Effective organisational comms

Effective organisational comms Blending traditional and Web 2.0 techniques Keith De La Rue Friday, 24 Oct 2008

Outline
A toolkit approach to organisational comms
Available tools
Understanding the social media revolution
Where are we, and where are we going?
Engaging and collaborating
Harnessing Web 2.0 for results
Segmenting the audience
Catering to different styles and needs
Putting it all together

My turn first…
Keith De La Rue
AcKnowledge Consulting, Melbourne
Knowledge Management, communications, learning
Primary focus on sales force efficiency
Knowledge Management role, Telstra
Knowledge transfer on changing business initiatives
Eight years’ experience
Successful, widely-recognised KM model

Quick poll
How many of you read blogs?
… write a blog?
Personal, Intranet, Corporate web
How many use Wikipedia?
Contribute
… write a wiki?
Intranet, Corporate web
How many on Facebook or LinkedIn?
Other sites/tools?

The toolkit Something old, something new…

What is communication?
Many traditional tools are one-way
“Push” – eg, newsletters
“Pull” – eg, document libraries
Intranets have made richer media available
Some still one-way
Newer technologies provide richer interaction
Social Media - blogs, wikis
All have a place…

The toolkit approach
Build a managed program
Use a mixture of styles and tools
Ensure a common message
Coordinate activities
Focus on the needs of the target audience
Different media for different targets

Physical media
Bulletin Boards
Posters…
Newsletters
Libraries
Audio, CDs…
Video, DVDs

iRadio
Feature-style radio program on CD
Short segments
Interviews with experts, customers
Professional production
Can be costly

Face-to-face
Meetings
Presentations
Roadshows
Briefing
Training
What’s the difference?

Two Hours of Power
Focussed face-to-face Sales Training
First hour – presentation
Delivered by SME
Focus on key messages
Second hour - activity to reinforce key message
Role play presentation, Quiz, Q&A
Minimal time-out requirement

Electronic tools
Email
Brief, focussed!
Summarise, use links
Audio conferencing…
Voicemail…
SMS…

Sales Management Briefing
Brief line managers directly on key messages
Audio conference; on-line slide pack
Fit into normal team meeting schedule
Maximise attendance

Voice mail
A recorded marketing update message, broadcast to multiple mailboxes
Used in 1994!
A recorded message, with a dial-in number
Needs to be short

Short Message Service (SMS)
Text message with latest update
System outage messages
Annual results announcement
Number to call for more detail
Load message from a PC, distribute to list

Online tools
Intranet and portals…
Newsletters…
Content databases…
Audio, Video and multimedia
Web conferencing
Online Quiz…
Combination media…

The Intranet
Organisation-Wide Web
Like the WWW, may just be online brochures
A platform to support multiple media
Needs to be managed to be successful
Development standards, templates
Distributed publishing
Ownership
Usability

Portals
A way to bring together multiple sites
Provides structure and focus
Links, pull-downs, buttons, tabs
Can include feature articles, newsletters
May allow personal customisation
Role-based defaults

Sales KnowHow Bulletin
Weekly web-based newsletter
Notice emailed to target audience
One-line summary; click through to site front page
Front page has 50-word summary
Maximum 300 words per article
Link to document library or other site for more…
Suits time-poor audience
Low-volume content – easy remote access
Only read items of interest

Document library – the iStore
Content management
Accessed by multiple indexes
Uses document templates
Easy submission by document authors
Provides currency management
Allows audience feedback
Provides a subscription service

ProductStream
Streaming media and slide-show
Both video and audio-only versions
Features a Product Manager or expert
Scripted content
Video – 8 slides, 1,000 words = 7 minutes
Audio – 5 slides, 650 words = 5 minutes
Format similar to Quick Hit
Includes “How will it help me?”
Suits time-poor staff – but need to be at desk

Knowledge Bites
Weekly half-hour briefing on product initiatives
Voice conference & slide pack on web conference
Two 10-minute sessions, 5 minutes of Q&A
Presented by SME
Audio recording made, edited down
Slides and audio available on the iStore
Plus iStore subscription
= Podcasting…

iKnowItAll Quiz
Monthly, Intranet-based quiz
Five-page Quiz Hit - source document
Three-part Quiz
Multiple choice
True or False
Perfect Match
Score based on correctness and time to answer
Prizes - fun learning
Suits desk-based staff; lower take-up with mobile staff

Understanding the social media revolution Where are we, and where are we going?

