Effective internal of communication

Before becoming an academic, Anne spent 12 years in public relations practice and has experience at a senior level both in-house and in consultancy3. She remains involved in consultancy [r]

Effective Internal

To the late Ian Connell,

P R I N P R A C T I C E S E R I E S

London and Sterling, VA Effective

Internal

Communication

Lyn Smith

Publisher’s note

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and authors cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or any of the authors

First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2005 by Kogan Page Limited

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:

120 Pentonville Road 22883 Quicksilver Drive London N1 9JN Sterling VA 20166-2012

United Kingdom USA

www.kogan-page.co.uk © Lyn Smith, 2005

The right of Lyn Smith to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

ISBN 7494 3948

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Smith, Lyn

Effective internal communication / Lyn Smith p cm — (PR in practice series)

Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 0-7494-3948-3

1 Communication in management Public relations I Title II Series

HD30.3.S577 2005 658.4’5—dc22

2005012626

Typeset by JS Typesetting Ltd, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan

Contents

About the author xi

About the editor xii

Acknowledgements xiii

Introduction 1

PART SETTING THE SCENE

1 What is internal communication? 7

The history Technology added 11 Where it sits in the organization 12

2 What does it take to be an internal communicator? 15

Where to now for the internal communicator? 16 How others see it 20

3 Your audience – who are they? 22

Front-line staff 22 Supervisors/line managers 23 Senior management/middle management 24 Board/director 24 Voluntary sector – trustees, volunteers, members 25

At one remove 25 Creatives and specialists 26 Diversity 27 Segmentation – the way ahead 27

4 Theories into practice 29

The four cultures of the organization 30 Process this way or give us a sign 34 Golden Oldie revisited 35 Semiotics – reading the signs 37 Focus on the mass or the individual 38 The individual revisited 39 Shall we dance? The cooperative model 41 Computer-mediated communication and the implications 42

5 Managing internal communication in-house 45

The business case 45 Who does it 46 So human resources or public relations? 51

6 Outsourcing the internal communication function 54

The business case 54 What consultancies can offer 56 Reasons to be cautious 57 Getting the best from your consultancy 58

7 How the legal framework fits in 60

General communication minefields 61 In the workplace itself 65

8 The channels, vehicles and activities 73

What is the message? 73 Face to face – one to one 74 Face to face – en masse 75

Print 77

Broadcast and audio-visual 78 Internet driven 80 Corporate glue – games, etc 81

Events 82

Environment 83 Corporate social responsibility 83

9 Who uses which media for what 86

The manager’s perspective 86

Contents

Top down – but what about the workers? 87 Ensuring someone is listening 89 Unblocking the blockages 90 Media or symbol? 90 The invisible web 92

10 The receiving end 94

Staff perceptions 94 Is there anybody there? 95 Involvement the key 96 Last on the bandwagon? 96 Give them what they need to the job 97 The in-house language 98 Upwards communication 98 Conclusions to be drawn 99

11 Communicating with special groups 101

Tapping into cultural diversity 102 The differently abled 103 Age, gender and sexual orientation 105 Working from home or out on the road 106 The unpaid heroes 107 Micro-organizations 109 Conclusions 109

12 The globally dispersed workforce 111

The consultancy approach 115 Things to think about – pan-EMEA and beyond 116

PART GETTING IT RIGHT – PRACTICAL APPLICATION

13 How to it – setting about communication 121

What your people want to hear 123

14 We can all talk can’t we? Face to face 128

Listening in on easy conversation 128 How others it 130 Overcoming presentation sickness 132

15 The creative aspects – writing, editing and designing it

yourself 134

Capturing the spark 135 Sparking ideas together 135 Sexing up the mission statement 137

Contents

Think visually 137 Back to the written word 138 Managing the editorial panel 139 It’s the overall look that counts 140 What to put in 140 The annual report 141

16 Publishing the printed word – the logistical aspects 143

Using the professional typesetter and printer 144 Deploying colour and typeface 145 Pagination and other weighty issues 146

