It’s time To talk internal communication in the ATO Presented by Frank Cachia Senior Director Australian Taxation Office June 2012

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 2 Overview How does the ATO manage internal communications? ATO Internal Communication Framework How does internal communications fit within the bigger picture? What role does internal communication play in shaping organisational culture? The changing role of the internal communication specialist Critical significance of best practice Essential to success Questions

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 3 “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” George Bernard Shaw

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 4 How does the ATO manage internal communications? Employee Communication team – 28 communication professionals News Extra (weekly e magazine) Communication Strategy Event Design and Production Online Video Production Responsible for corporate messages and channels to communicate with 22,000 employees

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 5 Before we explore the how – we really must explore the what. Communication between employees or departments of the same organisation –Formal – planned communication using established systems, processes, and channels –Informal – unregulated and unstructured interaction A people and relationship process Owned by the entire organisation

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 6 ATO Internal Communication Framework Established in 2011 designed to help the ATO to communicate effectively and consistently provides guidance, tools and support for internal communication practitioners define roles and responsibilities of internal communication practitioners provide a set of tools for the internal communication capability

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8 “Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break” Earl Wilson

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 9 How does internal communications fit within the bigger picture? What is the bigger picture? Success of an organisation Deliver your brand values Success linked with effective employee communication, engagement and building a productive culture An informed and engaged workforce produces better results

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 10 How does internal communications fit within the bigger picture? How is it different from external communications? The audience How is it the same? Same principles apply Same level of importance Same positive and negative consequences

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 11 “Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing” Rollo May

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 12 What role does internal communication play in shaping organisational culture? Organisational culture shapes how its people behave, interacts and makes decisions The role of leaders The three “Cs” – collaboration, co-design and consultation The importance of knowledge share

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ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 14 “Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true” Charles Dickens

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 15 The changing role of the internal communication specialist Technology is playing a greater role in all our communications Internal communication is not technology dependant or an “online thing” Face to face is still highly regarded Widespread use of Twitter, Facebook, blogging and RSS feeds Adopting communication channels are synonymous with innovation Internal communication is not the core business of any government agency Internal communications no longer resides in the internal environment

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 16 The negative impact

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 17 The positive

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 18 “If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of no help.” John F Kennedy

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 19 Essential to success You cannot improve culture or engagement without leadership Leaders must champion your internal communications even though they may not be responsible for them Consistency Integration Replicate the external experience internally Should be seamless Stick to your plan

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 20 “Every employee has a sphere of influence along with their own individual knowledge, this is where a knowledge sharing culture can begin” David Gurteen

ATO Internal Communication IPAA Presentation 21 Questions © COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA 2012 This presentation was current in June 2012 Thanks for listening