Victoria Communicaton

I am often asked about the role of the CEO or leader of any organization in employee communication. My opinion is that no matter what the issue is, even if it is just business as usual, having a good communicator as a CEO is critical to impact the culture of an organization in a positive way.

Lets start with looking at some scenarios. These can include a merger or acquisition, an organizational crisis, announcement of annual financial results, corporate social responsibility or even trying to create a culture of innovation.

My contention is that no matter what the issue, here are 5 ways that your CEO can communicate with employees and achieve positive outcomes each time. Most of the methods listed below involve face to face dialogue to ensure the greatest engagement. 1. Staff Forums â?? Otherwise known as “Town Halls” these are opportunities for the CEO and Senior Management team to visit employees in all locations and address the real issues and concerns of staff as well as communicating the big picture. Employee communication tips include handing out cards to attendees so that the questions can be addressed after a break in proceedings, tailoring the presentation in part to the unique situation in the particular region the CEO is visiting and following up any issues that cannot be answered at the time.2. Site Visits â?? These are an excellent employee communication tool for the CEO to find out specifically from the frontline exactly what the issues and concerns are of a particular region or department. The key is not only to spend time with the leadership team but also to sit with employees and find out what they are working on and inviting them to suggest innovative ways of doing things differently. CEOs’ rarely spend time communicating with employees and this is one way to break down perceptions and encourage two way communication.3. Employee Achievement â?? Another way the CEO can communicate change is to support and encourage employees personally for their achievements. These maybe directly related to the issue at hand and by taking time out to recognize high achievers or change agents it sends a strong message to all employees that the CEO will reward those who support and are engaged in the change agenda.4. Leaderships Forums â?? One of the smartest things an CEO can do during times of change is to communicate with his / her leadership team. I have always found that employee communication strategies need to be pitched at different levels and with different strategies to suit the role and expectations of the employees. When we think of change it is the leadership team that will drive it, from regional managers, state managers to frontline supervisors it is important that the CEO communicates face to face with the leadership team to be very clear about his or her expectation of them during times of change. One employee communication tip here is that face to face one on one meetings be held with the direct reports to the CEO and the next level down; it is a very powerful tool and has maximum impact.5. CEO Blog â?? Finally where would we be if we did not mention some form of technology driven communication tool. A CEO blog is very effective if it is used to support and report on the transformation process whilst the employee engagement strategy is underway. For example the CEO has one on one meetings with the leadership team, he / she then reports in the Blog on the key messages and expectations. The CEO begins visits to each region and reports back on the Blog the key observations and achievements of employees and so on. Employee communication tools to inform are always a back up and support to the real communication taking place, the employee communication engagement strategies as listed in points 1 â?? 4 above.

The methods suggested above also achieve another goal often neglected in employee communication. As this is the opportunity for the CEO to find out what people at all levels of the organization really think about a particular issue, it will cause the CEO to think differently next time about the importance of employee communication and will ensure that change communication is addressed at the planning phase of any major organizational change.

