1. Status Report: Internal Communications Subcommittee March 16, 2010 Committee members: Natalie Hampton, CALS, chair John Barnwell, Campus Police; Jennifer Bell, Parents & Families Services; David Dean, Sustainability Office; D’Lyn Ford, University Communications; Yvette Griffin, Human Resources; David Hiscoe, NCSU Libraries; Emily Jordan, Annual Fund; Lauren Kirkpatrick, CHASS; John Martin, Office of Information Technologies; Marielle E. Pocan, CVM; Dave Pond, University Communications

2. Internal Communications Subcommittee Who are our internal audiences? Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats Action items/next steps

3. NC State’s internal audiences Primary internal audiences: Faculty, staff and students (both on campus and off campus) Secondary audiences (want to be kept in the loop): Alumni, retired faculty and staff, donors, students’ parents, advisers and volunteers Though we are large, NC State is a community.

4. Strengths of internal communications The Bulletin e-newsletter The university’s home page Social media: Twitter, Facebook & YouTube Email listservs Technician and other student media Old-fashioned face-to-face contact with administrators

5. Weaknesses of internal communications Communicators “on our own” to figure out internal comm University events calendar – confusion over purpose, who posts, etc. Urgent university messages (resignations) don’t always get out in a timely manner How do we make internal comm more dynamic, more two-way (feedback)?

6. Opportunities for internal communications New chancellor – strategic planning process Collaboration among university communicators Sharing information about internal comm resources Readership survey: Have data from 2008. Should we repeat this? Training: NC State has good training resources. Can we use these to train staff on better internal comm? Key messages? Marketing/advancement rollouts: Need to do better internal comm around these opportunities.

7. Threats to internal communications Information overload! “You can lead a horse to water,” but you can’t make him read… How do we keep up with the pace of communications? Can we create a “culture of trust” on campus to promote two-way communication? Slow to abandon communications that don’t work; slow to adopt new ones that might work

8. Action items Complete a strategic plan. Create an online resource guide related to internal communications. Conduct training on internal comm resources and key university messages. Talk with student media adviser to learn how to work better with Technician, other resources. Consider the need for a staff communications survey and share results.

9. Visit the Internal Comm Ning page http://ncsucommunicators.ning.com/group/internalcommittee Thank you!