communication

Books every communicator should read

Some industries have a few key texts which were crucial to the development of the profession. Over at the IABC LinkedIn group discussion board, one of the hottest topics currently is a ‘required reading list’ for an Internal Communication Library. Kicked off by Betsy Pasley, ABC, there have been dozens of contributions and over 100 books suggested.

I won’t hijack Betsy’s list here. If you are a LinkedIn user and a member of IABC, I recommend checking out the full discussion.

With inclusion based on the number of post-it notes, dog-eared pages, highlighted passages, and sections I have recommended to others, I submitted a few of my favourites. Applying the “burning bookshelf” test (in which you can take five and only five) I include:

Anything from Roger D’Aprix
All of D’Aprix’s work is really helpful. His chapter fron the IABC Handbook ‘Throwing rocks at the corporate rhinoceros’ should be essential C-Suite pre-reading ahead of their next strategic retreat (or better still, gift them a copy of ‘The Credible Company’) , and Communicating for Change, connecting the workplace with the marketplace 1996, Jossey Bass is still the communication book that influenced my practice the most.

The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication, 2006, Jossey Bass
As a comprehensive survey of current issues in communication practice (without being faddish), essential.

Whatever you think, think the opposite by (the late) Paul Arden, Phaidon is wonderful fuel for looking at things from another perspective.

Communicating Change, Bill Quirke,  McGraw Hill
This is the source of some of the most sensible, practical and applicable communication advice that speaks to the business as much as to the communicator. Also interesting is the degree to which the central challenges of strategic communication laid out by Bill 15 years ago remain current topics of some debate in our industry today.

Well. That’s five. Did I not mention the rules? It’s only five per post. To be continued…

Forum highlights power of sharing stories authentically

I had a blast on Thursday chairing the Melcrum Strategic Communication Management Summit in Sydney.  

Across two days of presentations and activities, there were some common themes that stood out for me as representative of the things that are helping communicators navigate the ‘new landscape’ (post/mid GFC, social media, changing industries, post-spin). They are not new themes, but regardless of what changes occur in the corporate or public sector landscape, these themes hold true.

1. It’s about stories. For most communicators reading this, I am preaching to the choir. Stories are how we make sense of the world. We can transmit information in a lot of different ways, but the context, the character, and the connections are brought to life through story.

2. Authenticity is the secret ingredient. One compelling theme was the genuine change, engagement and commitment that comes with authentic communication. There were great examples: the CEO of an organisation in crisis, speaking openly to employees in very plain terms about not only what was happening, but how it was affecting the workforce, customers, and him (in that order); the power of simply saying ‘sorry’ (and meaning it); the companies tapping into those parts of their workforce who are already communicating openly and authentically in the social media sphere. There was great authenticity too from those communication professionals and allied disciplines including change and leadership who generously shared all aspects of their stories – the good, the bad and the ugly.  

3. Involve/Get involved. It’s not up to communicators to do it alone. We have to partner with the right collaborators – inside and outside organisations. Although Social networking and web 2.0 tools can help us connect, share information, get feedback, value and rate, it’s not about the technology. It is about the mindset to reach out and involve. The types of scarcity thinking that drives silo mentality in organisations will not support the new social economy. We need to enable and entrust people to participate in the organisational dialogue.

I can’t do justice to the stories that people shared in a few short blog paragraphs. But I can say ‘thank you’ to the communicators who demonstrated these ideas so evocatively.

And a big thanks to Melcrum for asking me to be a part.

Good result for Aussie comms in IABC Gold Quills

The 2010 IABC Gold Quill Award winners have been announced overnight. Of the 106 entrants reconised from a field of 900, 15 communication Australian campaigns have been recognised.

Congratulations to our Australian communication colleagues for their achievements:

Let’s Talk Transport Planning
AECOM and SKM as JV Partners in the ConnectWest Consortium supported by Phillips Group for the Department of Transport and Main Roads
Queensland Department of Transport and Main RoadsBrisbane, Australia

Best Job in the World (recognised in three categories)
Steve McRobertsTourism Queensland
Brisbane, Australia

Orange Everyday Fee Free Banking
David Breen ING DIRECT Australia
Sydney, Australia

Bayer B-Green Sustainability Program
Robbie Brown, Megan Caulfield, Stephen Hale, Kirsten Impey, Sabrina Herbrik & Pip KellyOgilvyEarth at Impact Employee Communications (Ogilvy PR Australia) & Bayer Australia and New Zealand
Sydney, Australia

Driving a great result for Ford Australia
Tamsyn Sandeman Impact Employee Communications, Ogilvy PR Australia
Sydney, Australia

Employee Communication for Australia Post’s Mail and Networks Division
Janice D. Mascini Australia Post
Melbourne, Australia

CityGT iPhone App
Paul Tierney
VicRoads
Kew, Australia

‘byobags.com.au’ – South Australia’s Plastic Bag Ban
Dr Marcia Hewitt
Zero Waste SA
Adelaide, Australia

Relief in Sight
Communications Team
AusAID
Canberra, Australia

Creating one new intranet for Bupa
Kelly Pryn and Natalie Wheeler
Bupa Australia
Hawthorn, Australia

Vh2am – The Voice of NRMA
Internal Communications Team
NRMA Motoring & Services
North Strathfield, Australia

Swinburne magazine
Dorothy Albrecht and Julianne Camerotto, Swinburne University of Technology
Coretext Pty Ltd
Melbourne, Australia

Meaning Business, Redux

Over the past two years, the Meaning Business blog took an extended break. You could go so far as to say it was dead.

In that time, the communication world has grown increasingly connected, extending the use and reuse of social media at a breakneck speed. Since last writing, microblogging through twitter and other sources has boomed, the number of facebook users has tripled. The number of voices has increased. At the same time, the economic, political and social landscape has changed.

Change brings new ideas, and I like to explore and cross the boundaries between communication, business, organisational development, the arts, politics and other sources of new thinking.

In resurrecting the Meaning Business blog I am aiming to share what I find useful from experience, seek and share ideas that have been useful, new themes and topics that stand out from the immense volume of information available to us. I have been inspired by a number of conversations with colleagues and peers in communication over the past few months and hope to create the same dialogue here.