1. Communications Team Kick-Off Meeting

2. Objectives
Level-set on integration communication best practices
Understand integration communication approaches and progress-to-date
Define Charter and Operating Model for Communications Team
Define a set of integration communication Guiding Principles
Discuss major audience segments
Discuss immediate communication needs
Identify next steps

3. Communications Progress-to-Date Communication Team Charter Definition
Agenda
Welcome
Objectives
Pritchett
Overview of approach
Merger communications perspective
Communications Progress-to-Date
Communication Team Charter Definition
Define Guiding Principles
Audience Segmentation
Key Communication Priorities
Next Steps

4. Communications Process – Suggested Approach
November
December
January
Define Comm.
Guiding
Principles
Build
Audience
Map & Plan
Define
Core
Messages
Build Ongoing
Communications
Process
Communicate
& Monitor
Segment audiences
Identify mechanisms & timing
Identify messengers
Formalize Team/ Charter
- Members
- Role
- Objectives
- Operating Model
Set-Up
Feedback
Mechanisms
Regular / newsletter
Leader packets
SBU Leader involvement
Employee Q&A
Press releases/ external messages on progress
Continue
Post-Close
Intranet
Q&A
1.800.Line
Employee round tables
Measurement process
Key Communication
Priorities
Address immediate internal communication needs
- Company-wide status communication
- Key messages
Notes:
Communications Team will include representatives from both organizations
Approval process for communications plan, core messages, and each specific communication will be created

5. Plan messaging out to at least “Employee Day 45”
Communication Plan
Plan messaging out to at least “Employee Day 45”
Pre-Close
Employee
Day 0
Employee
Day 15
Employee
Day 30
Employee
Day 45
Ongoing
Division GM and IMO Lead communicate with subsidiary CEO
Division GM and IMO meet with subsidiary Executive Team about Integration process and timeline
Division GM and IMO lead plan Employee Day 1 events and coordinate Functional leads
Draft Supplier and Customer communications
Welcoming letter goes out from CEO and Division GM to all subsidiary employees
Talking Points for Day 1 event
IMO shares high-level integration plan with subsidiary employees
Division GM initiates communication of new management structure and reporting relationships
Welcome Event conducted at other subsidiary locations (where applicable)
Functional Leads and Division leadership confirm on-site schedule thru Day 45
Communicate employee feedback process (e.g., integration.com address)
Send Supplier and Customer communications
Functional leads communicate regularly regarding integration progress, remaining deliverables
IMO aggregates employee feedback and includes pertinent issues in IMO Executive readout
Update HR FAQs
Initiate planning for benefits transfer communications (if applicable)
Functional leads communicate regarding integration progress, remaining key deliverables
Update HR FAQs
IMO aggregates employee feedback and includes pertinent issues in IMO Executive readout
GM and/or IMO visits subsidiary to address outstanding issues
IMO sends out employee survey to assess integration progress and employee satisfaction (recommended at Day 100 or after any reorg or reduction in force)
IMO collects remaining CMP deliverables as part of End -State Tracking “

6. A Reminder: The Merger Challenge
Three new, predictable dynamics at work
Increased uncertainty and ambiguity
Drop in trust level
Self-preservation dominates

7. Counter Intuitive Moves
“To Don’ts”
“To Dos”
STABILIZE
BE FAIR
FOCUS ON MORALE
BUILD A COMMON CULTURE
PROMISE BUSINESS AS USUAL
CHANGE FAST
MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS EARLY
FOCUS ON BUSINESS
BUILD ON CULTURAL STRENGTHS
PROMISE CHANGE

8. PRITCHETT Point Of View: Common Communication Mistakes
Playing ‘Carnac the Magnificent’
Sugar coating the truth
Forgetting the “Me”
Holding back the compliments
Ignoring staggered experiences

9. (i.e., knowing all the answers about everything – even the future)
Playing “Carnac the Magnificent”
(i.e., knowing all the answers about everything – even the future)
Things change too fast to make any promises at this point
Better to position communications as “what we know now” with caveats
The one thing you can promise is “change”
Sometimes better to listen than struggle to provide answers
Phrases to Live By
“Our current thinking on that is this, but of course that could change at any time”
“We are going to need a lot of people to help us figure that one out – as you can imagine there are a few alternatives each with its own set of unique challenges”
“Unfortunately, we have many more questions than answers at this point. What I can do is tell you that when we know the path we are going to take we will communicate it with you”