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Copyright (c) 2008 GainMore Advantage
In this third article in this series, we consider the 4th and 5th attitudes that can change your life. Attitude 4 – Respect the other person’s map of the world. Attitude 5 – The meaning of communication is the response you get.
Respect the other person’s map of the world
Lets move this away from you for a moment as I know this is difficult for the virgin. Let’s say for the moment that your close friend has a ‘wayward’ son. A teenager dressed in grubby jeans, a haircut that suggests an alien stylist, colours that jar the eyes running with the local mob of ne’er do wells. Your friend laments to you that they are at their wits end and don’t know how to ‘get the boy back on the right track’. You like the lad, and tell your friend that you’ll ‘have a word’ and see if you can help in anyway.
Sometime later, you bump into the young lad and get chatting. The lad, reluctantly at first, and then more fluently pours out his heart to you – how his parent (your friend) is so controlling, so old-school, such a … You are surprised, this can’t be the same person he’s talking about… you tell him this.
Who’s got the right perception? Your friend, the son, or you? That’s right. All of you! Three completely different perceptions of the same situation and… they’re all correct! For the people holding the perception.
Ask the police. 20 people are eye-witnesses to a car-accident. 20 statements are taken and there are 20 variations of exactly the same event.
Ah, I hear you say – yes well, different viewpoints… Exactly. It’s what we perceive that is our reality.
Back to our peer group. If you perceive that they do not accept you, do not connect with you. That is your reality. Can you change reality? Of course, just change your perception of it and reality changes. I’m not suggesting Ostrich-like behaviour and burying your head in the sand (works for the Ostrich – have you ever seen an Ostrich hit a bad drive?) I am suggesting that you can change your attitude by acting as if it were true, and thence change reality.
The meaning of communication is the response you get
You know those times, when you tell someone something and they don’t get it? So you tell them again. and sometime again. And they still don’t get it. Who has the problem? You or them?
I hope by now that you’re realising that it’s you. They don’t have a problem, they don’t get it (oh. and by the way, that’s their problem!)
Communication is NOT telling. Communication often involves talking, but it is a two-way process – it requires listening and observing as well. You explain something in such a manner that the receiver is able to fully understand what it is that you are explaining.
Take, for example, your golf instructor. She explains how to improve your swing, demonstrates the process and guides you, often physically by straightening your elbow, pushing your hips, widening your stance and so on. You continue this and slowly, gradually, as she sees that you have ‘got it’, will tell and show, less and less. Now that is communication. How well you continue to improve your swing is the response you are giving to that communication. If you do not improve, then the communication is lacking.
All of us have our own preferred ways of communicating. Some people like to use pictures for example – we create pictures with words and with our hands and bodies. Others prefer something more concrete – we need to walk through the swing – feel it in our muscles. Others prefer sound, and are quite happy for you to speak to them only. Others like music in the background, or a beat to swing to. Some people like to know what is possible, others prefer to know what is necessary. Some people like to improve whilst others prefer to not be a bad player.
Each of us has a small armoury of ways in which we can communicate – and it is our job to use that armoury, or toolset if you prefer, to the best of our abilities. If the response you get is not the one that you wanted, then it is your job to effectively communicate. Notice that in English language, we are not ‘communicated at’.
We will look at communication in detail in the Outcome Based communication chapter. For the moment, if you act as if the statement “The meaning of communication is the response you get” is true – then you will move from being at effect, to being at cause – and now you can do something about it.
Let me show you another example, where our communication (or lack thereof) is interpreted and causes an unexpected response. It’s to do with something called ‘complex equivalence’ where X=Y. He doesn’t buy me flowers anymore = He doesn’t love me anymore The husband is completely at a loss – this is often silent communication as well. He hasn’t got a clue what he’s done wrong (see more complex equivalence going on ‘She’s not talking to me=I’ve done something wrong’ (Although this is probably experience coming to the fore.)
You’ll hear this quite frequently in suppositions about another person… “He doesn’t care if he wins or loses”, “Really, why’s that?” “Because he never loses his temper when he loses”. Therefore, Doesn’t lose temper=doesn’t care. Tommy rot! I care deeply if I lose, doesn’t mean that I have to lose my temper about it.
And, whilst we’re on the subject, Bending your club around a tree is not a demonstration of how much you care passionately about making mistakes, or missing shots – it simply shows a lack of control.
This attitude applies to self-talk as well. Remember earlier we discussed how your unconscious self-talk in regard to your beliefs and vision will manifest in your actions? If you communicate to yourself to make sure that you do (not) hit the ball into the woods and the ball goes beautifully into the trees… it is no more, and no less than the response to your own internal communication. Why worry about communicating with others if we can’t communicate with ourselves to get what we want? Five attitudes summary
These five attitudes form the basis of an effective and prosperous life. You do not have to believe them to be true – you just have to ACT as if they are true. You will gain enormous and wonderful new perspective on your golf game, your leadership at work, at home, at school, at college, at life.
People can change anything = I can change my golf swing/habits/putting/handicap
People are NOT their behaviours = I am myself, they are them-self – their behaviour means something else
The meaning of communication is the response you get = I can tell myself exactly what I DO want
There is no failure, only feedback = I enjoy making mistakes, it allows me to learn more
Respect the other person’s model of the world = I perceive that I hit perfect drives every time and that’s my reality
The greatest change you can rapidly bring about with these attitudes is to turn negative feelings into neutral or even positive feelings. In our workshops we run an exercise with these attitudes and it is one of the most powerful and emotive moments. The number of people I’ve worked with who after years and years of holding onto a false-belief as a result of an attitudinal problem find enormous relief, is staggering. With these attitudes, you can take a fresh look at all of life’s problems and issues. Everything that has seemed for so long to be insurmountable, can and is changed when you act as if these attitudes are true.

