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March 31, 2006
Learn about this trend: “Middlescence”
The more we know about our employees, the more effectively we can communicate with them. That means doing research within your own organization, of course, but it also means being informed about important workforce trends.
Like this one: “Middlescence.” It’s a term coined by Robert Morison, Tamara Erickson and Ken Dychtwald, authors of a new book (Workforce Crisis), and an article in the Harvard Business Review that you should definitely read. (You can subscribe to the publication or purchase a reprint of the article for $6. Click on this link for an abstract and to order.)
“Middlescence” is a term the authors use to define a pervasive restlessness that’s now occurring in managers at midcareer. Here’s the problem:
- Midcareer employees—those between 35 and 54—make up more than half the workforce.
- People at this stage in their career work longer hours—30% more than 50 hours a week—than older or younger workers.
- Yet only 43% are passionate about their jobs. Just 33% feel energized by their work. 36% say they feel they are in dead-end jobs. And more than 40% report feelings of burnout.
- The bad news continues: According to the authors’ research, midcareer employees have the lowest satisfaction rates with their immediate manager and the least confidence in top executives. A fifth are seeking opportunities in other organizations, and a similar number are looking for a major career change.
This all matters because “middlescence” affects morale, which affects productivity. And very soon, unless companies address the malaise affecting their midcareer workers, those companies will face an exodus of skilled workers—and difficulty recruiting new hires to fill those roles.
Read the article. Find out more.
Posted by Alison Davis at 02:02 PM
March 24, 2006
Angelina and Brad and Jennifer?
Usually I write this web log with a fairly developed concept, like “Why you should pay attention to what CIOs are thinking about.”
(That’s probably because I’m a Baby Boomer, and I can’t get over the notion that you only start writing when you’ve figured out what your point is. Retro, aren’t I?)
But this time I have some information that I don’t know how to leverage. I know it’s important, but I don’t have a clue how employee communicators can put it to use. Maybe you can figure it out.
Here it is: What’s the most popular content in magazines these days? Information related to celebrities. Here, for example, are some facts from Adweek’s March 6 Special Report on the hottest magazines (called “The Hot List”):
- 41.3% of magazine covers were devoted to celebrity and entertainment in 2006. That compares to only 4% devoted to national affairs.
- In 2005, there were 28,251 editorial magazines devoted to entertainment. That’s up from 6,794 pages in 1996.
- Compare that celebrity-page number—28,251—with the number of pages devoted to the next most-covered topics: health/medical science (8,577) and national affairs (5,692).
There’s absolutely no doubt: Brad and Angelina and Jessica and Nick sell magazines. But although I often advocate leveraging techniques you can find in consumer media, I can’t tell you how to put this one to use for your communication. It's true that we're fascinated by people’s foibles and idiosyncrasies, But are we as interested in Bill in Accounting as we are in Ben Affleck?
Short of recommending that your company board hire George Clooney to be CEO, any ideas how we can put this information to work for us non-famous communicators?
Posted by Alison Davis at 02:59 PM | Comments (4)
March 21, 2006
Video: 3 things you need to know now
With the growth of display screen systems and enough bandwidth to broadcast via the Web, communicators are rediscovering the potential and power of video. Those of us who have been around a while remember that video was the hot medium of the 1980s, until it was brought down by high costs and distribution challenges, and eclipsed by e-mail and intranets.
But video is back, so it’s time to learn how to use it effectively. For guidance, I turned to Karen Streiff of 24/7 Communications, a full service electronic media production company located in Florham Park, N.J. (Contact her by calling 973-660-0065 or e-mailing streiffk@aol.com)
Karen has years of experience and an impressive DVD demo reel, so she knows what she’s talking about when she offers this advice:
1. Employees have a low tolerance for and little interest in amateurish video: After all, they see dynamic, fast-paced, visually appealing video all the time on their televisions and computer screens.
“Most people will just tune out if they perceive that video is bad,” says Karen. “And the impact is deeper than lack of interest: Poorly created video also has a negative effect on how credible people think the message is.”
2. Speaking of messages, video is great for creating awareness about big picture concepts, and terrible for sharing a lot of details or supporting data. “Especially when viewed on line, video has just a few minutes to get its point across,” she explains. “The goal is to engage the audience in the idea, not to educate people about every aspect of a topic.”
It’s another case of “right tool for the right job” and video is a bad choice for complicated explanations, according to Karen. “However, it’s a good way to get employees interested enough that they’re willing to go to a web site or read a publication to learn more.”
3. Think outside the box (or screen) to make video compelling. The great thing about video is that, with a strong concept and smart editing, you can take raw footage and turn it into a dynamic segment. Karen’s reel includes a segment based on old still images and footage that has been skillfully interwoven to tell an inspiring story.
“Video has the power to draw people in—but for today’s media-savvy workforce, video needs to be sophisticated, fast-moving and emotionally appealing,” says Karen. “It’s not easy, but it can be very effective.”
Posted by Alison Davis at 12:41 PM
March 03, 2006
The new five-second rule
I’ll keep this short.
Having trouble making your messages brief? What if you had to confine your content to something that could be listened to in one minute? If that’s not difficult enough, what if you only had five seconds to get your message across?
That’s what marketers are up against in new tech media such as podcasts and audio podcasts: The “editorial” or news casts are often as brief as one minute, and the “ads” only last five to 10 seconds.
As Steve Smith wrote in his February 28 Mobile Insider column, “Short will be the new long.”
“Anyone contemplating in-stream mobile TV or radio advertising should go directly to iTunes' podcast library for his or her first lessons,” Mr. Smith wrote, “Remarkably enough, a handful of audio and video podcasters already see what short-form media sponsorships should be. Try the daily audio podcasts from The Onion. Not only are the shows a minute long, but the sponsor, Chili's, is happy with a 5-second end-piece. And it works. Likewise, Mondo Media's very popular Happy Tree Friends animated vodcasts have 10-second pre-rolls for the new album from The Strokes. Before I knew what hit me, I got a quick dose of images and music that convinced me these guys have that Franz Ferdinand vibe I like. Mission accomplished.”
Contrast this with the very long, very verbose content that is still the standard in corporate communication. A 1500-word print article? An eight-minute video? Web content that takes more than three minutes to scan? It all seems so retro.
As Mr. Smith writes, it’s time to embrace the simple, the small and, most of all, the short. “As my iPod, RSS feeds, and other aggregation tools move me toward my own on-demand nirvana, I understand how much impact and entertainment comes in smaller packages. The programmers at mobile video providers and podcasters tell me they themselves are amazed at how popular one-minute media is with users. The formats are helping them think more creatively inside smaller boxes and find that well-modulated jabs of have incredible power.”
Sorry I went on so long, but I’m still getting the hang of this brief new world.
Posted by Alison Davis at 05:20 PM