Principles
- Communicate the facts as you have them and in coordination with colleagues in Corporate Communications and Legal
- Give employees a variety of ways to hear from and communicate with leadership
- Decline to editorialize, speculate, or offer opinions on the integration
- Resist the urge to treat all new information as important
- Know your audience and tailor your messages to them accordingly
Communication Misses
Oversized Town Halls - Large (e.g., 500+ employee) town halls in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Phoenix
Recorded Messages - CEO phone recordings lacked personal touch
Message Overload - Several days with excessive communications and mixed messages from multiple sources
Effective Tactics
Face-to-face communication and executive visibility are of paramount importance
Small Town Halls - ~40 employees for better engagement
Live Conference Calls - Real-time Q&A opportunities
Executive Meals - Breakfast/lunch meetings with CEO
Floor Walks - Leadership visibility in work areas
Connections Receptions - Networking event focused on building connections and fostering relationships
Effective Tactics
Written timely, accurate, sincere, and meaningful communications are essential
Intranet Updates - Regular messages from CEO and IMO Lead
Q&A System - Dedicated email for employee questions
Clear Language - Simple, direct communication style
Appropriate Tone - Sincere, meaningful, and empathetic messaging
Communication Tools
Communications Plan - Strategic roadmap for all messaging
Intranet Resources - Timeline, FAQs, manager toolkits
Dedicated Email - Integration questions from employees
Daily Communications - Internal/External communications emails and press analysis
Weekly Feedback Log - For Steering Committee and IMO review
Related Presentations
