group? Meetings (online/offline) Events Meetings (online/offline) Internal channels (Yammer, Slack, Teams, Sharepoint, Google Currents) Intranet page Trainings Events Meetings Online/ Offline Repositories Meetings Online/ Offline Events Agency Experts
- 34. How to choose the right channel What is the communication need? Do we need to generate feedback? Do we need to create a personal focus? Media richness High Low Personal static media (newsletters, townhalls) Physical presence (face-to-face meetings) Interactive media (community posts, social media) Impersonal static media (posters, flyers, press releases) Media richness theory (Daft & Lengel 1986)
- 35. Different communication needs Communication need Be aware Understand Support Be committed Be involved Newsletter Email Intranet news Townhall Promo video Conference Team meeting/communi ty call Feedback session Best practices Seminar Workshop Training Team building Sharing session Update/touchpoint Talkback Impact Adapted from Quirke (2008)
- 36. Factors determining channel efficacy Scope Speed Be aware Be informed Support Be committed Be involved Fast (instant comm) Slow (it is not important when it will be received) Real time (streaming) Static (long life cycle) Audience Small Big/all organization Also external Tone Informal Formal Rather formal
- 37. IC channels to deliver the message Email/announcement Newsletter/magazines articles Internal Social Media/ instant messaging Memos/instant messaging Printed/digital signage (internal TV, noticeboard, displays) Manager-employee dialogue/ feedback Event/Townhall meeting News on intranet Survey/quick pulse Podcast Leadership blog Company Apps Push/Pull Understand/engage/create community Company apps Seminars/workshops Event page Team briefing/touchpoints Wikis/tips&tricks Intranet/intranet page Video/infographics Ambassadors/champions Trainings Collective activity Forums
- 38. Communication value chain governance research Comm strategy insights message audience production assets deployment evaluation Definition Examples Interested groups Data collection Data interpretat ion Strategic planning Creative concepts Communica tion collaterals Creation of the assets and budgeting Roll-out, distribution, publishing, maintenance Monitoring, measurement, analysis All employees, leadership team, management Qualitative analysis, market analysis, benchmark User behaviour, target groups, analytics Content strategy, social media strategy Themes, key messages Speeches, articles, artwork, press release Creative agency, formats, translation, print/digital Channel management , community management Tracking, social listening, media monitoring channels Formal and informal vehicles Townhall, newsletter, conversatio ns, events Lesson 8
- 39. Exercise: messaging and channels Company X has just launched UNMUTE, an anti-harassment speak-up line to report against bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination to ensure dignity and respect in the workplace for all employees. You are the internal communications team and have to write a short text for the following situations: • Message from the CEO • News • Message to all employees • Message to the ambassadors Imagine the situation you are in, the channel where you will deliver the message, the language and style. GOAL: create a safe work environment through joint commitment. Employees should report any unacceptable behaviour they witness that might affect their peers.
- 40. Our roadmap Introduction to internal communication Organization design Change management Leadership: the role of management Employee engagement and branding The communication plan Implementation and measurement Tools and channels
- 41. Wrap up Key learnings: • Messaging and storytelling in the communications plan • Communication assets: the communication toolkit • Channels: how to inform and engage
- 42. For next week Pre-reads: • (Chapter 8 of the textbook) Quirke, B. (2008). Making the connections: Using internal communication to turn strategy into action. Routledge. • Lev, B. (2004), Sharpening the Intangibles Edge, Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/2004/06/sharpening- the-intangibles-edge • Kaplan, R.S. & Norton, D.P. (1992). The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance, Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/1992/01/the-balanced-scorecard-measures-that-drive-performance-2 Preparation • What are the challenges of measuring IC? • How can we define success in IC? • How do we measure it? What can we use as effective metrics?
- 43. See you next week THANK YOU!