In the longer term it’s not just about putting the message out there; it’s being able to sustain it that’s most critical. It’s about being able to keep the message alive in an organisation – particularly if it’s about a long-term theme or campaign. Far too often you see an initial spark of enthusiasm, but it dies away and another initiative follows along shortly behind it. People ultimately end up suffering from initiative fatigue: “Oh, here comes something else that we’re meant to get excited about.”
Finally, to succeed, it is imperative to engage the senior leadership team in understanding the importance of internal communications. As a rule there tend to be two drivers behind that. You may have a generation of leaders who intuitively and instinctively get it – they understand the importance of being able to talk to their organisation, they understand the role that they have; that if they want to transform performance, they have to get out there and inspire and motivate people – set the common direction, the common strategy and the tone. The other catalyst is always the burning platform – the crisis that suddenly jump-starts people into understanding that they just physically have to communicate.
This is an extract of a full interview, Internal Communications: From Information to Inspiration, published by Shoulders of Giants, priced at £14.99.
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HR Zone readers can snap up a 10% discount on the audio CD by ordering through the website (www.shoulders-of-giants.co.uk) and entering the following code: HRZOFFER06. Offer expires 30th April 2006.
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- Opinion: Talking is a good game
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- Insight: Communication that speaks volumes
