1. Colleague Engagement Through the Corporate Communication Lens Adam Gerstein March 7, 2008

2. 2 “If you want to know how a company communicates, understand how it manages. If you want to know how a company manages, understand how it communicates.” - Stephen Girsky, analyst

3. Corporate communications has come a long way…  Leadership used to ask why is communications important  Today, they leaders ask how can strategic communications  Drive our performance  Drive our stock  Motivate and energize our colleagues  Improve our reputation 3

4. Regular employee 43% CEO 23% 4 (2008 Edelman Trust Barometer)

5. 5 Why colleague engagement matters to corporate communicators  Colleagues are central to the organization’s ability to authentically tell its story  Internal communications are external

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7. 7  Disengaged colleagues cost energy, money, and reputation Why colleague engagement matters to corporate communicators

8. 8  Colleagues want to be part of the story; engaging them pays  The most effective employee communication programs provided a 91% total return to shareholders from 2002 to 2006, compared with 62% for least effective programs (Watson Wyatt 2007/2008)  It supports innovation Why effective corporate communications matters to colleagues

9. 9 Over 40 million sold at Costco in 2007 thanks to one engaged employee

10. 10  It’s good for their relationships with their bosses  Direct supervisors are the single-most important drivers of colleague engagement in large organizations (Melcrum 2007/2008) Why effective corporate communications matters to colleagues

11. 11  Trusted advisors and thought partners to senior leaders  Understand the business  The ability to play offense and defense  Shapers of the narrative  Know what’s being said, whom to engage, when  Translators of the company’s culture and values  Mobilize influential colleagues and increase discretionary effort  Advocates for colleagues  Collaborative relationships; holistic approach How communicators can drive engagement

12. 12 Proper use of channels engages colleagues  The right news at the right time  Balanced mix of top-down, two-way, peer-to-peer  Send responsibly

13. Good content drives engagement, builds trust 13  Timely  Clear  Strategically aligned to the business  Credible  Individually Relevant

14. Looking ahead: better colleague engagement  The rise of the Chief Communications Officer  Shifting management model  Web 2.0 and 3.0 14