17 Broadcast – it yourself or call in the experts? 150

Celebrities – home grown or real? 151 Working with the professionals 153

18 Managing change 155

Networks 157 Integrated communication 157

19 Signposting the ether 165

E-mail – getting it right 166 Email – getting it wrong 167 Texting – both pro and 168 Winding up the intranet 169 Writing online 170 Getting the content right online 171 Intranet of record 173

20 How to measure success 175

Benchmarking 177

Surveys 177

Audits 182

Other ways in 183 Looking back and onwards 183

21 How to make it happen – gone shopping! 185

Starting from scratch 186 Where to look 187 Preparing the brief 188 Interviewing likely contenders 189 So what next? 190 Working with suppliers 191

Contents

22 Internal communication – the future 193

Job of the future 194 Office of the future 196 New media of the future 197 Function of the future 198 Technology – platform or driver? 199

Appendix Internal communications knowledge and skills 201 Appendix Communications in the public sector – a snapshot 208 Appendix Setting up an internal communications function – things to

consider 211

Appendix Useful addresses 215

References 216

Further reading 219

Index 222

Contents

PR in Practice Series

Published in association with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Series Editors: Anne Gregory and Gro Elin Hansen

Kogan Page has joined forces with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations to publish this unique series which is designed specifically to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of people seeking to enter the public relations profession and the large band of existing PR professionals Taking a practical, action-oriented approach, the books in the series concentrate on the day-to-day issues of public relations practice and management rather than academic history They provide ideal primers for all those on CIPR, CAM and CIM courses or those taking NVQs in PR For PR practitioners, they provide useful refreshers and ensure that their knowledge and skills are kept up to date

Anne Gregory is one of the UK’s leading public relations academics She is Director of the Centre for Public Relations Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University Before becoming an academic, Anne spent 12 years in public relations practice and has experience at a senior level both in-house and in consultancy She remains involved in consultancy work and is a non-executive director of South West Yorkshire Mental health NHS Trust with special responsibility for communication issues Anne is Consultant Editor of the PR in Practice series and edited the book of the same name and wroteand Planning and Managing a Public Relations Campaign, also in this series She was President of the CIPR in 2004

Gro Elin Hansen is the in-house Editor of the PR in Practice series, as well as being Editor of Profile, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ member magazine

Other titles in the series:

Creativity in Public Relations by Andy Green

Effective Media Relations by Michael Bland, Alison Theaker and David Wragg Effective Writing Skills for Public Relations by John Foster

Managing Activism by Denise Deegan Online Public Relations by David Phillips

Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns by Anne Gregory Public Relations in Practice edited by Anne Gregory

Public Relations Strategy by Sandra Oliver

Public Relations: A practical guide to the basics by Philip Henslowe

Risk Issues and Crisis Management in Public Relations by Michael Regester and Judy Larkin Running a Public Relations Department by Mike Beard

Forthcoming titles:

Introduction to Public Affairs by Stuart Thompson and Dr Steve John

The above titles are available from all good bookshops and from the CIPR website www.cipr.co.uk/books To obtain further information, please contact the publishers at the address below:

Kogan Page Ltd 120 Pentonville Road London N1 9JN

About the author

Lyn Smith has worked as a professional communicator for the bulk of her 30-year career starting out in film publicity, moving to internal communi-cation in a commercial organization, copywriting and media relations for a direct marketing agency, and later professional institute public relations She then changed direction and moved into newspaper journalism, becoming responsible for a news team of 15 before returning to public rela-tions, this time in the National Health Service From there she set up her own public relations consultancy and has worked in all sectors, most recently working with a wide range of not-for-profit organizations

She has also worked as chief executive of a charity for health and social care professionals and has lectured on public relations

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, from 1999 until 2005 she chaired the sectoral group for the not-for-profit sector, Fifth Estate, quadrupling its membership She was previously secretary of the institute’s Internal Communication Group She is a member of a number of other institutes and organizations including the RSA

Lyn has edited a number of professional journals including the British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management and the UK Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education’s Bulletin

Educational qualifications include the CAM certificate and diploma and an MA in Communications Planning

About the editor

Pamela Mounter is a senior corporate communication consultant A childhood in Africa and postings to Europe and the Caucasus developed her interest in the influence of culture on the way people relate to each other She has written about internal communication for both academic and general publications and won a top paper award from the International Association of Business Communicators for her work with BP in this area She is a member of the Thames Valley University advisory committee for its MSc in Corporate Communication and a committee member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ International Group

