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21 May 2008

Do you know your "engagement alphabet"?

Compilation of experts' eclectic advice just released.

Hub contributor and engagement blogger based in Canada, David Zinger (pictured, left) has produced a free engagement booklet called 300 Free Eclectic Employee Engagement Keys.

Network of contributors
Having generated his own "employee engagement alphabet" as a personal blog post and received a positive response, Zinger encouraged the other members of his employee engagement network to make contributions to a free e-book and received 11 extra contributions from members.

For example, an extract from Zinger's alphabet included in the e-book reads:

• Oprah: You know how engaged Oprah is in her work, imagine yourself on the
  Oprah show and she is asking you how you engage in your work, how would you
  answer her so that her audience would take notice and be inspired by your
  response?
• Purpose: Employee engagement must be directed at achieving a purpose for the
  organization such as: productivity, profit, recruitment, retention, project success,
  high functioning teams, quality, customer engagement, etc.
• Questions: We're all looking for answers to enhance and improve employee
  engagement but never overlook the value of a good question, such as: Who is
  engaged, with what, for how long and for what reason?
  

Do Zoos and Jack Johnson relate to engagement?
There are other eccentric but noteworthy suggestions from contributors, too. For example, Ian Buckingham's choice for the letter J is "Jack Johnson. He’s on message with several generations! What can we learn?" he says.
How to apply the e-book:
• Scan the authors to find ideas.
• Read the book as a primer to create your own alphabet.
• Modify it to launch a team or project group exercise on engagement.
• Choose a letter each day and focus on that letter to enhance your own engagement or the engagement of others.
• Share the alphabets with others at work.
• Offer the book as a resource during employee engagement workshops.
• Develop your own applications based on your interest and focus on employee engagement.

And Buckingham's selection for Z? "Zoo! Whatever formal engagement strategies there may be it’s always going to be a fantastic, colourful jungle out there with grapevines aplenty so open those cages and connect with the people."

Download your own free PDF copy of the e-book.

Have your say
Why not compile your own employee engagement alphabet? Could you use it as an exercise to encourage managers to help engage their direct reports? How else would you use this in your organization?

Discuss these issues with other comms practitioners by joining the Internal Comms Hub members' group on the Communicators' Network.

Other recommendations:OPINION: Engage your ears to engage your employees
Get the lowdown on employee engagement essentials

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