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Autism communication:

Astonishingly up to 50 percent of autistic children will never develop speech, whilst the others will develop some form of early communication skills.

However, kids with autism rarely engage in effective communication.

When we think of speech – language; we are referring to a body of words, the formations of sounds, as well as the structures and forms used to construct speech. 

Communication on the other hand can occur either verbally through speech or non-verbally through the use of spoken words, gestures, signs, or by pointing to printed words or symbols.

Thus communicating with autistic siblings effectively, we must firstly be able to understand why we need to communicate with others, have the desire to communicate, have somebody to communicate with, have something to communicate about, and have a means of expressing ourselves.

As children develop, they begin to explore their environment and start to understand the cause and effect around them. For example when they are thirsty they can point to the fridge or a cup…When they are wanting a cuddle or are tired they may raise both hands to picked up.

With autistic children – autism communication, sometimes this inquisitiveness is missing, the lack of interest in their surroundings and the lack of effective eye contact make learning communication very difficult.

By the time a non-verbal autistic child starts school, they may already have seen a speech therapist to establish a program to aid with the development of effective communication. The speech therapist will need to determine some appropriate objectives and goals, a base level of communication will be established by carefully observing the child within the school setting. 

In certain cases it may be necessary for the autistic child to learn a new form of communication. For example the child may cry or scream when they need something and this is their form of communication. But this is not going to be effective in a classroom full of children. There fore new forms of communication will need to be established.

Social skills stories can be used as a form of autism communication…for communicating with autistic siblings.

Autism social stories are short but descriptive pieces of text with appropriate pictures and images to support the story – or instruction. So for example if the new skill is to help the autistic child understand the need for quiet reading at school, the appropriate autism social story would be selected and implemented.

The autistic social skills story will pictorially show as well as the text the reason why the children are expected to be silent, who is expecting them to be silent and why also the consequence of not being quiet and the consequent or reward for being quiet.

Autistic children tend to be visual learners, which is why studies have shown that autism social stories are an excellent aid in developing good foundations for behavior and social skills for autistic children and adults.

As well as excellent tools for helping develop communication skills.

To obtain appropriate autistic social skills stories that will aid with the problem of communicating with autistic siblings please visit us NOW at:www.autismsocialstories.com

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An intentional community is a residential community that is designed or planned around a certain theme, religion, or even a philosophy. If you are a person who desires to live in one, it would be worth evaluating some of the aspects and features of an intentional community and determine if you and your family would be suited for it.Typically, residents of an intentional community hold common social, spiritual, or even political beliefs. Unless you are considering being converted or changing your life views, moving in an intentional community may not be the wisest move for you and your family. However, if you have long been a practicing member of an organization or spiritual group that has its own intentional community, then moving into one would probably lead to advancement and improvement of your way of life in general. Other common themes driving intentional communities would be interpersonal growth, egalitarian values, and even providing services to a certain group of people.It would also be good to know that a typical intentional community imposes rigid rules in screening those who would wish to come and live within the property. Typically, there is a selection committee that does interviews and grants provisional memberships to applicants. This provisional membership typically lasts for a specified period of time such as six months or a year in which you and your family would be evaluated in how much you have adhered to and have come to practiced imposed rules and ideology.If you are also planning in residing in an intentional community, it would also be good for you to know the kind of governance system the community practices. Though most of them often practices democracy in regards to the formulation of rules and decisions, some may have recognized individual or group of leader. If you and your family have long been used to a relaxed and casual way of life, an intentional community with an authoritarian system may not be well suited for you.However, the term intentional community is broadly defined and encompasses a lot of subtypes. Intentional communities could also be cohousing communities or be termed as land trusts, ecovillages, ashrams, housing cooperatives, or even communes. One type may appeal to your sense of community and another may not so it is still advisable for you to make some effort to learn more about the intentional community and what it stands for. If you know of a nearby intentional community, it would also be advisable for you to come and visit in order to observe the lives of the residents on a day to day basis.The attraction of an intentional community lies in the fact that the members enjoy a strong sense of community as well as security within it. Because members are rigidly screened and each resident is well familiar with his or her neighbors, there is little chance of an unknown interloper or stranger coming in. Some communities may even share incomes and some have charitable activities that may appeal to your sense of purpose and idealism.

