Management : Communications management

100 Words Every Expert Author Should Know

Gemmy Allen — Wed, 29 May 2013 01:49:00 GMT

Communication skills are needed by every manager. At some time, every manager must write to employees and other managers - emails, position papers, blogs, wikis, etc. The editorial team at EzineArticles.com has published an infographic that includes 100 Words Every Expert Author Should Know.

Which words on this list do you not know? Did you look up the definition? Do you think that using these words would make you sound like an expert? If you were a manager, would you use these words in your writing? Do you think your employees would look up unfamiliar words? Explain.

McDonald's Around the World

Gemmy Allen — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:31:00 GMT

McDonald's - Around the World from PosterBoy Edit on Vimeo.

McDonald's has a strong identity around the world, as shown in this commercial. People in almost every country recognize the name. McDonald's legally protects its name or trademark to ensure consistent communications inside and outside the company, around the world. (See the "Global Logo and Trademark Standards Reference Guide" from 1999.) Why would McDonald's create a reference guide for its logo and trademark standards? How does McDonald's define trademark in the 1999 reference guide? What has changed about its trademark since 1999?

Hashtags for Managers

Gemmy Allen — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:10:00 GMT

The American Dialect Society named hashtag the 2012 Word of the Year. Hashtag refers to the practice used on Twitter for marking topics or making commentary by means of a hash symbol (#) followed by a word or phrase. Twitter is a micro blogging platform, similar to texting on a phone. Users exchange information with their network in short bursts of no more than 140 characters. It is easy to search. You don't have to be a member to search for a term. Companies search for relevant conversation threads on Twitter.

Managers choose the hashtags for commercials. Consumers are encouraged to use the hashtag when making comments or asking questions. The infographic below asks, "Are Hashtags in Commercials Effective?" Read through it. What can managers learn about using hashtags in commercials? What works? What doesn't work?

Do you have a Twitter account? Did you tweet about the Super Bowl commercials? Which hashtags did you use? How will you use hashtags to communicate with your employees?

Super Bowl Ad Decisions

Gemmy Allen — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:42:00 GMT

The Super Bowl is one of the most watched television shows each year. As a result, the price of Super Bowl commercials has gone up every year since the Super Bowl began. In the first Super Bowl in 1967, a thirty second advertisement cost $40,000; today that same spot costs $3.5 million.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323854904578264374027897816.html

According to a January survey from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA), conducted by BIGinsight, more than three-quarters of respondents reported that they viewed the commercials as entertainment, but only 10.5% said they were actually influenced to buy as a result of the spots. In other words, the ads are reaching people, but not moving them to buy.

Source: eMarketer http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Super-Bowl-Commercials-Still-Draw-Their-Own-Audience/1009643#5LrWI0vFStDZmpdr.99

Is the cost of a Super Bowl ad a good management decision? Should ads lead to sales? How could ads be changed to emphasize customer preference?

Managers Provide Online Content

Gemmy Allen — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:37:00 GMT

Managers are in the best position to provide information online because they are the company experts. The slide below lists many of the ways that managers can create effective content. Basically, managers are answering the questions, "Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, and How?". Of course the first step to creating online content is to plan for it.

Source: The Plan to Grow Your Business with Effective Online Marketing from Barry Feldman

Interviews, case studies, and photos are potential content for customers. What else might customers find of interest on a company's Web site? How can managers make time to add creating online content to their job descriptions?

CEO engagement through social media

Gemmy Allen — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:27:00 GMT

CEOs of the world's top 50 companies are evolving socially. Weber Shandwick’s 2010 study, Socializing Your CEO: From (Un)Social to Social, was refreshed in mid-2012 and revealed that sociability of world’s largest company CEOs has nearly doubled – from 36% in 2010 to 66% in 2012. Online engagement is defined by Weber Shandwick as presence on company websites and video usage.

Source: Socializing Your CEO 2013

What is it important for CEOs to use social media?

