By Mark Schumann, ABC, a Managing Principal of Towers Perrin, based in Houston, and the incoming Chair of IABC. Towers Perrin, along with BP, is a presenting sponsor of the IABC/Houston Bronze Quill Awards Gala on Thursday, April 30. Mark recently learned he won his 16th and 17th Gold Quill awards from IABC, which will be presented at the World Conference in June. Read the blogs of Mark and other members of the IABC international executive board and senior staff at the IABC Cafe.
As communicators, we redefine the value we bring with each challenge we face.
When times are good we articulate value; when events are static we emphasize what’s unique; when days are chaotic we focus on the calm; and when times are tough we try to bring clarity and candor to ease concerns.
For many of us, what we experienced in Houston in the 1980s defined how we approach our craft. Those tough days of the energy bust taught us how to authentically communicate what people may not want to hear but which they will benefit from understanding.
So we have, in our town, the chance to look at today’s challenge with seasoned eyes. And we need them. At Towers Perrin, we recently polled “typical American workers” about the financial storm and – in a finding reminiscent of our hurricane – learned that people are doing what they can to “hunker down” until the storm passes. We learned:
• 82% of U.S. workers have been personally affected by the downturn in the economy
• 91% work for companies that have been affected as well
• 54% report their companies are not hiring
• 45% report staffing cuts at their companies
The results show that, in light of these actions, and the steady rise in unemployment, most employees appear to be shifting their focus from maximizing career advancement and incentive opportunities to securing basic pay and benefit packages.
So what can we do as communicators? We can start with the truth. And then edit.
This is not a time to spin, not a moment to fictionalize, not a day to embellish. The only way to credibly communicate during tough times is to imagine how the receiver will remember the message when times are good again. Think about three things:
What will disappoint. We so often brainstorm about what will please but the true direction during tough times is what may let a receiver down – an employee, a customer, an investor.
What people are hungry for. We try to please the people we work for but the hunger that should keep us thinking is that of our receivers – what they need, want, expect.
How people will read between the lines. We labor over words, and how they connect, yet may overlook what’s happening between them. Think about what is not being said.
In any crisis, we all want to “lock down” what we need to provide stability for ourselves and our families. We are critical to the efforts of any organization to authentically engage people during challenging times. But it will only happen if we carefully look at how we communicate from their perspectives – to walk many steps in their shoes.
And that’s something that comes naturally in Texas.
Have a good week.
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