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For residents today, a planned community could very well be connoted to be the numerous real estate developments which are both large-scale and expensive to move into. However, what most people would fail to realize that establishing a planned community has long been practiced by pioneers and visionaries who long for an orderly way of establishing order and a sense of community. The colonies of Americas, for example, took root in the establishment of a planned community one after the other.There are two features distinct in a planned community. One is the careful planning of its establishment and the even stricter adherence of its execution in order to achieve the kind of order and perhaps aesthetic beauty desired. Another prominent feature of a planned community is its establishment in an underdeveloped area which would then undergo major transformations and physical changes to achieve what was conceived of in the first place. Sounds familiar? Could be because this is how some of the capital cities of numerous countries all over the world were established and founded. Examples of these would be New Delhi in India, Brasilia in Brazil, Canberra in Australia, and even Washington D.C. in the United States.Though a planned community is designed and built to accommodate a large number of populations enjoying social diversity, adherence to the master plan is still the key to its successful implementation. Often, those who created a planned community would also want esteemed community values to be practiced and enjoyed by its residents. To this end, the relative term of ‘New Town’ has been coined to designate an intentional community with shared environmental, economic, and social benefits.There are certainly a great number of this type of community being developed today in the United, being fostered by a great demand by those wishing to share in the communal values and orderly social interaction inherent in a planned community. Most of these properties promote a sense of pride and appreciation for the enhanced quality of life enjoyed by its residents.A planned community may also espouse the concept of environmental responsibility and management. This is achieved by striving to protect the natural resources present within the area for its residents to enjoy. To this end, expect most of the planned communities to have large outdoor spaces dedicated to leisure and nature appreciation.In a sense, a planned community enhances the value and attraction of a certain locality or area. With a lot of potential homeowners dreaming of living in a place that is both secure and fosters a sense of community, there is ample demand for this kind of residential estate developments. It also promotes a sense of exclusiveness that is often sought after by residents who wish to live among those whom they considered to be of their ‘kind.’Be aware though that the common planned community we see and heard of today is not as grand-scale as the ones envisioned by pioneers in centuries past. However, the concept and dream of fostering an orderly community sharing the same values are what is considered common in both the planned community of today and of the years long past.

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Internal Communications professionals closely work with leaders, managers and in-house communicators, at the place and globally, to help shape their organizationâ??s culture, mobilise employees behind change and bring values to life by delivering high quality internal communications that create real, tangible results.

Internal Communications professionals have to play multiple roles to ensure real and tangible results as he has to be work with wide variety of sectors, including professional and financial services, FMCG, travel & leisure, utilities, government departments and regulators etc. One of the key things that jumped out namely the multifaceted and diverse nature of the roles of these professional and the fact that, as communication professionals, we are expected to be so many things to many people.