Be afraid, be very afraid…
“… with the advent of …social software, suddenly highly savvy networks of people are springing up in their millions. They’re talking to each other. With or without your permission ”
Hugh McLeod – http://www.gapingvoid.com/

Discontinuous change
Many technology improvements have been gradual
There have also been times of dramatic change
The transistor
Integrated circuits
Internet
WWW
Social media…
How much change?

A change in perspective
Is the future just an extension of the past?
How much are we like Holland?
Do you remember South Wales?
No longer part of the “old country”
A new territory

What is the economy?
An economy of scarcity
IP must be protected at all costs
Win-lose
An economy of abundance
Knowledge must be shared at all costs
Win-win

Discontinuous change
Your view of all this determines how you see today’s world and Intranet 2.0…
“Did you know?”
http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/06/did-you-know-20.html

Social computing
“ Social computing requires a mind-shift from previous ways of doing business and requires high levels of trust and confidence from those engaging in it. How you communicate your intentions and encourage take up is crucial”
Euan Semple, http://www.euansemple.com/

Engaging and Collaborating Harnessing Web 2.0 for results

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Web 2.0
Move from 1:many to many:many
Definitive products:
Web 1.0 – Netscape, system-dependent
Web 2.0 – Google, ubiquitous
Move from hierarchies to networks
Move from online brochures to interaction
The rise of prosumers
Intranet 2.0 – Enterprise 2.0
“SMIF” – Social Media Inside the Firewall (Andrew Mitchell)
Tim O’Reilly - http://tim.oreilly.com/

The new world
Blogs, wikis, RSS and more…
Push and pull boundaries blurred
Opens up the organisation
Complex media for a complex environment
Requires a new way of thinking
Most software low-cost or free
But challenging for corporate IT!

Your challenge
Which of these would be useful in your organisation?
What would the benefit be?
Who would see the benefit?
If you are already using them, how can they be improved?

Every blog has its day
We b log = a diary on steroids
Can include text, images, multimedia
Originally a single author, personal diary
Can be shared authorship; dialogue through comments
Chronological organisation; more permanent
Edited anywhere, online
Cheap – open source or commercial
WordPress, Movable Type, Typepad
“Blogs are useless drivel”?
Might as well say “Paper is useless”

http://delarue.net/

http://www.melbournekmlf.org/

http://www.nowwearetalking.com.au/

Blogs in internal comms
Use to build a community or dialogue
Is blogging the new water-cooler?
Knowledge sharing - and opinions!
Need something to say, time to update
Needs trust, not control
CEO “chat”
Disney cable – “Shiftlog”
Global technical operators
US University library
News, event management, facility use
End of the “typing pool” paradigm?

Tags
Simple categories or key words
User-defined - “Folksonomy”
Each item can have multiple tags
Commonly used in blogs
Introduced to email by Gmail
Used by Flickr to tag images
Can use to generate a “tag cloud”
Del.icio.us – social book-marking

Tags and taxonomy
A taxonomy is like a concrete footpath
Not frequently changed
Tags are more like tracks in the grass
More worn the more they are used
What is the best thing to do with grass tracks?

