You Can`t Kiss A JPEG

Scott MacKenzie done a sterling job chairing the CIPR Inside annual conference on Internal Communications on Monday, check his blog here for a summary. I came away with a sense of optimism and confidence about the future for employee engagement. Comparing the day with the first CIPR Inside conference seven years ago the shift was notable .

From ‘Old Hack’ to ‘Cutting Edge’
Niall Cook impressed the audience with a consultants view of how social media can improve the Efficiency, Effectiveness and Efficacy of internal communications, especially with a workforce that is part of a mobile society. You might be surprised that his presentation doesn’t appear on his blog but you wont be dissapointed to learn that he posted the above photo of Scott opening the conference here on Twitpic.

From ‘Silo Thinking’ to ‘Thought Leadership’
Great to see Sharon Saxton and Leona Deakin representing HR and OD and making the link between effective communications and employee engagement. They gave specific insights on managing survivor syndrome and maintaining business performance in organisations during difficult times.

From ‘Plaudits’ to ‘Audits’
The subject of measurement was well discussed during the interactive session showing the increasing pressure on operational budgets and demonstrating return on investment.  Paul Inglefield showed us all how he has deployed best practice communications on a modest budget at Camden Council. Residents of Camden can rest assured that their council tax is being put to good use.

From ‘Mailing Lists’ to ‘Audience Insights’
Audience segmentation is a passion of mine. So it was great to hear Niall talk about the future potential of social network analysis as a tool to help understand employee behaviour.

However, the greatest insight on segmentation came earlier in the day.  In my 24 years in industry I had never appreciated the fact that all engineers are bearded, sandal wearing people who are just like their colleagues in finance  - thrive on data, have small right brains and don’t understand the value or art of communications!

I wonder why I had failed to see this.
Is it because I graduated from the dark side of arts – engineering – and cannot see the wood for the trees?
Is it because engineers like me who studied control and system theory are different to those other engineers who do boring things like design rockets?
Is it because I am the exception to the rule?

Whatever,  it just goes to show…you should always try and understand a little bit about your audience before you communicate with them or you might just end up putting your foot in it.

It’s not rocket science!

Recent research by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) shows senior management need to do more to win the trust of their employees.

The Index of Leadership Trust 2009 report suggests that employees have far more confidence in their line managers than chief executives. Interestingly, it suggests that CEOs need to demonstrate more integrity whilst line managers need to demonstrate more empathy to win the trust of their workforce.

Penny De Valk, ILM’s chief executive, said: “Teams are more effective in a trusting environment, and people work better and harder if they trust their leaders.

“For leaders, being good at their job is simply not enough anymore. The more senior you are, the more gap between what you say and what you do… is amplified.”

Listen to what Penny has to say in her interview with BNet.

Closing the gap. That’s what we help organisations do; helping them build trust between employees and leadership and management at all levels.

We know from experience that employees are influenced more by leadership actions than words. It’s all about Leadership; Leadership by example.