Great Consulting Starts with Skills That Matter

Many organizations are looking to communicators for a different set of services than those traditionally delivered. “Teach our managers to communicate better,” leaders say. “Help us make smarter decisions and be more efficient,” they plead. “Help me deliver messages better in front of our audiences,” they implore. At the same time, communicators work tirelessly to get to the leadership table, stay there and have real influence. We’re all working toward the same end: strategic thinking and implementation that truly impacts the business. For some, operating more like a consultant, even while continuing to work inside the organization, makes more sense. But how do you transition to such a model?

Wilson, Stacy. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Careers>Consulting>Business Communication

The Growing Power of Internet-Driven Public Relations

Many people don't realize the extent to which public relations has increased its influence since the growth of the Internet. This influence continues to grow as does the popularity and utility of the Internet itself. Literally millions of new web sites are added every month, and they represent the most extraordinary way to target your audience. Today's journalists, radio and television news producers and editors all prefer to receive news via e-mail and to instantly access web sites to secure the facts.

Caruba, Alan. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Online

Handling Negative Feedback on Blogs

Despite blogs’ potential for creating valuable online communities, many communicators are still uneasy with the blog format. Communicators worry about the possibility of readers posting negative comments and feedback on the company blog. Angry customers leaving stories of poor experiences for all to see or employees submitting bitter public complaints are nightmare scenarios for most communicators. So how should we respond to negative feedback on corporate blogs? The process begins with shifting our perspective to see the risks as opportunities.

Drennan, Scott. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>Blogging

Hard Measures are Key to Gauging the Effectiveness of Communication on the Bottom Line

In conducting its landmark 2003 Communication ROI Study, which focuses on the relationship between an organization's internal communication strategy and practices and its shareholder returns, Watson Wyatt made some surprising findings regarding the relationship between effective external and internal communication.

Vogt, Peter. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace>Assessment

The Hazards of Translating Legal Documents

The issue of translation is a global one and doesn't just relate to mistranslations by American and British English speakers. Today, poor translation can be particularly dangerous given the speed at which events are reported. How dangerous? According to the Dow Jones Newswire of 12 May 2005, one mistake was worth several billion U.S. dollars.

Frievalds, John. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Language>Legal>Translation

Helping Them Plan for the Future: Communicating about Retirement Benefits

As the Baby Boomer generation, 80 million strong in the U.S. alone, prepares for retirement in the next few years, benefit communication has come to the forefront of employee communication. Given that Americans are personally responsible for their retirement and are using employer-sponsored benefits to achieve their goals, benefit communicators have a terrific opportunity to effect change for millions of people. Communicators can play a pivotal role in helping their organizations offer the most effective retirement benefit program to help employees from every generation achieve their financial goals.

Gallagher, Diane. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Financial

Hiring Writers: How To Get Results That Make You Look Good

Like many of you, each of us has played on both sides of the fence: We've worked as editors in the position of hiring freelance writers, and as writers on constant prowl for new markets and ways to make editors happy. Even if you've not strayed between camps, we're all communication professionals-so why does mutual disappointment or even frustration characterize the editor/writer relationship so often?

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Careers>Interviewing>Writing

How Blogs and Wikis Differ

If you're a professional communicator, chances are good you've already asked yourself whether it's time to start your own blog. But there's another tech question that you probably have not yet asked yourself, and perhaps you should: Is it time to start your own wiki?

Forbush, Dan. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Web Design>Blogging>Wikis

How Companies Are Using Online Surveys to Measure Employee Satisfaction

With technology improving rapidly and costs continuing to drop, businesses are conducting more sophisticated online surveys. No longer confined to traditional paper-based surveys, companies are reaching out more than ever for employee feedback. These surveys include employee satisfaction, upward or "360" evaluations and the performance review process. Online surveys now contain open-ended questions, multiple formats and complex branching tools, giving businesses the potential to gather more insight about employees, corporate culture and business processes than ever before.

Frayne, Dennis. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Management>Online>Surveys

How Employee Publications Missed a Chance to Matter

About 20 years ago, employee publication editors everywhere were under assault from consultants like me who were carping about our colleagues' reluctance to move beyond reporting on employee outings, hobbies and similar fluff. On, we urged, to the serious business of directly helping our organizations win!

Nelson, Barry. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Writing>Workplace>Newsletters

How International Copyright Law Works

If you photocopy an article in the U.S., you apply U.S. copyright law. If you photocopy an article in France, you apply French copyright law. That's the way international copyright law works: You apply the law of the country in which use of the work is made. This is called "national treatment" and is the underlying principle in the leading copyright convention, the Berne Copyright Convention.

Harris, Lesley Ellen. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Intellectual Property>Copyright>International

How Regular Polling can Support Communication of Change

You can't wait for the employee survey each year to see if you're making improvements in your change communication - you need to measure now. Polls are the pulse takers that give snapshots of perceptions. They describe how people are coping with change, what they are thinking, how they are feeling and the extent to which they are supportive of organizational goals. Tudor Williams, ABC, outlines the critical factors in ensuring your polls are accurate, usable and result in valid sets of data.