Here are few of the points discussing the above factsâ?¦

· Communicator as matchmaker – building relationships across the organization, connecting individuals and teams, sparking conversations

· Communicator as politician – building consensus amongst diverse board members, circumventing the org chart, oiling the wheels

· Communicator as educator – building employee understanding and appreciation of business issues and challenges, organisational performance, etc

· Communicator as listener – developing feedback channels, building champion networks, conducting research, tuning into the grapevine

· Communicator as facilitator – getting the most out of a dysfunctional group, making forums work

· Communicator as fixer – responding to employee questions and suggestions, making life easier for the CEO by making things happen, taking action, doing stuff

· Communicator as bridge-builder – linking leadership to employees, making the top team accessible, breaking down barriers between teams and functions

· Communicator as coach – being a trusted advisor, helping leaders and managers communicate more effectively (and appropriately), telling it like it is

· Communicator as fire fighter – dealing with assorted crises, tackling issues, cleaning up the mess when everything goes wrong

· Communicator as conscience – encouraging people to tell the truth, championing transparency, fighting spin, living values, being ethical

· Communicator as artist – coming up with innovative, creative concepts and campaigns, delivering ‘beautiful’ communications

· Communicator as business person /all rounder- understanding how the organization works, being able to understand the financial statement and turn it into plain English

· Communicator as know-it-all – being able to answer any employee question on any topic, knowing how to deal with those obscure calls that the people on reception don’t know how to handle.

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Technology has a considerable impact on communications. Latest words and expressions are conceived to match the most recent technological breakthroughs. The following is a vital part of communication skills. As language is constantly changing, one should be capable of staying abreast of the change. This means, a person must possess sufficient knowledge to persist in improving his communication.
Now, we have observed the changes enforced by technology on language. Long ago, there were days when spiders spun webs and fishing nets were cast to catch fish. Also, there were times when surfing truly had to do with boards as well as the sea. The significance of communication abilities revolves around those skills, which will enable man advance with his speech.
Culture also has a tremendous influence on communication. At one time, varied cultures have been equal to using whichever word they wished to express something. In spite of this, due to the recognition that a few words do insult other cultures, our language has been changed. The significance of communication abilities is that these abilities facilitate the social networking of people.
Possessing communication skills is imperative since man is a social animal. Every one of us requires somebody to spend time with so as to lead a complete life.
Besides, other factors are also there, which aid in the constant change in communication. Moreover, a point to be noted is that these other factors too, add to the significance of communication skills.
Now, the greatest significance of communication abilities is that it constitutes the channel by means of which our civilization keeps on growing. The act of transmitting knowledge from one generation to another is communication. Now, it is only by means of communication that we get by making discoveries.
Still another significance of communication abilities can be found in expression. What man has gone through in life requires to be conveyed. People require some means to convey their feelings so that others too can share what they have experienced. Then again, people require communication skills to facilitate effective transmission of message. Communication skills are what differentiate between a squiggle and a work of art. There are quite a few people, who may argue with this particular significance of communication abilities, and state that really art is not necessary for survival. Nevertheless, have you, at any time, been aware that even though we toil to live, it is because of art that we live?
The significance of communication abilities is that these abilities permit us to straighten up the disarray of human interface. In the absence of communication abilities, people would not be able to comprehend the requirements of one another and mutual development would not be possible. Serving one another is exactly why we have moved forward all these years, and today, it is precisely the reason for our existence.
It is by means of harmony and cohesion that man has attained this eminence, which has been brought about by communication. The daily incidence of violence due to misinterpretations demonstrates to us simply what would take place if communication skills ceased to exist. Communication skills are significant due to the fact that we require being capable of connecting with the world in which we live. We ought to be capable of articulating our feelings.

