Archive for category: Look Who’s Talking

Anne Bleeker, Managing Partner at In2Consulting, offers her thoughts on internal communications as a necessity for companies in the region…

There are far too many organisations out there that still see internal communication as they used to see public relations: as a fluffy, soft-skill, nice-to-have department

Is silence really golden? Certainly not when it comes to internal communication. Sadly, many organisations still believe it is best not to tell employees what’s going on or to share important information. But guess what? You communicate whether you like it or not through formal communications, policies and procedures, systems and the behaviour of management. And more importantly, you can communicate through silence. There is no ‘opt out’, so if we are communicating anyway, we may as well think about it and do it well.

It’s surprising that not more organisations see the immense benefit that internal communication and strong employee engagement can bring to the table, and the bottom line. There are far too many organisations out there that still see internal communication as they used to see public relations: as a fluffy, soft-skill, nice-to-have department that sits anywhere but around the boardroom table.

I see internal communications as communication ‘from the inside out’. Not using your most credible colleagues, your most passionate people and your most active advocates to reach out to your audiences seems ludicrous. It’s a lost opportunity, and a costly one.

According to the UAE Executive Summary of Towers Watson’s 2012 Global Workforce Study, “23% of UAE employees are investing energy to overcome ‘substantial obstacles’ to get their work done, but less than half (49%) feel they have their supervisor’s support in doing so. Only 57% believe they have the necessary tools and resources to achieve exceptional performance and even fewer feel they have access to the training they need to be productive.” What about the other roughly 50% of employees? How are they getting through the day? A scary thought.

Employees want to be informed, and in order to do their jobs well they need to understand how they contribute individually to the overall success of the organisation. Communication around strategy therefore needs to be clear, transparent, regular and honest, and that’s exactly what a strong internal communications capacity provides.

Strong internal communication gets everybody ‘on the same page’ so they can work effectively towards common goals; it helps create a workplace that motivates people – and one they don’t want to leave; it enables everybody to do a better job, so you have happier customers and a more successful business.

I group the business benefits of internal communication into five core areas:

1. Line of Sight: “I know where the company is headed and the part I am expected to play.”
2. Reputation: “I say good things about my company and am a good ambassador.”
3. Change Management: “I understand what changes are happening and why, and how I should respond.”
4. Regulation & Compliance: “I follow all the rules and regulations associated with my role.”
5. Engagement: “I am motivated to perform well at work.”

And here is how it impacts your bottom line: the Towers Watson 2013–2014 Change and Communication ROI Study Report states, “a continued strong relationship between superior financial performance and effective communication, and change management. Companies with high effectiveness in change management and communication are three and a half times more likely to significantly outperform their industry peers than firms that are not effective in these areas.”

Internal communication is no longer ‘nice to have’, but a ‘must-have’. It’s a true business enabler that optimises the flow of information within the organisation and helps improve individual and organisational performance. Communication matters.

“Like a human being, a company has to have an internal communications mechanism, a nervous system, to coordinate its actions.” – Bill Gates.

 

Anne Bleeker is Managing Partner at In2 Consulting. Follow her on Twitter @Annedubai 

Helen Spearman, Editor of good magazine, explains why less is more in when it comes to press release distribution…

I’m polite 99.2% of the time, but that 0.8% is reserved for people calling before I’ve had the chance to read an irrelevant email

I went downstairs for a coffee this morning and came back to 24 emails. In approximately four minutes. I felt each one buzz through in my back pocket, but I wasn’t filled with dread as they arrived. It was annoyance that multiplied 24 times in that time. Want to know why? Because I confidently knew that around 80% of those emails would be irrelevant. Not irrelevant to the PR who sent them, their client or perhaps a handful of magazines that would publish them, but irrelevant to my magazine and me.

I’ve worked in PR and marketing, I’ve sent those mass mail outs, and heard the echo of my inbox when journalists don’t reply. I get it. It’s easier to send that press release to everyone, and then tell the client how many editors have received it. But the long-term effect of all those emails to all those (disinterested) editors is very, very damaging.

There are some PR agencies, and some particular individuals, whose emails I can predict won’t be of interest and I can delete with glee before reading – they could send the most bang-on snippet on the planet, but their previous form for sending guff (technical term) means that, chances are, I’ll have already disregarded it.