Acknowledgements

This book was only made possible by the vast number of contributions which largely came in the form of interviews and in some cases submitted materials

I would particularly like to thank the following, who are not listed according to merit: Gerald Chan, Gro Elin Hansen, the late Alan Rawel and Susan Shayshutt of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations; Amanda Foister, Internal Communication Alliance; Professor Anne Gregory; Pamela Mounter; Dr Richard Varey

For their contributions: Lesley Allman, Coors Brewers; David Ashford, Lloyds TSB; Michelle Atkinson, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust; Sophie Austin, IBM; David Barker, British Heart Foundation; Caroline Bramley, Flag; Caroline Broadhurst, TDM; Paul Brown, The Princes Trust; David Bryant, BUPA; Liz Cochrane, Work Foundation; David Coe, Media Maker; Jonathan Coe, LE Group; Denice Currie, Norwich Union; Aniko Czinege, Amersham Biosciences; Siubhan Daly, VisitScotland; Vicki Davies, National Blood Service; Sue Dewhurst, NTL; Elizabeth Dickie, Cable & Wireless; Arfon Edward, Quadrant PR; Lindsay Eynon, Hill & Knowlton; Colin Farrington, Chartered Institute of Public Relations; Simon Finn, Safeway; Liam Fitzpatrick, ICA; James Flynn, Marina Pirotta Communi-cation; Richard Gaunt; Helen Goodier, Chandler Gooding; Russell Grossman, BBC; Justine Guest, Trinity Management Consultancy; Katie Hadgraft, Cable & Wireless; Johnny Harben; Tom Harvey, Nationwide; Shiona Hastie, Customs & Excise; Nick Helsby, Watson Helsby; Sarah

Hoskins, DaimlerChrysler; Paul Inglefield, Adur District Council; Rachel Jefferies, Questions of Difference; Norma Johnston, Plan; Stephen Jolly; Jill Kirby, Lloyds TSB; Howard Krais, Eversheds; Briony Lalor, AA; Peter Lawlor, Hill & Knowlton; Carol Lindsell; Simon Loe, Lucent Technologies; Richard Lomax, Redhouse Lane; Judith Manson, VisitScotland; Paul Massie; Mike McCabe, Buckinghamshire County Council; Karen McElroy, Coors Brewers; Lisa Moore, The Children’s Society; Mike Moser, Rio Tinto; Sarah Murphy, Capital One Bank; Sidonie Myers, Smith and Nephew; Alexander Nicoll, Church of England Archbishops’ Council; Grace Perrott, Allied Irish Banks; David Phillips; Ellie Phillips, West Wiltshire Housing Society; Robert Pike; Jacqui Price, Jeremy Redhouse, Redhouse Lane; Jane Relf, Vertex; James Rye, The Disabilities Trust; Jo Sanders, Olswang; Emma Savage, Barclays; Bob Schukai, Motorola; Colin Sneath, Credo; Leslie Sophocleous; Phil Talbot, NSPCC; Steve Taylor, Sue Ryder Care; Mandy Thatcher, Melcrum Publishing; Susan Walker, MORI; Jenny Waller; Sandra Ward, BMW Hams Hall; Sarah Watson, Dogs for the Disabled; Clare Winterton, The Princes Trust; Nick Wright, Fishburn Hedges; Oliver Wright, Shelter; Stephen Windsor-Lewis, BAE Systems; Fiona Young, Hill & Knowlton

xiv

1

Introduction

Introduction

Sharpening my pencil (pens had a habit of running ink in the rain, and juggling an umbrella, pen and notebook was just not one of my special competencies), I prepared to conduct yet another interview in my busy working day as a local newspaper reporter Being no more callous than any other hack (this was the early 1980s) I conducted the interview with the boss of one of the largest factories in the area and then processed back to the office to provide the front page lead for the main newspaper of the week

My sense of revelation came when I did my weekly session with scissors and glue pot to keep my cuttings book up to date and reread those words: ‘Four hundred jobs to go’ There had been no trade union representative to speak to, to get the other side of the story We had taken the word of the managers and committed the information to black and white type set in the old-fashioned way in hot metal

