iabcUK

2007 Resolution: taking the FD and HRD out for lunch

An argument we are familiar with is: do internal communicators deserve a place at the Board room table? For 2007 are internal communicators going to equip themselves with sufficient knowledge to have something to talk about and be listened to once we are out for lunch with the finance director and the human resource director?

Something I came across last month may be useful for internal communicators working in pensions, salary & benefits. The UK Pensions Regulator has issued a very interesting consultation document that highlights the five key risks to defined contribution pension plans (pensions where an individual holds his or her own shares in a plan that is financially supported by the employee). The risks described in some detail are: lack of member understanding, poor decisions on retirement choices, poor administration charges, poor investment practices and unduly high charges. The regulator is calling for better communication, better understanding and changes of behaviour by the employer, the board of trustees, pension providers and individuals. ..

Now here is something of interest linking the internal communicator to the finance director, and human resource director for us to drop into the discussion over the set menu (I assume we should not appear too flash with our cash in front of the FD). Responses to the consultation are required by 2 February so don't delay and take a look at: www.pensionsregulator.gov.uk/mediaCentre/pressReleases/pn06/pn06-37.aspx

Collaboration for busy communicators

The IABC UK Board has started to use an online collaborative tool/website to share documents, messages, to-do lists. The main idea behind it was to alleviate the large number of e-mails going around with important documents attached, that may or may not have copied in everyone, and that are difficult to locate when you need them.  Sound familiar?

There some amazing, easy-to-use, inexpensive (or free) tools out there:  BaseCamp, Zoho Projects and ActiveCollab. 

Basically, with a very simple set-up (it took me 5 minutes and less than £5), you can give teams of people access to a secure website where they can post documents, messages, to-do lists, milestones, or write and edit collaboratively.  There is a built-in e-mail alerting function - so when you post something new, you can send a message to other members to go and look at it on the site.  It's all very logical and civilised.

These collaborative tools/sites have been very popular within the geek tech community for a while now.  More and more communication professionals have begun using them as well, which is great because they are an excellent example of a new generation of web tools (notice I don't say web 2.0), which are applicable to all audiences and easy to use, (no matter how un-tech savvy you are). 

If any of our IABC members (or blog readers) would like to share their thoughts or experiences using these any of these tools from a communicator's perspective - we'd love to hear from you!

Employees mistrust business jargon

This week in Melcrum's e-zine for Internal Communicators, Mandy Thatcher, (Editor), reminds us how annoying business-speak in the workplace can be.

She refers to a a survey by Investors in People and reported by the BBC, which found that employees believed bosses using too much jargon were being untrustworthy, or hiding something.

Peter Russian, chief executive of Investors in People Scotland is quoted on the BBC website reminding us that, "communication is one of the hardest things to get right in any organisation."

At our event last night some of our audience admitted to having used opaque corporate-speak in the past. Thankfully, most of them now stick strictly to English! (or French/Chinese/Arabic/Spanish, etc.)

The BBC listed some of what they termed as workplace goobledygook, with explanations. (It is somewhat depressing that most of us will not require the translation).

• Blue-sky thinking: Idealistic or visionary ideas - not always with practical application
• Get our ducks in a row: Have arrangements efficiently ordered
• Brain dump: To tell everything you know about a particular topic
• Think outside the box:  Don't limit your thinking to within your job description; be creative
• Joined-up thinking: Taking into account how things affect each other - not looking at something in isolation
• Drilling down: Getting more detail about a particular issue
• Push the envelope: Improve performance by going beyond commonly accepted boundaries 
• The helicopter view: An overview
• Low-hanging fruit: The easiest targets

Someone wrote the BBC to say that at her office their mission is to herd the dinosaurs to the right end of the cricket green. I have no idea what that could mean - and unfortunately it seems the employees tasked with this objective aren't quite sure either!

"In a mood of revenge", the BBC published made-up jargon submitted by their readers: 

• Red sky thinking, the signal, in these darkening autumn days, that it is nearly time to go home
• Horizoning - not quite the same as predicting the company's future performance, more staring out of the window
• Workspace-specific perceptual abstraction, or daydreaming
• Non-specific interfacing or needless chat
• Activity deficit substitution, aka looking busy
• Inter-departmental liaison facilitation or asking your friends out to lunch
• Polidiot is someone promoted beyond their abilities thanks to their political skills
• Backing singer, that familiar person in a meeting who doesn't contribute their own ideas but just nods along with the boss
• Raise the bar on this, or leaving for the pub
• Expectation management - what the boss wants to hear
• Going tarso-mandibular, aka putting your foot in your mouth

Very good for a laugh, but please resist all temptation to start incorporating them into your next internal newsletter!

Praise for our blog

Our young blog has received praise from across the Atlantic... Judy Jones, president of the IABC New York chapter mentions us in NY IABC Chatter:

Just wanted to clue you in on a lovely conversation that's going on across the pond.  Eva, by way of IABC UK, is maintaining that chapter's blog. It's got lots of interesting features (I've got blog envy!) but what I enjoy the most is the friendly approachable tone, making it a pleasant stop for that chapter's membership.

Well done! And keep on communicating -

Thanks Judy!  We've been a bit quiet the past month - a bit too quiet.  You've inspired us to get back to the keyboard. 

Our members in the UK should take a look at Judy's blog as well.  There's a lot on there, (she's been writing it since April 2005). 

I was particularly interested in her recent piece entitled Credibility + Transparency = Employee Communications, and for something a bit more critical - Is the party over?, which discusses why employee communication feels "as deflated as last week’s birthday balloon," and which contains an inspired rant:

"While [unimaginative] leadership culture continues, employee communications will remain reaction and transaction oriented, painting Potemkin villages in the sky for staff - for which employees are supposed to be grateful."

Brilliant stuff!

As always, we would love to hear from our members.  What do you think of the blog?  Do you agree with Judy? Is there anything you would like to add? Or, any suggestions?  All comments are greatly appreciated.