Do your research. On me, on the magazine, on our readers. Know what’s in the title’s sections, and understand why that client would or would not be appropriate. By all means make suggestions, but not scattergun, vague suggestions about including it ‘somewhere’. Put some thought into what would work and where in each title. Yes, it’s more work, but there’s something to be said for quality over quantity, and building relationships with journalists.

We all know that these emails go to everyone (especially when PRs forget to use BCC – cue angry ‘reply all’s’ that last for days), and we know that some poor junior exec is going to follow up by phone, but please PLEASE don’t call within five minutes of pressing send. I’m polite 99.2% of the time, but that 0.8% is reserved for people calling before I’ve had the chance to read an irrelevant email.

Let’s keep the communication lines open. If your client is the perfect fit (not just in their mind) for a particular magazine and it makes sense for both sides to work together, make it just that – a collaboration. A quick personal email will do so much more good than banging out an anonymous mail merger effort. And if you do use mail merger, at least have the good sense to use the same font/colour for the addressee’s name as the body copy. Major red flag. And make sure your colleague isn’t sending the same email to the same mailing list.

Above all, though, it’s about managing the expectation of the client, being honest with them about what’s really newsworthy and communicating what coverage they can realistically expect. They might want ten press releases per month, but saturating the market (and everyone’s inbox) could mean that they end up with nothing. And their PR might never get a reply to an email.

 

Helen Spearman is Editor of good magazine. Follow her on Twitter @helen_spearman

Matt Eventoff offers his thoughts on why effective public speaking is a vital skill in the media industry, and gives some insider tips to keep us on track…

Do not talk at the audience, speak with them. A speech is a conversation – it is always about the audience, not you

Public speaking can – and should be – an indispensable component in the career growth ‘toolkit’ of any executive or professional; this is especially true for those in the communication and media space. By virtue of what we do every day, we are often ‘on’ and a lot is expected. Clients, colleagues and co-workers expect that we can communicate effectively across all mediums, and that includes speaking publicly.

You may be asked to take the podium at an awards dinner or to address a room full of clients on campaign updates. The size is irrelevant, and the skills required are the same. So what are some ways that a media pro can become an even more talented public speaker? One way is to view public speaking in a different way from the preconception you might have when the word ‘speech’ comes to mind – that you are in it alone. A speech is not a solo act – a speech is actually a conversation.

While only one party may be verbally communicating, all parties are communicating. Looking away, shaking one’s head, raising one’s brow, disinterest or a face anchored in stoicism are all forms of communication, and are all part of a conversation. Smiling, nodding, clapping, cheering and riveted attentiveness are also part of a conversation. Walking out of a conference room and doing nothing is also part of the conversation – usually the end of it!

So what can one do to ensure that a speech or presentation is in fact a productive conversation that results in career growth and positive outcome? Here are just a few ways:

1) Involve your audience – Do not talk at the audience, speak with them. This involves researching your audience in the same way you would research a client before pitching for business.

2) Pay attention to personal pronouns – Shy away from using a lot of I and me and focus more on we and us. A speech is a conversation – it is always about the audience, not you. Be careful and aware of the pronouns that you use and the messages those pronouns might convey.

3) I mean really involve your audience – When presenting on communication or rhetoric, involve an audience early on by asking a question to one or two participants. Not a confrontational question. Not a heavy question. A question that generates a short response, which activates the audience and puts everyone at ease (the presenter included!).

Finally, when you present, you always feel much more nervous than you appear. Always. So relax, and enjoy!

 

Matt Eventoff is the owner of Princeton Public Speaking. Follow him on Twitter @matt_eventoff

In the world of PR, the client/agency relationship can sometimes be a rocky road. PR Guru Sophie Toh attempts to decipher the encrypted relationship, while outlining her dream client wish list… 

Is it them or us? Has the relationship stalled? Like an insecure lover, we live in constant fear of being dumped

Running a PR agency is a tricky business. Not only do you have to worry about dazzling prospective clients with your proposals, networking day and night and being a whizz at team and time management, but you also have to keep your clients happy.

