Meeting Generation Next

On Saturday, April 26, 2008, I had an opportunity to meet an enthusiastic bunch of students while conducting a half-day workshop on corporate etiquette and networking. These students are working towards a 15 month MBA from a B-School in Bangalore.
 
Quite the Generation Next of India, I figured! Articulate, respectful, knowledgeable, willing to challenge the [...]

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Internal communications trend from a GolinHarris study

 
A Golin Harris prediction for the next 50 years in PR includes a mention of the digital age, new media and internal communications.
 
Keeping the workforce motivated is a challenge – the report mentions trust is on the decline with organizations. According to the prediction, a recent study from Insidedge indicates only 50% of U.S. [...]

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Talent management and internal communications

 
An interesting research report by Deloitte. – ‘It’s 2008: Do You Know Where Your Talent Is?’ on talent engagement shows a widening gap in employee commitment across the globe.
 
The research bases itself on the premise that ‘the contest for human capital is evident everywhere, although the nature and significance of trends vary from country to [...]

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Implementing new media into your internal communication plans

There have been and there are still numerous discussions on the advantages of leveraging new media tools as part of any organization’s communication strategies. While the picture looks very exciting at the onset, it takes a lot more than plug and play when it comes to including new media into the DNA of any organization.
 
I [...]

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Transport strike - opportunities for internal communicators?

Bangalore faces another indefinite transport strike - for those unfamilar, transport vendors are resisting a mandatory speed governor introduction which will reduce accidents and speeding vehicles on the already overcrowded roads.
With most IT and other organizations dependent on transport vendors to shuttle their employees to work, this creates a sticky situation. The ‘business as usual’ message [...]

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Challenges internal communicators face while educating stakeholders

During the course of my career, I have found that helping stakeholders understand the role communicators play stands foremost among the obstacles in communicating an idea.
 
Most often clients are unaware of the effort and process involved in translating a brief into a creative approach.
 
With communication considered subjective to a point – everyone does have [...]

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Tata’s Nano and opportunities for internal communications

Undoubtly, the Tata’s Nano is a game changer. A proud moment for the organization, its employees and the nation.
I think it is a fantastic opportunity for the organization to leverage the mileage it is receiving from the unveiling of the India rupees 1-lakh people car.
Tata needs to strike the iron when it is hot. Key triggers [...]

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Maximizing the usage of plasma TVs for internal communications

There was a time when plasma TVs were expensive and therefore were not considered as part of any communication plan but today they serve as an important medium for those organizations who buy them and internal communicators who can make the best use.
I read an interesting article recently about IBM’s Labs using plasma TVs effectively [...]

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New year recommendations for internal communications

2007 for me provided me interesting opportunities to learn and unlearn.
Based on my experience in 2007 - I believe there are a few key elements to leverage to make your internal communication powerful in the new year….
 Retain the human touch: Technology will continue to enable and make communication faster, cheaper and easier but the human [...]

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Intranet re-design strategies – top tips to consider!

Nothing can beat learning on the job! Like I am discovering while working on an interesting re-design project. Interesting - because of two reasons – the site is a home grown system and two, there is a resistance to change from the content owners as well as the users.
 

Re-use: It might sound strange, but you [...]

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