Theme or concept?

Giving your event a theme is a good idea to create uniformity and to give everyone, from menu planners to speakers and guests, something to hold on to. But what’s really the difference between theme and concept?

A theme is the event’s external face: white, NEW, cowboy or maybe 70s. Sometimes it can be randomly chosen without reference to the company’s values, when it can be something of a “false nose”. The concept is based on the company’s strategies: vision, mission and values. The concept must stand the test of time and work in all kinds of communication. Of course it must feel that it’s you and not your closest competitor who’s arranging the event, and if you don’t believe in the concept, you can skip the next section.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION.

Communication comes from the Latin word “communicatio”, which means “mutual exchange” or “transfer of information”. Corporate Communication is therefore when companies try to make their messages, ideas and values common to all, for example to all employees. Communication is necessary for a company. But when should you communicate what? If you sit down and take a look at the year as a whole, you often see that there are regular occasions when there are special communication needs. They may be quarterly reports that require a presentation, startup meetings after the summer, reports from offices abroad, Christmas … One good way of succeeding in your communication is to have a meeting. But there are more ways than that.

Draw up a communication plan.

Divide it into a strategic section and an operational section.

Follow your communication plan.

Think about how to communicate on each occasion. What has to be said live? What can be communicated in a weekly newsletter? Intranet? Web conference? And what should be covered at a global event?

Perform a strategic meeting analysis.

Draw up a plan defining when communication should take place.

Consistency creates reassurance.

If you call people to an unscheduled meeting, you can expect there to be some level of concern.

COMMUNICATIVE LEADERSHIP.

In the past, the main task of managers was to inform. Now most managers know that they have a responsibility to communicate. To be a good communicator, not least internally, you have to sift through the information that you possess. What is the most important information to put out? To whom? And using which channel? There are a few basic rules.

A personal meeting is always unbeatable.

E-mail is not. If you can’t meet your employees face to face individually, you’ll have to hold a large meeting.

Don’t forget the agenda.

You can’t expect communication to work if those attending the meeting don’t know what it’s all about. If so, it can easily become nothing more than an information meeting.

If you can feel or sense the company’s vision at all events, you’re moving towards actually achieving the vision. Live the vision, even when you were just planning to have a good time.
– Emma Egnell, Inspiration Sverige

Being a communicative employee.

As an employee in a company, you of course also have a responsibility for ensuring that communication works.

Ask!

How do you receive the information provided? Ask if you don’t understand. Ask for examples if you’re unsure.

Make demands.

State your expectations rather than suffering in silence, and don’t go to meetings if you haven’t been told the reason.

RETENTION.

As Brand Ambassadors and internal communication become increasingly important, the word “retention” is heard more and more often in the debate. In this context retention means the ability to attract and, just as importantly, to retain the employees that are best for the company. One important factor in achieving this aim is to create a sense of “us”, a strong identification with the company and its values. Experiences together with the brand and colleagues represent a good start.

BRAND AMBASSADORS.

Who likes the company most? Does it have to be the boss? Sometimes, quite the reverse, it’s better if someone who doesn’t have as clear a stake in the whole business speaks highly in favour of a reorganisation, a change or a new product. These people, so-called Brand Ambassadors, can be customers, bloggers or members of Fan Clubs in social media. But they can also be regular employees of the company.

Highlight the employees.

An employee who enjoys his or her job and who lives the company’s vision can be just as effective a communicator as the MD or the HR Manager. Encourage them to contribute a regular diary in the weekly newsletter or to speak at an event.

Highlight the customers.

Invite an outsider, someone who you know likes your products and what you stand for. It’s encouraging for everyone to see that your vision exists beyond the company’s walls.

Find, nurture and identify with your Brand Ambassadors.

They’re worth their weight in gold and their stories can be told far and wide.

PROCESS OF CHANGE.

Most companies are in a constant state of change. Yet the presentation of changes is associated with concern about how a change will be received. The attitude in most cases is that it will be a problem. People will protest, stand in the way, be resentful. The whole company will be deflated. Won’t it?

Find out what the expectations are.

Is it really certain that the change you’re presenting will be met with angry faces? And the opposite – will the, in your opinion, good news be perceived as being positive by employees? When you know what people actually think, you’ll also know how to present the news.

Decide how you will deliver the news.

Wondering who should present the change? You yourself? Someone from the workforce? A senior executive? An external specialist? And what form will it take? A dialogue between a number of people on a stage? Or maybe in a workshop involving all concerned?

Point of no return.

No management group makes a decision on a major change overnight. It’s a process that develops, is mulled over and batted back and forth for a long time, until eventually it feels natural for all involved. Quiet simply, you’ve reached the point of no return. For everyone else, by contrast, the change is something new. The task is therefore not simply to present the change to the organisation. It’s about taking all concerned with you on a journey. The same journey made by those of you who made the decision on the change. What were your thoughts? Did you have any doubts? What was your process like?

Logical levels.

Find out where your audience is in the process of change. People usually refer to three logical levels: “I neither understand nor accept the change.” “I understand it, but I don’t accept it,” and “I accept the change, but I don’t understand it”. Adapt your communication according to the right logical level.