Messages for Recession & Recovery

During this economic downturn, we’ve worked closely with our clients to help them get their messaging right. An article posted on the Daily Dog by Frank Zeccola called, “Words that Resonate in Recession and Recovery: PR Messaging Expert Reveals Phrases and Hot Buttons that Move Publics Now,” featuring Michael Maslansky, CEO of Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research, addresses this notion. Maslansky explains that there are opportunities to use the right kind of corporate messaging to lead your company out of the recession and into recovery. He stresses that it’s not just about what you say and how you say it. You must also consider how the audience will hear your message and interpret it. You need to put yourself in their position and ask yourself: Is this really the message my audience wants to hear? And will they receive it the way they want to receive it?

Six key areas to focus on moving forward:

• Inspiration vs. aspiration. During the recession, focus on stories of everyday people and what they can achieve.

• Responsibility vs. opportunity. In recovery, the language will shift from responsibility to opportunity. Where are the opportunities? How can we think about upward mobility?

• Stability vs. growth. Today, the language of stability is very important. Emphasize your company's stability and stable results in investment. People start looking for more growth in better economic times.

• Control vs. spontaneity. In a recession, it's about smart choices and control. For example, if a company is pitching a product or issue, they have to offer tools that give you control over finances and expenses. However, recovery is more about spontaneity and the fun choices that make you feel good.

• Jobs vs. careers. Right now, people are worried about whether they will have a job tomorrow. In recovery, they have a career, which is rewarding in ways a job never is.

Fundamentally, what this means is that it is important to strategically craft your corporate messages in order for them to be received in the way you want. Your messages should be relevant to your audience’s point of view. This will not only strengthen your communications platform; it will also allow your messages to be easily understood and remembered. The key messages will be meaningful to the audience which will facilitate a strong and loyal relationship.

Communicating with Employees – what are the best tools and strategies?

In the current recession, anxiety is high and employees are constantly seeking updates from employers about office news, new business developments and the stability of their jobs.

It is more important now than ever to form open lines of communication between senior management and staff to answer questions, calm concerns and ensure everyone is staying informed. Initiating tools and strategies to build internal communication can have many benefits including a boost in company morale in a time when employees feel uncertain about the future.

There are several tools available to small, medium or large employers for communicating with employees, especially with the growth of online social networking.

Weekly Staff Meetings – Staff meetings conducted once a week are a great way to open the floor for conversation among staff and senior management. While this may be a common practice in many small businesses and firms, most often these meetings are not being utilized to their full potential. Management should prepare an agenda, even if it’s simply an informal list of topics to be covered. This keeps the meeting on target and ensures that nothing is left out. This time should be used to make announcements, ask and answer any questions or concerns employees have and listen to any ideas staff may have for improvements in various aspects of the company.

Webcasts – Companies can use webcasts internally to create a sense of pride among employees, keep employees engaged, boost morale and cross-sell information, other departments and services. The webcasts can be posted on the company Web site and emailed to all staff with a short note from the executive who participated in the webcast thanking employees for their hard work and encouraging them to continue producing strong results. Some general topics internal webcasts can follow include: new company initiatives, best practices, information post-crisis and state of the industry.

E-Newsletters – electronic newsletters can be posted to your company Web site, emailed to staff and link to other social media sites. A newsletter helps educate and inform your employees about news and updates related to your company and/or industry.

Company Facebook pages/groups – Businesses can create Facebook pages and groups that employees can join and engage in conversations with one another and senior management who administer the pages/groups. This is a great tool for large businesses with various departments to use since employees in different departments may not have the opportunity to talk and get to know each other. This is also a place where senior management can upload information about company events, news and updates.

Company Twitter accounts – Twitter is the fastest growing social media channel currently being used, and it is guaranteed that some of your employees are already using it. If a manager starts a Twitter account on behalf of the company, employees can follow that feed and have up-to-date information about what is going on for the company in terms of client updates, event updates, office information, etc. This is a great tool for employees who work remotely or travel often, so they are always up to speed on office happenings.

What are some of the tools your company uses to keep employees informed and lines of communication open? How active is senior management at your company in communicating with other employees and staff?

Boosting Company Morale Can Have a Positive Effect on the Bottom Line

The recession can impact your business in various ways, including a decrease in clients or customers, slowing of new business development, numerous budget cuts and for many companies a heavy focus on the bottom line. Yet, perhaps there is nothing more damaging to a business than poor morale.

Chances are, you've seen it take many forms - burn out, negative attitudes, internal fighting, and the list goes on. But the result is always the same. Poor morale has a negative impact on productivity which will hurt your business' bottom line.

In today's increasingly competitive environment, here are a few things to keep in mind to help you succeed in boosting your business' morale and keeping productivity to a maximum:

It starts at the top

Remember that your attitude has a big impact on your team. Set the example with a positive attitude and role model behaviors and expectations you want to be emulated.

Avoid burn out

It’s a good idea to introduce fresh ideas, encourage innovation and encourage your employees and teammates to get involved in projects in which they show interest.

Appreciation

Your employees and coworkers want to feel appreciated. Often, a little “thank you” makes a big difference. When offering praise, make sure it is timely and genuine.

Make it fun

Ultimately, employees thrive and find real enjoyment when their emotional and intellectual needs are met. This includes feeling challenged, being able to put skills to good use, being recognized and appreciated and being trusted with responsibilities.


What strategies and techniques have you found to boost internal morale? With the economy in turmoil and headlines constantly voicing layoffs and a recession, is there anything executives can do to lighten the mood in the office without seeming inconsiderate?

---
This post was written by Heidi Armstrong, an account director at Thorp & Company, specializing in issues management. Heidi has had a fast-track career with many opportunities to influence public opinion on a national basis. She has experience working with campaign-style public relations efforts that successfully target key opinion leaders and the general public through political response, the media and community outreach. She has helped organizations, businesses and high-profile individuals deal positively with very complex, volatile issues.

Chief Strategist Peter Whalen Comments on When to Break Bad News in Affluent Magazine

Affluent Magazine

Breaking Bad News in Troubled Times
by Peter Whalen

How and when do you talk about bad news? That’s a question that a lot of CEOs and business owners are thinking about. This recession’s impact on sales, profits, and financial stability can range from a little belt-tightening all the way to looking at bankruptcy. The more severe the problem, the sharper the instinct to not let anyone know about it. Unfortunately, that instinct is usually wrong. The most severe problems require the greatest attention to communications.

Read More