|
||||||
| If you have been forwarded this email and want to subscribe sign up here | ||||||
| Special Offer | ||||||
|
Buy Communicating during economic downturn now |
||||||
| Featured Event | ||||||
| The 7th Annual Strategic Communication Management Summit London, UK 15-16 October 2008 Find out more |
||||||
| Job of the Week | ||||||
Internal Communications Officer |
||||||
| About Melcrum | ||||||
| Melcrum is a research and training business, expert in all aspects of internal communication. www.melcrum.com |
mandy.thatcher@melcrum.com
July 8th 2008
Regular face-to-face communication from managers to employees is always important, but when the business faces tough times, it's vital.
In Melrum's new special report on Communicating during economic downturn, author Aniko Czinege, CEO of Workwise Communication tackles the issue of preparing managers to discuss uncertainty and changes ahead.
"During a downturn, leaders and managers will undoubtedly be faced with communicating bad news or answering difficult questions. You can't have managers who aren't prepared as it only takes a few managers communicating inconsistently to start rumors." But being over-prepared can be counter-productive too, warns Czinege. Why?
Dos and don'ts of preparing leaders
"Don't let leaders and managers be over-prepared. It can be difficult for employees to feel comfortable opening up in a small event. They may not know the leader well and can feel exposed and nervous (especially during an economic downturn). If a leader is over-prepared
then it can look contrived.
"If the employees feel that the leader isn't really engaged and is just 'ticking a box' rather than being genuine and
interested in the employees, they won't open up. They're likely to feel that the leader obviously knows all the answers and has simply been
told to run a briefing.
"It can actually work in the leader's favor if they don't know all the answers and acknowledge that, as they'll seem more human and it will encourage employees to talk and ask questions. Of course, there's a fine balance and a leader totally unprepared will look unprofessional.”
To help with preparation, Czinege urges communicators to:
- Coach leaders and managers on how to be more approachable and respond positively to questions.
- Prepare leadership to communicate consistent core messages.
- Agree on a consistent leadership response to challenges and issues.
Also, don’t miss the Melcrum webinar on Communicating during an economic downturn presented by the report author, Aniko Czinege on 22 July.
See you next week!
P.S. Find out more about the Strategic Communication Management Summits taking place in your region soon.
Communication takes pole position during challenging times
Alex Manchester, The Internal Comms Hub, July 7, 2008.
New research published by MAP Consulting shows senior leaders are placing a greater emphasis on internal communication during difficult business times
How to better communicate with a global workforce
Martina Bartsch, Melcrum’s Communicators' Network, July 3, 2008
"I've implemented some new initiatives such as the comms champions group and a monthly news update, but I'm looking for more ideas of how to better communicate with our diverse employee base."
Virgin Media's internal communication charter
Abi Signorelli, The Melcrum Blog, July 4, 2008
Guest blogger Abi Signorelli shares Virgin Media's internal communication vision and charter, how social media is incorporated into this and what communication channels her team will be exploring in the near future.
The Source
for Communicators is a free resource for corporate communicators
from Melcrum Publishing.
Melcrum Publishing Ltd, The Glassmills, 322b King Street, London,
W6 0AX, UK
Melcrum Publishing, 449 N. Clark Street, Suite 305, Chicago, IL 60654,
USA
Melcrum Publishing, Level 12, 95 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
Copyright Melcrum Publishing Limited 2008.