Give them something to talk about

If “Always tell the truth” is the most important principle in communications – and it is – then right behind it would be something like “Make certain you tell those who need to know before they find out about it from someone else.”

While the language may differ from person to person, everyone from your mother to Robert Fulghum (who taught us all that the basic principles practiced by successful kindergarteners actually do apply throughout life), has made it clear there’s no getting around the importance of prompt truth-telling, no matter what the circumstances. Shade the truth – or wait too long – and the situation has nowhere to go but downhill, carrying your credibility along with it.

For communicators, these maxims are truly front and center when a crisis strikes. From a minor calamity which needs to be managed, to the more devastating and immediate “CEO goes down in a plane crash”-type situation (a case study favorite at universities everywhere...), getting the facts straight and into the hands of the right people at the right time returns a measure of control to the company that’s suffering.

One of the most important audiences at a moment of crisis is, of course, employees. The benefits are obvious: nerves get calmed, the work routine returns to normal more quickly, and an informed army is created that can dispel rumors among those within their personal circles of influence.

So why is it that so many companies revert to providing employees a steady diet of dull when the heat is off?

Consider your most recent communiqué to employees. After reading it (hearing it, seeing it, etc.) how would they answer the innocent question, “So, what’s going on at work?” if it were posed to them by a neighbor in the next line at the grocery store? Would they have something meaningful to talk about...or mundane?

Of course, mundane has its place. After all, there’s no getting around the need to provide information about, say, changes to employee benefits. But if you scan a recent stack of company newsletters and can’t find anything that offers a glimpse at vision, plans, accomplishments – anything meaty – you’re missing out on the following:

• Happier employees. Study after study confirms that employees want more than a paycheck; they want to feel good about where they work, and they want to feel “in on things.” Give them something to talk about that makes them proud of their company (so proud that it just naturally surfaces in conversations), and watch morale take a serious jump.
• A larger sales force – without hiring anyone new. Can you say for certain where your next customer will come from and how he, she, or it will come to know about your company? While you work on turning known prospects into customers, give your employees the kind of information that turns them into salespeople, talking the company up with family and friends, and generating prospects you didn’t even know existed.
• A more contributive culture. Likewise, who says that the big brains all reside down the management hallway? Give your employees something to chew on – and make it clear that their ideas are welcome – and you just might get a solution to that vexing problem, or unearth your next great product or service.

The message? Communications can inform, but it can also energize. When was the last time you charged up your employees?

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