Top Job Skill Needed is Communication

Gemmy Allen — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:18:00 GMT

Clear communications is the number one must-have job skill for 2013 according to Ruth Mantell in the Wall Street Journal article, "Must Have Job Skills for 2013," November 18, 2013. "This is really the ability to clearly articulate your point of view and the ability to create a connection through communication," says Holly Paul, U.S. recruiting leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting and consulting firm based in New York.

But employees need more than just the basic skills of reading and writing to compete in the workplace, according to the results of the American Management Association. (See attached Executive Summary, AMA 2010 Critical skills Survey).

Michael Hess of CBS Money Watch gives the following as examples of customer service language which is beyond the basics in his article, "Good Service Language Makes for Happier Holidays." (Remember that customers can be both internal and external.)

Say this: "Hi/welcome/how are you?"
Not this: [nothing]

Say this: "Let me help you with that" or "How can I help you?"
Not this: "You need help?"

Say this: "Can you bear with me for just a moment?"
Not this: "We're just swamped right now, you'll have to give me a minute."

Say this: "Let me see if I can get that OK'd for you."
Not this: "Sorry, that's our policy."

Say this: "What's best/easiest for you?"
Not this: "That's the best we can do."

Say this: "I won't keep you waiting long" or "I'll have this done as fast as I can."
Not this: "Hold on a second for me, OK?"

Say this: "I'm so sorry about that."
Not this: [nothing]

Say this: "I'd be happy to/absolutely/our pleasure"
Not this: "I can't."

Say this: "Thank you."

Can you add to the "Say this, not this" list? How do you know when others have a good understanding of what you've said or written?

PR is . . .

Gemmy Allen — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:28:00 GMT

Public relations specialists were asked to fill in the blank; "PR is ___________________. " The infographic below captures the results.

The textbook definition of PR -- "Public relations builds good relations with the organization's various publics by obtaining favorable publicity, building up a good "corporate image," and handling or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories, and events."

How does the textbook definition differ from those on this infographic? What implication does this have for managers?

Frankenstorm Hurricane Sandy Stops Business in the East

Gemmy Allen — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:34:00 GMT

NASA timelapse of Sandy - Photographer: NOAA

Yesterday, Hurricane Sandy, dubbed "Frankenstorm," hit a 1,000-mile-wide area of the East Coast, from Massachusetts to Virginia. The storm brought rain, flooding, cold wind, and power outages. Managers in the area decided to close or limit business hours. Retail stores and restaurants closed. Oil refineries in the Northeast shut down or cut production. Even the U.S. stock exchange closed for the first time since 1888.

New technologies were used to communicate during the storm. Weather and News feeds on the Internet were enhanced for those situations where citizens might lose television or cable but have some access to Internet, especially through mobile devices. Utilities and police sent emergency update email and text messages.

Need disaster information? There's an app for that! FEMA's app contains a checklist for an emergency kit and a page on what to do during a hurricane, including tips like "take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest level." The American Red Cross released a Mobile App that includes a request for help, a flashlight app, and weather updates. It has information about open shelters and an "I'm Safe" alert for Facebook, Twitter, and email so people can tell their friends and family that they are OK. People can follow key accounts on Facebook and Twitter (@FEMA and @RedCross) to track the storm.

Even though businesses in the affected areas closed, several are running some of their technology operations through offices in other parts of the U.S., Europe, and Asia. How has the storm affected businesses where you live? Do you think the storm will have a significant impact on business?

Photo source: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/frankenstorm-live-video-8-year-old-boy-among-at-least-16-dead-in-us-after-hurricane-sandy-havoc#ixzz2AnDsZhKz

Make an Infographic

Gemmy Allen — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 02:21:00 GMT

If you know PowerPoint, you can make an infographic with a free tool from HubSpot. (It is attached.) The template gives you three choices: a step-by-step infographic, an informational infographic, and a data-packed infographic.

You can see some of my favorite infographics at http://www.pinterest.com/management.

