28 September 2009
Building effective relationships: top skill for communicators
Poll reveals top skills needed to be an effective, value-adding communicator.
In a recent poll on Melcrum's Black Belt Training website, building effective relationships was ranked as the number one skill internal communicators need to master in order to be most effective in their roles.
Coaching and consulting and measurement and evaluation were ranked second and third respectively, with writing and editing being the least important skill to master, according to 135 internal communicators from around the world.
On Black Belt we ask the question – 'what difference are you actually making to your organization?' so delegates can start to think about how they can really add value
Adding value to business
When asked "How can you best add value to your business as an internal communicator", respondents ranked "Understanding the organizational priorities and focusing on how the organization can achieve them" much higher than helping managers be better communicators.
"Understanding the organizational priorities and focusing on how the organization can achieve them is an area we cover in detail on the Black Belt course," explains Sally Hinder, Black Belt trainer in the UK (along with Sue Dewhurst).
"In 2008, Melcrum and The Company Agency published a report (21st Century Leadership Communication) featuring interviews with 28 CEOs and senior leaders to understand what they needed from internal communicators. Their number one priority was to make sure employees understand the company strategy and what they need to do to deliver it. So in our profession we need to demonstrate that we understand the issues being faced and the business outcomes that are needed. On Black Belt we ask the question – 'what difference are you actually making to your organization?' so delegates can start to think about how they can really add value," she says.
Coaching senior leaders and providing the best internal communication channels were the least important value-adding techniques, according to communicators who took the poll.
"It was interesting to see that this was ranked the least important. Choosing channels and tactics comes much further along in the planning process but I would argue that we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of having strong channels that people want to read or listen to,” says Hinder.
Measuring performance
While measuring performance is low on the list of skills required to be an effective communicator, communication experts like Andy Brown, Melcrum's measurement skills course trainer and partner at The Engage Group, believe that measurement skills are essential if internal communication is to be taken seriously by senior leaders.
The poll asked: "How can you measure the performance of your internal communication initiatives?". The most popular response was "Use a mixture of methods to understand whether people have changed their behaviors as a result". The least popular was tracking click thru and open rates and readership for the intranet, emails and/or company newsletter. Holding focus groups to check perceptions and using polls and surveys to check awareness levels of organization initiatives ranked second and third respectively.
Hallmarks of a world-class internal communication function
Another occasion where measurement and planning were at the very bottom in order of importance is when the poll asks "What are the hallmarks of a world-class internal communication function?". Planning and demonstrating value come fourth after a suite of best practice channels and a clear and documented internal communication strategy.
"Measurement and demonstrating value seems to be an area that we avoid within internal communications," says Hinder. "We jokingly refer to it as 'double maths' on the Black Belt course! However measurement doesn’t have to be difficult and is something that's vital if we’re to demonstrate our value. A marketer wouldn’t dream of not measuring the success of a program so why should we? If we want to help our organization achieve its business priorities we need to know if communication has contributed to that. There are a number of techniques we explore to demonstrate that measurement doesn’t always have to involve a time-consuming survey.”
Improving your influence
Finally the poll asked communicators how they think they can best improve their credibility or influence within the organization. Top of the list came "Listening and asking questions to understand where you should focus your efforts to help meet business needs". This was followed by "Being a better business person by improving your understanding of organizational goals and performance". At the bottom of the list were "Delivering to a high standard what customers require" and – somewhat unsurprisingly – "Using measurement to demonstrate the positive difference your actions have made to business results".
Numeracy skills are what got the marketing profession to the boardroom thirty years ago. If internal communicators fail to do this, they will continue to be seen as tacticians rather than strategists.
Why is measurement a low priority?
It's concerning that measurement is ranked last in almost every question. Communicators are still having to demonstrate their worth in many organizations, and even more so during the global recession. Andy Brown says: “This is, sadly, often a self-fulfilling prophecy within the IC function. Very few communicators are good at numbers, so relatively few see it as a priority. But every CEO will tell the IC function that unless they improve their ability to show the ROI they are generating through their activities, their apparent value to the business will be limited.
"Numeracy skills are what got the marketing profession to the boardroom thirty years ago. HR has caught onto this and are following suit. If internal communicators fail to do so, they will continue to be seen as tacticians rather than strategists. The main issue here is how to add value through smart research. Much IC data is simplistic and gathered internally. As a result, it holds little credibility. Planning research more strategically, budgeting for its execution, using smart analytics and linking “soft” survey findings to harder business outcome metrics are all ways to add value through measurement.”
Have your say
How important is measurement to you? Why do you think it's ranked so low in its contribution to being an effective communicator and demonstrating business value? Visit the Black Belt website to gain more information about the internal communication training program.
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