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May 24, 2006

Repeat after me: Not everyone has Internet access

It’s always surprising to me how many companies rely almost exclusively on electronic vehicles to share information with employees, even though at nearly every company, a significant number of employees are still unwired. Ignoring the existence (or importance) of these employees is not only bad communication, it’s bad management.

Does your organization have employees doing jobs like these? Working on a manufacturing line. Driving a truck. Serving customers in a store or restaurant. Moving stuff in a distribution center or warehouse. Preparing food. Or even answering phones in a call center, where the “computer” on the desk may not be connected to the company’s information system.

If so, my bet is that these employees’ electronic access is limited or non-existent. And here’s the rest of the bad news: They may not be wired at home, either. (There goes your excuse that you’ll rely on an extranet to communicate.) According to the Pew Internet & American Life project, in 2005, 22% of Americans weren’t using the Internet at all—in fact, their homes have no web connection. www.pewinternet.org

Even more interesting, the percentage of unconnected Americans has remained stable over the past three years. And, as you might expect, the likelihood that someone will have Internet connections depends on their demographics:

• 89% of college graduates connect, while 71% of those without high school diplomas don’t.

• 83% of parents with young children connect, while 40% of those with no children don’t.

Just because the people who work with you in headquarters are all wired doesn’t mean that employees doing the real work, in noisy factories and hot warehouses, are, too.

So here’s the question: Are you doing enough to reach non-wired employees?

Posted by Alison Davis at 11:22 AM

May 17, 2006

7 compelling reasons to learn about visuals

If you haven’t signed up for my colleague David Pitre’s May 23 web workshop, Communicate Visually to Increase Understanding and Retention, do so immediately.

The ability to use visuals to communicate will be one of your key success factors in the months and years to come—increasingly, words simply aren’t enough.

Why is communicating visually so important? Here are seven key reasons:

1. Most people under 18 don’t read. They can read; they just don’t choose to, especially when they can get the information they need quickly in so many ways.
2. Most people over 18 don’t read either. More watch NASCAR than read novels. We skim and scan, rarely pausing long enough to actually pore over every word.
3. The media has created a standard of colorful, dynamic, beautiful visuals. Think of magazines, television, even newspapers. Pictures really do tell the story.
4. Cellphones, PDAs and other handheld devices will become the most prevalent communication tools of the future. How many words can you fit on those tiny screens? Not too many—but you can show concepts, via pictures and video.
5. Words are difficult to translate, as you try to operate globally. Visuals, on the other hand, are universal. (That’s why Hollywood action movies have so little dialogue.)
6. Visuals require focus and simplicity. They make you decide on the one concept you need to get across. Words allow you to waffle. Too many cooks make a muddy broth.
7. The most important reason: In an information-overloaded world, visuals cut through the clutter.

I encourage you to sign up today.

Posted by Alison Davis at 03:36 PM

May 02, 2006

Hispanics, females and other demographics

Immigrant workers are obviously in the news these days, and a recent study by the research firm The Media Audit confirms the growing importance of Hispanics in the “blue collar” workforce.

I share these facts with you as part of my continuing efforts to encourage you to analyze your employee audience—the more you know about your audience, the more you can design communication that will reach and engage employees.

For a fuller picture of this research, visit www.centerformediaresearch.com, but here are some key highlights:

• Hispanics as a percent of the blue collar workforce increased from 19% in 2000 to 22.5% today.
• Female (of all ethic backgrounds) participation in the blue collar workforce is now at 34.9%, up from 31.6% in 2000.
• The percentage of Caucasians in blue collar jobs has declined (from 59.1% to 52.8%) as has the participation of African-Americans (from 17.6% to 15.9%).

If your company employs blue collar workers (often found in such job categories as manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and customer service), ask yourself:

• What percent of this workforce is female?
• What percent is Hispanic? Other ethnic groups?
• What is the average income of workers in these categories? Length of service (or its flip side, attrition)? Educational level? Proficiency in English?

All of these factors can help you decide the best way to develop and deliver messages to your workforce that will be effective.

Posted by Alison Davis at 03:44 PM