{"id":143,"date":"2011-10-12T18:39:00","date_gmt":"2011-10-12T18:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/putting-the-creative-into-corporate-communications\/"},"modified":"2013-08-04T14:47:01","modified_gmt":"2013-08-04T14:47:01","slug":"putting-the-creative-into-corporate-communications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/?p=143","title":{"rendered":"Putting the Creative into Corporate Communications"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a>Communication evangelist Steve Crescenzo says it\u2019s never been a more exciting time to be a corporate communicator. Why? Because of all the new tools available for communicators \u2013 from podcasts and blogs to videos and social networks. This new world has led to a massive shift in how organizations communicate to each and every audience \u2013 from employees to communities to the world at large. \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201cThe best thing about the new tools? They\u2019re inexpensive to do and anybody can do them. The worst news is anybody can do it and they\u2019re doing it wrong,\u201d says Steve, a plain-talking Chicago native, who<\/span>\u00a0was the No. 1 rated speaker at IABC’s World Conference from 2008 to 2010, and is the opening keynote speaker at this week\u2019s IABC Southern Region conference in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> New Orleans<\/span>. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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Steve and his communications partner, Cindy, recently held a one-day IABC International seminar in Atlanta that attracted communicators from across North America and Mexico. \u00a0The information-packed day included\u00a0<\/span>a number of planning tools to guide attendees, \u00a0and examples of corporate communications at its best and at its worst. \u00a0<\/span>Here are four insights I gleaned from their presentation:<\/span><\/div>\n
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#1 Corporate communications is dying \u2013 including formulatic writing, jargon, buzzwords, platitudes and top-down information flow.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
Says Steve: \u201cWe have to stand up to management and say the way we\u2019ve always done it doesn\u2019t work — the world has changed. There is a lot more information out there. The formal style, the corporate style, the stiff style, doesn\u2019t resonate with anyone.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
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#2 Our role has changed \u2013 we are not just \u201cpublishers\u201d anymore; rather, we\u2019re talent scouts, the talent itself, community organizers and conversation starters. <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\u201cWe have to coach executives,\u201d Steve says. To illustrate his point, Steve shared a story of how one CFO wanted to do a podcast in which he would restate the company\u2019s earnings numbers. Instead, the company\u2019s communicator convinced the executive to do a brief podcast on \u201cBehind the numbers \u2013 what the quarterly numbers mean to you.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
\u00a0\u201cWithout the communicator\u2019s help, this guy would have run amok,\u201d Steve says, adding, \u201cWithout trained people, organizations will create really bad communications. <\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
#3 Stop fighting the wrong battles \u2013 namely, the battle to make the deadline and to create something that will make it through the approval process. <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\u201cThe only battle that matters is the battle for our audiences\u2019 attention,\u201d says Steve, adding, \u201cThe dirty secret of our profession is that we are often churning out things that no one pays attention to.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
#4 Take the corporate out of communications and replace it with \u201ccreative.\u201d <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Instead of communicating top-down, be interactive and participatory. <\/span><\/div>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Instead of using stiff and formal language, be conversational. <\/span><\/div>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Instead of talking policies and programs, focus on people. <\/span><\/div>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Instead of \u201csafe content,\u201d try creative (so-called \u201crisky\u201d) content. <\/span><\/div>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>And, instead of formulatic writing, do great storytelling. <\/span><\/div>\n
Steve shared a local example — Tim Whitehead of Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta successfully creating an employee recruitment blog titled, Are You Strong Enough to Care Enough? <\/a>The site features first-person stories of staff on what makes working at Children\u2019s special.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0\u201cGreat web content is built on three things \u2013 interesting stories about people, interaction and multimedia,\u201d says Steve, observing that the Children\u2019s site features all three components. \u201cTo me, this is what communications is all about \u2013 real people telling real stories.\u201d <\/span><\/div>\n
To conclude, Steve emphasized that the job of communications is not to give employees what they want; instead, it is to give them what they need in order to help the organization. \u201cIt\u2019s about aligning people with the business strategy.\u201d <\/span><\/div>\n
He then asked, \u201cWhat is your communications manifesto?\u00a0 What are you here to do?\u00a0<\/span>If a communication piece can\u2019t be tied to a business goal or objective or to a communication goal, why are we doing it?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
Read more about Crescenzo Communications and check out their blogs at: http:\/\/www.crescenzocomm.com\/blogs.php<\/a> <\/span><\/div>\n

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