RSS – ‘Real Simple Syndication’
Web feed of blog or other content
News feeds
User-defined subscription
Can reduce email network load
Users establish their own priorities!
Needs a “feed-reader” or aggregator
Built in to IE 7, Firefox, Office 2007
Tools available to convert to email
No user software installation

http://www.google.com/ig/

Podcasting
A pre-recorded audio program or message
Allows portability, time-shifting
Caters to different learning styles
So what’s new?
Simple software and devices
Anyone can produce
RSS feeds
“Knowledge Bites”

Videocasting
YouTube and the “home video” revolution
http://www.youtube.com/user/plambe

Online forums
Allows all users to post articles
Content pushed by email or browsed
All users are equal
(But some are more equal than others!)
May be moderated
Otherwise, may get out of control – flames, storms
Excellent medium for sharing
Serves a Community of Practice
Broader range of input and views than blogs

http://www.actkm.org/

Wikis
An online reference source, edited by users
"Wiki-wiki" = "hurry quick" (Hawaiian)
Quick to set-up, and supports rapid development
Easy online editing
Includes author comments and discussion
Lowers barriers to participation
Readily-available software
Vulnerability?
“iStore” experience
Reliability?
Wikipedia…

Wikipedia
Encyclopaedia Britannica vs Wikipedia
December 2005
Nature magazine’s nature.com comparison
“Can multiple, unpaid editors match paid professionals for accuracy?”
50 parallel reviews of articles from each
Eight serious errors, four from each
Other errors: Wikipedia 162, Britannica 123
Disputed by Britannica; defended by Nature

Wikis in organisations
Good for experts to build a body of knowledge
Needs encouragement for input
Or critical mass?
Jimmy Wales – “5 to 10 dedicated people”
NAB – Training group collaboration
On an external site…
US Government Enterprise Architecture
Conference management - end-to-end
Telstra – Project Management for Online team
Email replacement – “Socialtext”

Our Intranet, the Wiki
Janssen-Cilag
300 employees, Australia & NZ
Launch budget $11,000
Uses Confluence by Atlassian
Directory integration, attachments
Started with pilot on office relocation
After 12 months, 184 contributors
Content ownership key!
Nathan Wallace - http://www.e-gineer.com/v2/blog/2007/08/our-intranet-wiki-case-study-of-wiki.htm

Instant Messaging
Managing “presence” across geographically-separated teams
Collaboration
Group messages
Faster than a speeding email?
Mobility applications
SMS

http://twitter.com/kdelarue

Twitter
140-character messages
“What are you doing?”
“Microblogging”
“Group proprioception”
“The ability to sense the position, location, orientation and movement of the body and its parts”
“ If only most companies realised the treasure trove of expertise and information that their employees would be able to access if they encouraged the use of such services”
Shane Goldberg, Telstra

Benefits
Networking and collaboration
Breaking news
Personal development
Virtual “water cooler”
Mentoring
Openness and sharing
Shared note-taking
Connected when remote
Returning to work

http://www.yammer.com/

Yammer
Microblogging for organisations
“What are you working on?”
Uses organisation domain for security
Opt-in model
Allows control
Pro-active support on Twitter!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=625634789

Online communities
Value
MySpace; $580 million
LinkedIn: $1 billion
Facebook: $15 billion
Some organisations were blocking Facebook
Some organisations are using Facebook
Deloitte has over 17,000 members
Directory, expertise location
Promoting events
Use to build or share apps

http://secondlife.com/

Virtual Worlds
3D representations of real or imagined landscapes
Members use “avatars”
Second Life
Public spaces and private spaces available
ABC and BigPond use externally
Supports use for organisational training
IBM
Tertiary institutions
Mixed results

http://www.telstraenterprise.com/

Implementation and availability
Software readily available
Free or low-cost – RoI with low “I”
“Failure” not a financial loss
Hosted or DIY sites readily available
May be IT issues
Compatibility with existing systems
Firewall issues
“Skunkworks”
Content can be edited anywhere, with no software install

Segmenting the Audience Understanding needs

What’s missing from this picture?
It’s all about people!

Know your audience
Identify and understand target audiences
Know the culture
Natural tendency to share
Role and functions
Geographical diversity
Access to technology
Affinity for technology
Know how to cater to needs of each audience
Build tools to meet the needs and learning styles

Target audience needs
Management, Executives
Time-poor, need headline items only
Desk-bound sales representatives
Simpler products, quick online access
Mobile account executives
On the road, time-poor; have remote access
Specialists
Detailed content, more technical – specific fields
More likely to share with one another

Target audience needs
City – country
Different priorities
Geographical Dispersion
Local considerations
Global organisation
Language, culture
Age
Cater to different world view and practices
What are your segments?

