What to Do When the Boss Says No

It's an undisputed fact. Some CEOs refuse to acknowledge that their communication skills could use a tune-up. Someone in your organization -- quite possibly you -- needs to assume responsibility for sharpening your CEO's communication skills. If your leader neglects this part of her leadership toolkit, it's time to offer some frank advice on how she can improve. You must also be prepared to deal with the sensitive matter of how to encourage the boss to accept the benefits of learning from a communication training workshop.

Barks, Edward J. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Management>Collaboration

What Will Intranets and Portals Look Like in 2010?

Every year needs its hype topic of choice. In the field of intranets and portals for 2007, the fashion has now been decided: It's the 3-D intranet—some version of Second Life (the virtual digital environment gaining popularity among large corporations) designed for employees. IBM is investing large sums of money looking into what a 3-D intranet might be like, and intranet managers and directors in large organizations are gaining interest in this new possibility.

Miller, Paul. Communication World Bulletin (2008). Articles>Web Design>Intranets

When It's Created, It's Copyrighted

The title above is, in a nutshell, the meaning of the copyright law as it pertains to creative works. Simple and straightforward: Whoever makes it, owns it and in turn grants legal permission for its use to you, the corporate client. Back in the day when you needed a negative or the original transparency to make a decent usable image, it was easier to safeguard photographs against unauthorized use. Now with digital technology, there is no difference between "original" and "duplicate," and copying images is, in some cases, all too easy.

Salvo, Suzanne. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Intellectual Property>Copyright

When It's Time to Get Serious About Internal Communication, Lay the Foundation with an Audit

While an internal communication audit is enormously valuable, many communicators don't know when one is needed, how it's done or what to do with the results. In fact, communicators who may in the end buy an audit are those who initially call for help wrestling with core communication issues. They want information and informal benchmarking, but they ask questions that foreshadow an audit.

Gordon, Greg. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Careers>Management>Communication

Where in the World Is Second Life?

Like most corporations, computer maker Dell offers a pop-up list of countries and regions on its web site. But, look closely between Saudi Arabia and Senegal, and you'll find a country called "Second Life." Click on it and you'll find that it's not a country but a world—of the virtual kind.

Gronstedt, Anders. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>Social Networking

Who and What are You, and Why Should Anyone Care? Shaping, Telling and Retelling Your Organizational Story

In the waning weeks of 2004, discussion of integrated communication is, to paraphrase my teenage daughter, “so yesterday.” Like cascading communication, any talk today about integrating organizational communication is on par with contemplating one’s navel. Integrated communication should be a given for any organization. What is integrated communication and why is it so passé? To have a chance at being heard in today’s cluttered environment, all facets of the organization’s story need to be coordinated and consistent. No matter where you touch that organization, the story must be the same.

Grates, Gary F. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Marketing

Why Craft Better News Releases? Because the Payoff Can Be Really Big

Written any good news releases lately? Though many of us in business communication churn them out regularly, we often don't take as much care crafting them as we do with other vehicles like articles or brochures.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Press Releases

Why Design Matters

As business communicators, our goal is typically to influence opinion or change behavior in order to achieve business objectives. To accomplish this, we must get people to interact with our message. A page of 12-point Times New Roman text is seldom compelling, so what you are left with to persuade people to read your publication is graphic design.

Canfield, Jocelyn. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Design>Document Design>Typography>Visual Rhetoric

With the Latest Software, Track How Your Readers are Interacting With Your E-Newsletter

While webmasters have long been able to study how site visitors interact with a web site, e-mail has been more elusive. No more. With the latest generation of smart e-mail software, marketers can now essentially look over the shoulders of their readers, seeing first-hand what works, what needs improvement and what is simply falling on deaf ears.

Dysart, Joe. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Email

World Economic Forum Survey Projects Mainstreaming of Corporate Citizenship

A new report credits socially responsible investing, among other trends, for influencing mainstream investors to take corporate citizenship more seriously. Is corporate citizenship entering mainstream investors' consciousness? No and yes, according to a new World Economic Forum report that surveys CEO's and IRO's (investor relations officers) at 26 companies from 14 countries. Forty-two percent of the respondents felt there has been a major increase in the level of activism, engagement and sophistication from the SRI community regarding CSR. Over 70 percent of the respondents who hail from large international corporations believe that mainstream investors will have an increased interest in CSR issues.

Baue, William. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>International

World English: Communicating with International Audiences

English is now firmly established as the lingua franca of the global economy. As native English speakers interact more with non-native speakers in this globalized context, a framework called World English can help both parties understand each other better.

Perlman, Alan M. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Writing>International

World English: How to Communicate with an International Audience

World English is the result of applying a set of writing and editing principles to create a simplified, highly-intelligible international dialect. The principle is similar to that of Basic English, which was developed by linguists during World War II. While Basic English had only 800 words, you could really say a lot of things with it. The number of situations where misinterpretation can take place is practically infinite. But a fairly small number of writing and editing principles will cover a very large number of cases and considerably reduce the burden on the non-native reader and listener.

Perlman, Alan M. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Writing>International>Language

Would You Ban the Internet?