10. Sugar Coating the Truth
The first instinct is to try and inject calm or soothe the masses
Better to be brutally honest and share a balanced view
For almost everyone, this is a good news/bad news story
Make an effort to exploit the instability as opposed to trying to remove it
Phrases to Live By
“I can not in good conscious stand here and tell you that no jobs will be eliminated. Instead, I will be honest and share with you what we know now…”
“Even though an announcement like this creates a lot of uncertainty, it is an opportunity for all of us to begin building a new company”

11. The first word in Merger is “Me”
Forgetting the “Me”
The first word in Merger is “Me”
Communicate from the individual’s point of view
Separate benefits for the company and shareholders from the impact on individuals (e.g., “This is a great deal because of the synergies we expect” is not a terrific message)
Phrases to Live By
“While things may change, at the current time we plan no changes to you health coverage, vacation time, or commissions through the end of this year”

12. Holding Back the Compliments
It is important to reinforce the positives about the other company
Negative talk doesn’t do anyone any good
Cultures are not good or bad – they just are
Phrases to Live By
“One of the major reasons we are doing this deal is because of the strengths that each firm brings to the table”
“We should never catch ourselves asking which legacy firm is better than the other –instead we should ask ourselves, “what do we want our new company to be?”

13. Staggered Experiences
Emotion
Middle
Management
Executives
Employees
Time

14. Progress-to-Date
What messages have been communicated internally and externally?
What feedback have you received from any of your audiences?
Who has been responsible for internal communications to date?
Who are the messages from?
What vehicles are available for communication?
When was the last integration-related communication?

15. Communication Team Charter
Charter Statement Draft: Serve as a resource internally and externally to ensure communications consistency during integration process.
Membership
Team members
Identify additional team resources
Role
Overall team and individual members
Objectives
What is the desired outcome for our communication efforts?
Operating Model
Approval process
Dependency on other integration teams
Critical success factors/ risks

16. Communications Team Communications Team Communications Team Members
Team leader
Team members’ names
Communications
Team
Considerations:
Are these the right members for the team?
Are there any other communications resources that need to be enlisted?
Who can best serve as team coordinator?

17. RESPECT FOR LOCAL LANGUAGES
Guiding Principles
Framework to ensure clarity in decision-making and message creation. Assists in defining the philosophy for all integration communications.
Example:
RESPECT FOR LOCAL LANGUAGES
We must respect the native languages of all of our employees - domestic or international - and ensure maximum comprehension of all messages. Therefore, all integration communication messages will be translated.
Other example guiding principles:
Prioritize content over gloss
Don’t allow employees to hear it first from the outside
Focus on the future
Realize success breeds success
Share the good with the bad (balance)

18. Audience Segmentation
Stakeholders
Objectives
Message
Vehicle
How Often
Responsibility
Completed
Segmentation objective: Segment audiences deep enough where messages are targeted and meaningful but not too deep where communications becomes highly inefficient.
What are the key audience segments?
What vehicles are the most effective per audience?

19. Key Communication Priorities
Potential Topics for Integration Bulletins / Updates
Strategic guidelines - what decisions have been made regarding the guiding philosophy or approach to the integration.
Early wins - e.g., New customers won, events where the two organizations have worked together.
“Getting to know you” articles, personal profiles of key people in both organizations and their roles.
Communication about “me issues” - pension, severance, commissions.
Positive customer reactions.
Profiles of teams working on the integration.
Next steps - continued information about the progress of the integration.
General articles about change, mergers, acquisitions, etc.
The importance of the role people are playing to maintain the business (whether or not they’re involved in the integration directly).
“The Rumor Mill” - acknowledgment of specific rumors and an outline of the real facts.
Product coverage.
Glossary of terms - Acronyms.
Success measures - show signs of progress.
Evidence that things are happening - decisions that have been made.

20. Next Steps
Draft copy of Charter and Guiding Principles and distribute to team members
Complete Audience / Media Matrix
Notify / Orient additional team members
Begin creating core messages to support key communication priorities
Generate ideas / resources for feedback mechanisms