Know your message
Set communications objectives
What results do you need from each audience?
Make sure they know exactly what you are asking for
Understand issues to be addressed
Define key messages
Use specific slogan or branding
Measure success of communications
Review and refresh

Putting it all together Using the toolbox

Choosing from the toolbox
Stakeholders define priorities, set objectives
For each initiative, determine target audience
Determine tools to be used, based on needs:
Audience
Company strategy
Deliver a program of activity, eg:
Sales KnowHow Bulletin, Briefing, ProductStream
iStore Content
Training – 2HP

Including the new tools
Set the agenda with blog articles
Improve engagement through online discussion
Real change starts from the inside
Use podcasts for key announcements
Allows time-shifted access
Leverage expertise sharing with wikis

Principles for social media
Trust - you don’t need to control everything
Understand your communities
Anticipate audience needs not yet fully articulated
Don’t let the security police put you off
Don’t get stuck with the conventional wisdom
Experiment!
Outcomes may not be direct or obvious in advance

Why social media?
Enhances face-to-face networks
Increases personal connections between staff
Encourages sharing and connection
Producer/Consumer boundaries blurred
RSS allows consumers to establish own priorities
Push and Pull concepts less clear
Supports rapid changes in priorities
Relevant info is distributed more quickly
Creates an information base over time

The benefits of social media
Engaged staff - people feel “heard”
Better, quicker staff access to needed information
More benefits from knowledge sharing
Organisational access to staff knowledge and ideas
Easier to find right people quickly
Innovation much more rapid
Personal ties lead to staff retention
Improve connections across geography

So who does it?
Intranet Dashboard survey, May 07
50% of Australian companies interested in social networking, but not yet using
26% had begun a trial or using
Forester, June 08
“Social Networks will Augment HR Strategies”
Recruiting, alumni programs, mentoring, learning, collaboration, and connecting people
“Professional networks are the backbone of business”
http://blog.connectbeam.com/blog/2008/06/forrester-repor.html

Royal Bank of Canada Intranet
70,000 staff - only 1% reading printed comms
Largest share of costs
91% preferred online
Developed INsite – online newsletter
Driven by regular feedback from staff
Debates, suggestions, content rating, polls
Virtual editorial board of 300 staff
Saved over A$340k pa in 18 months
Increased staff engagement significantly
http://www.melcrum.com/

Social Media Manager, BT
Decentralised Intranet, 100% accessible
“ Encouraging every employee to believe they can make a difference”
Social networks included in Business Drivers
BTpedia, blogging, collaboration, podcasting
Social networking – do, create, innovate, change
Focus on value, not risk
Start early, start small, build slowly
Richard Dennison http://www.slideshare.net/InsideOut/international-employee-communications-summit-2008

The home-baked approach
IBM building in-house versions
Blue Twit – twitter
Beehive - Facebook
Dogear - Del.icio.us (favourite sharing)
Beehive has 30,000 users (May 2008)
Including top executives
Assist with geographically dispersed teams
Strengthen staff ties
Aid with knowledge sharing and innovation
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_22/b4086056643442.htm

Stepping outside…
Training group collaborating on an external wiki
Facebook as a corporate expertise directory
Private network – for free
What is the cost of people working in isolation?

The inductee
How do connected Gen Y round pegs fit into the organisational square hole?
… they probably feel that their arms and legs are being cut off!
Imagine if you were not “allowed” to use email!
“ People want to use their favourite technologies at work. They're satisfying themselves and not waiting for IT”
Dennis Moore, SAP
Yahoo! News – 19 June 2007

http://delarue.net/blog/2008/03/found-car/

Overcoming the challenges
What are your challenges?
How will you address them?

Thank You! [email_address] 0418 51 7676 Blog: http://acknowledgeconsulting.com/

Effective organisational comms

by Keith De La Rue on Oct 29, 2008

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Effective organisational comms — Presentation Transcript