January 5, 2006

6 Resolutions for 2006

You’re just back from the holiday break and your head is already spinning. But before you get completely sucked into the vortex of day-to-day deliverables, take a few minutes to consider our recommended employee communication resolutions for 2006.

Our resolutions are designed to offer inspiration to help you take your efforts to the next level in the new year. So grab another cup of coffee (champagne’s all gone) and contemplate our list:

1. Commit to measurement
Most employee communicators dabble in measurement, but few integrate it into their core program. Yet measurement can make such a difference: help you understand employee preferences, test approaches to make communication work better, measure your efforts and demonstrate your value. (See Alison’s Insights weblog for more on why measurement matters.) Resolve to do more measurement in 2006.

2. Know your audience—and use this knowledge to meet your audience’s needs
Your employee population is not comprised of a homogenous group of people with a single set of perspectives, needs and concerns. So resolve to understand your employees’ demographics—including geography, education, age ranges, job categories, tenure—and use those demographics to shape your communication strategies.

3. Reduce information overload
Information overload is the hidden problem undermining communication effectiveness—it’s like a colony of termites eating away at the foundation of attention and credibility, until the whole structure collapses. While you certainly don’t create or control all communication in your organization, you’re in the best position to take the lead to stem the tide of poorly timed, irrelevant and useless information. It’s a resolution worth making and keeping.

4. Enhance your writing
Writing is still the most essential skill for communicators—and clear, compelling writing in any venue is one of the most effective ways to get employees’ attention. There are many areas of communication you can’t change, but you should make sure that your writing is simple, succinct and service-oriented. Resolve to eliminate corporate speak, make your writing modular and easy to navigate, and provide employees with information about what’s in it for them.

5. Use one new technology
With the cost of new technology decreasing and the ease of use increasing, it’s a great year to put new communication tools to work, to make your program more interactive and dynamic. So resolve to do at least one of the following: Start a blog. Build a wiki. Try podcasting. Experiment with digital message boards. Leverage instant messaging.

6. Help managers use communication to do their jobs
Managers are such a key link in the chain of communication, and most will try to do the right thing if given the encouragement, the tools, and the information—especially if they believe that communication will help them get their jobs done. Resolve to find ways to help managers be better communicators in 2006. The best way to start? Conduct research (see #1) to find out what managers need.