The thought of keeping up with the spoken and unspoken expectations of a healthy stable of clients, all with vastly different characters, backgrounds, specialisms and from such a rich range of nationalities is enough to make even the toughest of us lose a wink of sleep. We agencies worry constantly about the quality of our client relationships, constantly picking them over and needing to dissect and analyse them. Is it them or us? Has the relationship stalled? Like an insecure lover, we live in constant fear of being dumped.

So imagine our consternation when we read the latest body of research from the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) that reveals a fascinating gulf between agencies and clients in what they feel matters most in their relationships. Perhaps the biggest agency misconception is that personal chemistry matters. Over half (51 per cent) of agency respondents thought it was the key ingredient, whilst just less than one quarter (19 per cent) of clients agreed. Meanwhile, 17 per cent of agencies thought ‘regularity of communication’ mattered, but only six per cent of clients did. It seems that agencies think they are having a relationship, while clients think they are having a transaction.

Even more puzzling is the business of effectiveness. Almost half of those from agencies thought ‘demonstrating ROI’ was key, but in contrast only 34 per cent of clients agreed. On the other hand, only 27 per cent of agencies thought value for money was key, compared with 38 per cent of clients.

So where does that leave us?  Simply put, it seems that agencies are trying to prove the payback on each and every project, examining the micro over the macro and living in danger of over thinking ourselves out of the picture. The reassuring take away from this study is that overstretched clients simply do not have the time for such detail – they just want to know their PR budget has been well spent. So we should calm down and avoid obsessing over the detail and the volume of correspondence we exchange each and every day. Time to take a breath.

Crossing over the fence, we did an informal straw poll at TOH Towers about what qualities we love in our clients.  Here’s our dream client list:

 

• Trusts you and lets you get on with your job
• Understands PR, but equally understands we are the experts
• Is clear about what they want, so we can over deliver
• Tells us when we’re wrong and voices their concerns
• Might challenge our ideas, but will allow us to debate them openly
• Looks forward to our meetings
• Doesn’t make us feel inferior – we’re their partner

 

For more news and insights, follow Sophie on Twitter @teamtoh 

The New York state attorney general recently clamped down on companies proven to be posting fake reviews online as well as companies that provide “reputation-enhancement” services by posting fake reviews on behalf of clients. But is this a legal or moral issue? Legal expert Abdullah Mutawi, Partner and Head of UAE for Trowers & Hamlins LLP advises…

In an age where consumers trust one another more than they do ‘experts’, businesses are more desperate than ever to reflect a positive online presence

“The trustworthiness of consumer review websites – or indeed any advice forum – is key to their existence, but many including one of America’s largest review portals, Yelp, have recently found themselves the subject of a debate around whether internet portals can be ‘played’ in a manner which manipulates markets and consumer behavior in a negative way.

These consumer review websites rely on user-generated content, where registered users log in and post reviews about businesses and service providers ranging from Pizza delivery to dentists. The reviews undoubtedly drive consumers in the direction of the businesses in question as a direct result of the positive experiences of its previous customers. This is all fine, until the portals are abused.

Companies the world over are constantly fighting to get a foot in front of their competitors and in an age where consumers trust one another more than they do ‘experts’, businesses are more desperate than ever to reflect a positive online presence on influential sites. This has resulted in a growing practice in company owners, staff or associated marketing and PR professionals posting positive reviews in the pretense of being ‘happy customers’ in order to drive business forward.

But this leaves us at a legal and moral crossroad. Is this actually illegal or just morally wrong? The truth of the matter is that it depends on which country you find yourself in, but in general it is safe to say that this is more of a moral issue when posting positive material, as long as it is not false or misleading. In law there is a material difference between positive spin and a lie. If any consumer can prove that a complete misrepresentation or distortion of the truth induced them to buy a product or service which did not fit the description, then the brand could quickly find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

The larger issue lies in the negative reviews. Some companies have concluded that by writing negative reviews about the competition, in addition to positive reviews on their own company, product or service, it greatly increases their chances of success. Again, it often comes down to the laws of each individual country but this type of activity could ultimately put the perpetrator in a position to be sued for damages. While smaller companies would be less likely to bring such a case to court, one could easily see how a multi-national business might sue a competitor if it believed that the competitor was engaged in such activities.

From both a moral and legal standpoint there is a big difference between promotion and deception and deceiving any consumer is typically a serious offence in any country and will always result in negative consequences whether legal or not.”