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by Kurt DuNard The Exceptional Life Coach There seems to be a longing, a need that most people can’t put their finger on. They may be incredibly successful by all the ways we define success like money, position and power but they don’t feel satisfied. People don’t know why they are unhappy because by most definitions they think they should be happy. Some of my religious friends will say these people need to find God but even some of my highly religious friends are feeling angst. 30,000,000 people today are taking the prescription drug Prozac. This drug is for people that are depressed. With all of the upheaval of the financial markets, job loss, and insecurity, it is no wonder that people are questioning the very premises of the foundation of our culture. Even wealthy people who are not in dire straights are questioning why our society is experiencing these financial seizures. And when it was stable they were wondering why they were not happy. I think the two conditions are related to one cause. Perhaps if this one cause could be satisfied, then other conditions would cure themselves or at least be improved. By some religious traditions the world is only 6,000 years old. What archeologists tell us is that 6,000 years ago, agriculture started to make surpluses, cities started to be built, and armies started to conquer. You could say that the world is gradually becoming one big city, with everyone a specialist, and everyone managed. Did we start building cities when we were thrown out of the Garden of Eden? As people moved off the farm to the city, it seems they were also moving away from community with neighbors to a martin house of strangers. They live close to one another but don’t know one another. Increasingly few know their neighbors and even fewer have community. Let me tell you what I mean by community. Man needs to work with others for a common tangible goal. In fact, there are many cases of people who have been put into solitary confinement with no contact from others who have become insane. We desperately need other people and we need to work with them on worthwhile projects. There is just something about our well being that requires contact with others. You could say it is in our DNA. Man used to very easily work with others. We needed to work with others to get in the crops, to hunt, and to build. This was very common. Today we can point to rare instances of working together. When the Amish do a barn raising, they become closer with each other through work. They build community. When a church group gets together and builds a house for Habitat for Humanity, they feel a similar special feeling of community that warms theirs souls and builds friendships. I am convinced that is why Habitat for Humanity has done so well and captured people’s imagination. It is one of the few charities where one’s time and effort (not just a checkbook) is allowed to be joined with others to build community through a project that is significant. I think my wife’s grandmother’s favorite part of church was when she would join with other ladies in the church basement and spend many hours making quilts. These quilts would be auctioned off for charity. It was the community with the other ladies and the work toward a common goal that mattered. Maybe that is one reason group sports are popular. People miss being a part of a team, a community to work together to get a job done. And like a lot of things we miss, we get a vicarious thrill watching a child, a friend, or our favorite teams accomplish that win—that community accomplishment. If we can’t live in community, then we admire others living community through a sports team. Yelling and cheering for our team can give us a pseudo feeling of community. I suppose a sports fan is a member of a community but only as much as junk food is a member of a food group. True community goes much deeper. There are rare instances when businesses and governments understand about the power of community. It is almost as if we hearken back to an ancient forgotten wisdom when it really matters and we must be successful quickly. During WWII, Lockheed Martin set up a special program to build aircraft to win the war. It was called the Skunk Works. Because their work was top secret, Lockheed created a special group, a team of individuals that could work in any way they liked with complete autonomy, no red tape or bureaucracy, and total freedom to get the job done. This group ended up designing planes in record time (Some thought in miraculous time) and ultimately helped win the war. Many software companies use the Skunk Works business model with fantastic results. In the eighties I used to visit some of my clients at Microsoft. As I would walk into the lobby, I could feel the energy. I would hear excited software developers with their energized discussions about solving problems as they walked through the lobby on their way to lunch. This was truly a place where things were happening, where people’s souls were lit up, where community was in full swing. Just as Lockheed Martin got new airplane designs in record time, Microsoft’s software became the dominant software of the 20 th and perhaps the 21 st century. People want to be part of something that is bigger than they are. They want to work with others creating something that matters. They don’t want to be isolated in a cubicle with no access to other people. They want community. That is why I say community might be the solution to many of our current problems. We need to build a “Skunk Works” to help us out of our current crisis. Note: Build a business, charity, or family that builds community and helps people work together for something big and you will have amazing success. Most are starved for community and the lack of community is the source of many of our problems. Copyright © 2009 Kurt W. DuNard. Permission is granted to reprint this article if printed in its entirety and credit is given the author with the following statement.

by Kurt W. DuNardKurt DuNard, The Exceptional Life Coach, is the author of EXCEPTIONAL LIFE: Living the Life You Were Meant to Live. High achievers seek him out to pinpoint their soul’s goals, increase abundance, and find more happiness and joy. If you think you would also like these things, then receive your FREE success tools from Kurt DuNard now at www.DuNard.com.

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