29 April 2008
Internal communicators buy and sell each other's services
Black Belt delegates' innovative networking exercise pays off.
Last week, another 25 delegates took part in the Internal Communication Black Belt Program in the UK. The course aims to give internal communicators the skills to teach their teams how to improve business performance through communication.
Australian program also offered
Attending the latest 4-day intensive course (split into a couple of 2-day sessions) were communications professionals from across the UK, Europe, and the US. Companies represented include Adidas, Disney and AP Moller Maersk.
Black Belt course instructors Sue Dewhurst (pictured, right), also one of the Hub's editorial board, and Liam FitzPatrick of communications consultancy Competent Communicators facilitate the training, and compile the workshop material, which has also been adapted for its sister training program in Australia, facilitated by Hub contributor Adrian Cropley and Melissa Dark.
(To hear more from Melissa Dark on the Black Belt workshops in Australia, check out Melcrum's just released Australia Special podcast.)
Internal communications marketplace
The interactive exercises and peer-to-peer networking helps delegates leave with a sizeable network of fellow practitioners from different organizations. One aspect of the networking exercises involves delegates posting messages on "buy" and "sell" boards (see Figure 1, below), advertising their internal communication skills and needs.
The "buy" board is reserved for those things that people need help with. For example, one delegate posted that their company will shortly be launching a change program and would like some advice.
If they're lucky, this delegate might discover that on the "sell" board, someone's posted that they've been working on a similar change plan – so delegates are able to offer each other first-hand suggestions and examples of strategies and exercises that might help.
Figure 1. The internal communications marketplace does a roaring trade 
There aren't always immediate matches in what people need and what others have to offer, but the "buy/sell" boards (which are typed up and distributed to each delegate after the session), can act as a reference, so that should they wish to call on them in the future, they have a list of people and a note of the areas in which they're equipped to assist.
Have your say
How much emphasis does your company place on the benefit of networking? Are you encouraged to seek advice from your peers at other companies? Do you run similar knowledge-sharing initiatives at your organization?
Discuss these issues with other comms practitioners by joining the Internal Comms Hub members' group on the Communicators' Network.
Or, check out the Black Belt Dojo blog to join in the chat with former and current Black Belt attendees.
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