What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

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What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

Today's successful organizations are the ones which carry on open and honest communications with their employees. If employees know and understand the mission, they will help communicate it to customers.

Here are some employee communication methods and the pros and cons of each. As in marketing communications, a multi-media approach will be most effective when delivering honest and open communication.

Meetings and Discussion Groups

Pros ? Effective. Allow immediate response and feedback. Allow Q&A. Delivers message that management cares and wants open communication. Also, one of employees' top preferred methods.

Cons ? Consistency at risk with many different group leaders involved. Hard to evaluate. Can get out-of-hand and become counter-productive. Management time required.

Newsletters

Pros ? Consistent, controlled message. Big picture message can be combined with local messages, allowing you to tailor to location, audience. Relatively inexpensive. Timely.

Cons ? Not a society of readers. Impersonal.

Television

Pros ? Consistency, control, timeliness. Chosen spokesperson speaks directly to audience. We are a TV society, so people relate well to this method. Live interaction through teleconferencing provides some of the benefits of face-to-face meetings.

Cons ? Distribution. Cost. Time required on the part of the spokesperson.

Audio Tapes/CDs

Pros ? Consistency, control, timeliness. Chosen spokesperson speaks directly to audience. Relatively low cost. Ease of use (most people have access to cassette/CD players at home, work or in the car.)

Cons ? Distribution. Time required on the part of the spokesperson.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Focus Four, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, Verbatim and Youth Link USA.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Job losses stack up as recession deepens (AP)

AP - Trying to survive a deepening recession, employers are cutting their work forces to the bone, leaving more Americans unemployed and with dim prospects of finding a new job any time soon.

Illinois House on verge of impeaching Blagojevich (AP)

AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces almost certain impeachment by the Illinois House, a historic step that would trigger a trial to determine whether the Democratic governor should be tossed out of office.

Rifts show as Obama urges quick action on stimulus (AP)

AP - Lawmakers are under orders to finish action on President-elect Barack Obama's nearly $800 billion economic recovery plan by mid-February. But already it is plain that a set of serious fissures need to be bridged if the bill is to be completed within five weeks.

Israel to continue offensive despite UN resolution (AP)

AP - Israeli jets and helicopters bombarded Gaza Friday and Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets, as Israel's government said it will press forward with its offensive despite a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Obama to finalize national security team Friday (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama is completing his national security team by announcing his unusual choices for CIA director and a national intelligence director who may face tough Senate confirmation questioning over how he confronted the Indonesian military when civilian massacres were occurring in East Timor.

Stocks point lower ahead of employment report (AP)

AP - Investors showed nervousness Friday ahead of the government's monthly employment report, sending stock futures moderately lower.

Democrats begin new session with labor bills (AP)

AP - Democrats are ushering in what they believe will be a new labor-friendly era in Washington with House votes on two bills aimed at helping women fight pay discrimination in the workplace.

Broadcasts to mobile devices to start in 22 cities (AP)

AP - TV stations in 22 U.S. cities announced Thursday that they will start broadcasting their signals this year in a format designed to be received by mobile devices like cell phones, MP3 players, GPS units and in-car entertainment systems.

Ex-'Sopranos' actor faces prison for burglary try (AP)

AP - A former actor on "The Sopranos" faces up to 15 years in prison for a botched burglary in the Bronx in which an accomplice shot and killed a police officer.

Tebow leads Fla. past Okla. 24-14 for BCS title (AP)

AP - Tim Tebow gave Florida the jolt it needed, and the Gators toughed out a second BCS title in three years. Their 24-14 win over No. 2 Oklahoma in a choppy, sloppy affair Thursday night made them a national champion.

World waits on jobs data as recession weighs (Reuters)

Reuters - Steep falls in European industrial output underlined the severity of the world economic crisis on Friday and more grim news was on the way with the United States expected to report the biggest monthly job cuts in more than 30 years.

U.N. calls for immediate Gaza truce (Reuters)

Reuters - Israel pushed ahead with its two-week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday, defying a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Panel steps up criticism of Treasury: report (Reuters)

Reuters - A report being released on Friday alleges that the U.S. Treasury has failed to reveal its strategy for stabilizing the financial system, not answered questions asked by a government watchdog, and has done nothing to help struggling homeowners, the Wall Street Journal said.

Obama team working on overhaul of financial rescue (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is working on an overhaul the $700 billion financial rescue program with the aim of doing more to spur the flow of credit to the struggling economy, an Obama aide said on Friday.

EU seeks gas supply return after deal on monitors (Reuters)

Reuters - Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly said a deal to monitor gas exports via Ukraine would be signed on Friday, allowing for the resumption of supplies to Europe cut off by Moscow's price row with Kiev.

Citi backs measure to help avoid foreclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.

Illinois panel recommends governor's impeachment (Reuters)

Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Health care overhaul needn't break bank: study (Reuters)

Reuters - An analysis of proposals to overhaul U.S. health care by President-elect Barack Obama and members of Congress suggests it is possible to insure all Americans without significantly raising total health spending.

Israel presses on with Gaza strikes despite UN resolution (AFP)

AFP - Israel battered Gaza with bombs and shells on Friday, vowing its offensive on Hamas would go on despite an order by the UN Security Council to stop the assault that has killed hundreds of civilians.

Somali pirates say released Saudi super-tanker (AFP)

AFP - Somali pirates on Friday freed the Sirius Star, a Saudi-owned super-tanker carrying two million barrels of crude oil they hijacked on November in the Indian Ocean, the leader of the pirates told AFP.

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

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