Within a few months that technology would be swept away but what did not vanish, as I was to note down the years, was a tendency to use the nearest journalist to inform staff that the P45 was in the post and that despite 30 years service they were no longer required

2

Effective internal communication

A review of my cuttings had revealed that apart from the bad news stories, very few of the 72-point headlines had been much more than ‘flying kites’ for various proposals that had never come to anything Working from the inside of an organization I had hoped to make a real difference to the way its employees were treated, and the way they in turn would treat the ‘customers’, as patients had by then been rechristened

I was operating against a backdrop of major and continuing change In the Mental Health Unit in particular, employees had undergone a number of changes in top management They also had to face the effects of the then Tory government reforms which effectively divorced them from the other health provider units However, by ensuring their voices were heard through the communications vehicles and so responded to by senior management, the transfer of services from institution to community went gratifyingly well In the 15 years or so since I moved back into the corporate sector and then on into consultancy, things appear to have changed pretty dramatically in the world of internal communication Few organizations of any size will not now be devoting time, money and resources to internal audiences as well as what have been viewed as the rather more supposedly glamorous external ones

But why internal communications at all? The reason they so is because an informed and engaged workforce produces better results Unless your people understand what your organization is seeking to achieve and the part they have to play, arriving at your hoped-for corporate destination will not be a foregone conclusion

Few communicators and their counterparts in human resources feel comfortable putting figures on the impact that their efforts may have on the corporate profit and loss account However, communication is not just about bolstering the bottom line: it can assist in other areas that impact upon the health of the organization

Your workforce can serve as ambassadors in both positive and negative respects Poor handling of complaints regarding racial harassment and discrimination have often found their way to an employment tribunal An internal communicator with the ear of senior management can sound the alarm or at least advise on how to communicate an effective solution

Damning headlines can in themselves be very damaging for employee morale It is vital for both internal and external communications functions to be aligned or at least working closely together It is only too easy for internally generated media to find its way to the outside world and so influence external perceptions, and external media can often be the first port of call for staff looking for company news

3

Introduction

Professional communicators are also in the ideal position to translate ‘management speak’ into language that can be understood by those who will have to act upon it

All organizations have their own cultures, and when two organizations try to merge, the importance of those cultures comes to the fore By culture I mean the patterns of behaviour and attitudes exhibited by employees and management Again professional communicators attuned to the sensitivities that abound can help overcome the barriers to happy corporate marriage

All the above perhaps suggests that the only time to keep in touch with staff is in periods of stress or trouble In fact, if you maintain contact in a regular pattern at regular times it is more likely that the workforce will want to pull together when the going does get rough

Communicating clear goals and then reporting on progress at regular intervals is motivating for teams Activity for publics both internal and external should be closely matched to organizational targets There is a hierarchy of communication needs, from ‘How I fit into my team?’ to ‘Where does the team fit into this part of the organization?’ to ‘And how does that fit into the big picture?’ Internal communications should meet all those needs Being able to see exactly how an individual contributes to the bigger picture is the key not just for management but also for motivating the individual concerned

4

Effective internal communication

Sources of performance improvement

So, any conclusions? Internal communications is still relatively new as a function but is by and large better developed in the commercial sector However, the public sector is catching up fast and, like the not-for-profit sector, may be pulling ahead in terms of employee engagement It is much easier to embrace the vision of helping a community than selling a biscuit, no matter how healthy

The not-for-profit sector may be seen to be lagging behind, but this may be more to with the size and age of the organization in question as few in the sector employ large numbers of staff Available budgets are also obviously a contributory factor It can still be hard to justify investment on staff when donors want to see money spent on the worthy cause itself But more and more communications posts are being advertised, so this will change

Looking across all sectors it would seem that size of organization rather than sector is the determining factor Large organizations, certainly in the public and commercial sectors, will quite naturally be better resourced and better able to take advantage of new technological advances and societal developments as they come on stream However, all organizations with just 50 or more employees will be obliged to take account of the strictures of the European Commission’s Information and Consultation Directive(see Chapter 7)

5

What is internal communication?

Part 1