Choose a topic in management and explain it with an infographic.

Customer Service Most Discussed Social Media Topic

Gemmy Allen — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:37:00 GMT

Customer service and topics related to customer service issues account for the majority of conversations shared on social media in 2011. The research was conducted by Attensity, a text analytics service and customer experience solutions provider, and published by eMarketer. Graphics about topics of messages in the banking industry and hotels can be seen below.

Managers know that customers will share good, as well as bad, customer service information. How should managers respond to customer service-oriented discussions? What do you think will be the most discussed topic on social media during 2012?

Express Information Visually

Gemmy Allen — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:06:00 GMT

TMI - Too much information. Employees are overloaded with information. So, if a manager can communicate the information in visual form employees have a better chance of understanding and remembering the information. Many companies are using infographics to depict their research. Also, magazines and newspapers use graphics and slides to visually tell a story. WIRED uses charticles (chart plus article), as seen below in "Seafood Express."

If managers choose to visually represent information, how can they make sure that employees read the information, not just look at it?

The World Has Gone Mobile

Gemmy Allen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:34:00 GMT

Picture Source: Pew Research, How smartphone owners describe their phones

In just a few short years, people have started to use their phones for everything.

While walking around, people use their phones to solve their problems. Where can I find the specific brand of a product? Where can I find the retailer? Where can I have lunch?

While shopping, people use their phones as a shopping companion. They plan their shopping and compare prices. What's the best brand? What are the ratings? What's the best price? Is there a special discount code or a coupon? Is the product in stock? Give me the directions to the store.

An early adopter of mobile advertising is 1-800-Flowers. Customers can use their phones to order on the site; click-to-call to talk to someone in customer service; check stock locally; find out about product launches; get calendar alerts.

Companies know that their customers are going mobile. But, many managers have been slow movers leveraging mobile for their employees. They just think about online desktop. What would work for employees on the small screen? How can mangers leverage mobile phones to help their employees work smarter, not harder?

Customers Before Profit

Gemmy Allen — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:09:00 GMT

Greg Smith, an executive director at Goldman Sachs, resigned with a scathing essay, "Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs," published March 14, 2012 on the Op-Ed page of The New York Times. In the essay, Smith accused the bank of putting profit ahead of customers' interests.

Just like Smith, some people think that businesses exist to make a profit. But, in today's competitive environment, a strong focus on customer satisfaction is essential to the success of any business. Rapid globalization means that companies now compete in markets all over the world. Foreign and domestic businesses are realizing that profit will only be achieved through satisfying the customer.

The idea that profit is not the primary goal of business is not new. In 1954, Peter Drucker made the point in his book, The Practice of Management. "Profit is not the explanation, cause or rationale of business behavior and business decisions, but the test of their validity." Profits are an essential result of business success. Again, the true purpose of business is the creation of customers -- the efficient provision of products and services which people want to buy. Satisfy customers and profit will follow.

Why do you think Greg Smith publicly criticized his employer? If you were his manager, what would you do now?

IBM 2011 Global CMO Study

Gemmy Allen — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:44:00 GMT

Over the past seven years, as part of its C-suite research program, IBM has interviewed over 15,000 top managers (CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, CHROs, and CSCOs). This year, IBM conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 1,700 chief marketing officers (CMOs) from 64 countries.

The study found that the two most powerful external forces affecting the organization today are market and technology factors.The four biggest challenges for CMOs are the explosion of data, social media, the proliferation of channels and devices, and shifting consumer demographics. But, the CMOs are underprepared to manage these challenges.

CMOs believe the three key areas for improvement are understand and deliver value to empowered customers; create lasting relationships with those customers; and measure marketing's contribution to the business in relevant, quantifiable terms.

CMOs believe they can influence the future.

In this video, CMOs from around the globe express their thoughts on the evolving role of the Chief Marketing Officer.

How can managers from all areas turn these challenges into opportunities?