Williams, Tudor and Ryan Williams. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Methods>Surveys

How to Avoid Networking Faux Pas

It's no secret that networking is a key factor in career success. And failing to keep an active network can hinder your employment prospects if you suddenly find yourself in the job market with no contacts or references. As a professional communicator, you already know how important connections are. But a network must be continually nurtured, and you may be neglecting yours unintentionally. Here are 10 common networking mistakes and tips to avoid them

McDonald, Paul. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building

How to Be an In-House Newshound

The only thing harder than having too much news for your in-house newsletter is having too little. The problem is that great stories seldom fall into your lap. Most of the time, you have to go out and dig for them. Here are a few tried and tested suggestions to help you identify great story ideas within your organization.

Dower, Sophia. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Writing>Newsletters

How to Communicate with Employees During War

On 19 March a war with global implications began between a U.S.-led coalition and Iraq. Although some organizations will be affected by this war more than others, the articles below will help any communicator address certain immediate internal and external organizational war-related communication issues.

Davis, Alison. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace>History

How to Select Your Web Conferencing Tool

New conferencing and collaboration solutions are being announced at the pace of one or more tools per week. New versions and upgrades are promoted even more frequently, and in this avalanche of "this is the best, don't look anywhere else" claims, it is hard to distinguish the good from the average. How should you select your web conferencing tool? Which companies are more reliable and how do you find out? How can you be sure you will not be disappointed? These are tough questions to answer, as there are a million vendors out there and an army of supposed experts all claiming to have the best solution while offering different ones.

Good, Robin. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Web Design>Videoconferencing>Software

How to Set Specific Goals for Your Public Relations Campaign and Calculate Your Precise ROI

In today's world, advertising is just one element of the marketing formula. In fact, there is a shift occurring away from advertising to other marketing that's less costly and more cost-effective and efficient. In all your marketing efforts, your goal is to gain that top-of-mind awareness position with your prospect/customer. PR can do this. Advertising can do this once awareness is attained. PR gets you there; advertising keeps you there. Knowing the return of PR truly justifies it as an integral part of the marketing arsenal.

Lautenslager, Al. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Assessment

How to Start a Business: Five Key Steps to Getting on Track

I received a slightly panicked call the other day from a colleague who had recently ventured out on her own after many years of working for others. She had been lured into self-employment by an opportunity that matched up her passion and her skills—but it wasn't going to pay all the bills. So she needed to get serious about starting up some kind of freelance business. But where to start? Although my colleague had taken the necessary legal steps in her state (notably, applying for a business license), she didn't know what to do next. She was, in her own words, paralyzed.

Steigman, Daria. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Careers>Freelance>Business Communication

How to Write for an Overwritten World

Have you noticed that everyone is a writer these days? Besides all the people who want to publish books, from heads of corporations to bloggers to people who've had tough lives, the digital revolution gives us professionals of every kind issuing their own e-newsletters, vendors deluging us with e-mail messages, and virtually everyone creating web sites and blogs.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Writing>Professionalism

I Have People for That: Outsourcing Corporate Communication

Outsourcing is not new to the corporate communication department. The breadth and complexity of communication technology and the widely varied skills needed to communicate effectively to all audiences make it nearly impossible for a corporate communication department to do it all. Every organization handles communication outsourcing differently. However, there are two basic models of outsourcing currently in use.

Collura, Kathy. Communication World Bulletin (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Outsourcing

In Search of (Corporate Communication) Excellence

Buoyed by commercial expansion and the entrepreneurial renaissance of recent years, corporate public relations has come a long way towards becoming an essential tool in the chief executive's armoury. That said, the scope for further advancement of PR consultants at the boardroom table will remain restricted until the profession gives senior management what they want — a measure of return on their investment.

Dempsey, Conor. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations

In, Out or Somewhere In Between

When considering possible staffing models for structuring your corporate communication function, your choices typically range from the extremes of establishing an all in-house staff to totally outsourcing the function by enlisting the services of a PR agency (or agencies) to do it all for you. More common is the combination that takes advantage of the benefits of the two previous options, while hopefully minimizing their disadvantages.

Eschbach, Peter A. Communication World Bulletin (2008). Articles>Management>Outsourcing>Public Relations

The Independent Contract: What's In, What's Out

Many years ago I was asked to develop a marketing package for the environmental practice group of a large, Washington-based law firm. When I submitted the draft I got exclamations of delight and a promise to provide quick feedback from all the principals. It never came, and my phone queries went unanswered. So I waited, and waited, and waited—and then waited some more.

Steigman, Daria. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Careers>Freelance>Marketing>Environmental

The Ingredients of Leadership

There are crucial behaviors important people, successful executives, and true leaders use to move processes and people forward. These behaviors are the key ingredients of leadership. The more of these ingredients leaders take to heart, teach, and expect of others, the more power they will have to achieve their objectives.

Lukaszewski, James E. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Careers>Management>Business Communication

Inspiring Change Through Research

Organizational communication is centered on inspiring and managing change, so it makes sense that communication professionals are seeing a more critical role for research in understanding and reaching their most important stakeholder relationships (employees, customers, suppliers, dealers, etc.). When a company is undergoing significant changes (i.e., a merger, acquisition, slumping sales, a product launch), research can pinpoint exactly where the issues and communication needs are. Oftentimes, such information is considered and then only used in limited ways. So how does a company proceed in bringing research results to life? It’s important to review how the research and tactical elements of communication vehicles are matched up.

Powell, Nancy. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Organizational Communication>Research