If you could have instant access to the very customers and stakeholders that you, as a communicator, hope to influence, wouldn't you want to listen to them? Interact with them? Read what they read, watch what they watch and jump at the chance to gain an unprecedented insight into their likes, dislikes, hopes and fears? Communicators have always wanted to get inside the heads of their audience, to find out how their constituents want to get their information and what messaging or positioning works best. And now they can.

Lee, Ed. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Internet>Management

Writing for a Global Audience? Be Careful How You Say It

Basic miscommunication can litter the path to understanding—and worse. You may recall that a few years ago the Mars Climate Orbiter failed to achieve the correct altitude for its orbit of Mars, and was destroyed by atmospheric pressure—all due to a little misunderstanding. It seems that some crucial data had been calculated in English units, while the navigation team had expected to receive metric units and used the data that way.

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

Writing the Winning Proposal: It's Serious Business for Communicators

Operating a business on any level, from one-person band to global organization, is so competitive today that delivering excellent proposals can be critical. So we want to offer some guidelines and ideas, drawn from our own experience and from some people who've spent a lot of time thinking about proposal writing.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Grants>Proposals

You Can't E-Mail Face Time—Employees Want Bosses Up Close and Personal

Face time. According to the fourth annual survey of the North American workplace, from Netherlands-based staffing organization Randstad, those two words best describe the most preferred way for employers to communicate with employees. The 2003 Employee Review is based on findings from 2,826 telephone interviews conducted by RoperASW, making it one of the most extensive employee attitude surveys conducted in the U.S. “E-mail is far behind face-to-face meetings as the means of communication most preferred by employees,” said Joanne Reichardt, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs for Randstad North America. “In short, everyone wants face time.”

Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Collaboration>Online>Email

Your Seven-Step Online Reputation Crisis Plan

When you first discover an attack on your online reputation, it can be an unnerving event. If you’ve previously been oblivious to the online discussions about your brand, it can feel like a kick to the ribs to see someone wage an attack on your good name. When it happens, it’s important not to hit the panic button. If great companies such as Target and JetBlue can come under fire, then it can happen to anyone.

Beal, Andy. Communication World Bulletin (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Online

Strategies for Training the Executive Spokesperson 

CEOs and other executives often find themselves in the role of company spokesperson. More often than not, they have neither the background nor the proper training to be effective. As the communication professional responsible for media relations at your company, there are several things you can do to help prepare your executive for the interviews to come.

Sittu, Danielle. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Education>Business Communication>Public Relations

Teaching Spokespeople to Manage Risk 

There is a significant risk of being quoted out of context during media interviews. This risk can fall anywhere along a spectrum that ranges from mild to severe. Mild risk occurs when the information included in a media story appears to be less than accurate. If you’ve ever heard a spokesperson complain that reporters never get it right, you’ve probably witnessed this type of risk firsthand. Severe risk occurs when a portion of what the spokesperson says is twisted or turned, then included in a story to deliberately fan the flames of a smoldering fire. If this occurs, an organization may need to exercise damage control, and there may be significant risk to its reputation.

Bergman, Eric. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Education>Public Relations>Risk Communication

What You Don’t Say: The Power of Nonverbal Communication 

Most explanations of human behavior in the business world assume that people are best persuaded by reason and logic. Steeped in that belief, executives and senior managers have focused on delivering convincing speeches and finding “just the right words” when dealing with the public and the press. But what if that view is flawed?

Kinsey Goman, Carol. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations

What Spokespeople Should Say and Do in a Crisis 

Powerful communication before a crisis and rapid communication during a crisis have the ability to move people out of harm’s way, save lives and protect reputations. Yet so many organizations second-guess what they should say, who should say it and when. Here are some rules to follow in these circumstances.

Braud, Gerard. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Crisis Communication>Public Relations

Netiquette, Twettiquette: How to Build the Social Media Audiences You Want 

How can you build the right following? The question is important because like it or not, as communicators, we’re expected to lead the way in our organizations’ use of social media.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Social Networking>Marketing

Forget the Golden Rule 

Treat others the way you would want to be treated. It seems ridiculous to think that one of the most common rules taught to children somehow hinders effective business communication when these children become adults. But it’s true. To be effective at communicating with customers (for example, internal audiences who buy into ideas or messages, or external audiences who buy products or services), one must turn away from this standard rule and focus instead on treating others the way they want to be treated.

Parkhurst, Morgan Leu. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Business Communication>User Centered Design>Marketing

Companies Are Behind in Social Media Training for Employees 

Many companies continue to discount the power and potential of social media. Others are just beginning to flirt with the idea of using this new form of communication, while still others are in the process of developing social media policies to establish what employees can and cannot do. Then, there are those companies that have started allowing their communication specialists to engage in social media on behalf of the organization. But how many are teaching non-communication staff how to use this new media?

Armendariz, Rebecca. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Social Networking

Social Media and Public Relations: You Can Do This 

For professional communicators, social media is like a new, wild river born from the converging streams of public relations and marketing. A good social media campaign requires the traditional PR skills of telling engaging stories and building positive relationships with constituents, and a marketer’s knack for knowing and finding “the buyer.”

Patella, John. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Social Networking