Contextual Communication

Recently in a column E. Balaji, MD & CEO, Ma Foi Randstad said that "I am convinced that businesses need to act like organised ‘engagement exchanges' that promote, mentor and align employees' engagement with other internal and external stakeholders. Employers will have to host the conversations, networking activities and collaborations between employees and external stakeholders."

That brings to the point, once again, the importance of communication and networking in engaging employees. Having said that, the importance of communicating the right message at the right time is even more important. Yesterday, out of the many commercials that I am forced to see on the television, two stayed in the mind for different reasons. The one was of Toshiba laptops which had Sachin Tendulkar sprinting across a 'digitized pitch' amassing more & more runs and of course glory. A commentary in the background further eulogized the 'performance' of Sachin and drawing the same parallel to Toshiba's product performance. The other one was that of Birla Sun Life Insurance which featured Yuvraj Singh. The ad made him say in hindi which when translated meant that '...until the time one is performing, scoring runs, everything seems to be alright and everything follows you. but one day, when the runs dry-up, then things change overnight and you do not seem to be in-demand anymore.'

Going by India's miserable performance in England in the on-going test series, the first ad is definitely ill-timed. The audience (cricket-crazy fanatics) is generally furious over India's test debacle and losing the number one test position so meekly. At such a juncture, Toshiba's ad is sure to add salt to the seething fresh wounds of the fans. The communication is ill-timed and is a sure disaster for the brand. On the other hand, Birla's ad is sure to generate some sympathy and empathy for the protagonist and shall gel very well with the element of ‘uncertainty’ and 'risk-coverage' highlighted in the advertisement. The latter ad-communication is much more appealing and engaging.

The same is true when communicating with employees. organization must wisely choose the messgae and the timing keeping in mind the context. I call it 'contextual communication'. The importance of judging the context before choosing the message and time of delivery is key. Otherwise no matter how well the message has been crafted, it shall fail to achieve what it set-out for in the first place; worst it shall boomerang.

Sun never sets...

Sun Microsystems, Inc. founded in 1982 at Silicon Valley sold computers, computer components, computer software, and information technology services for over 2 decades before it was acquired by Oracle Corporation for US$7.4 billion, based on an agreement signed on April 20, 2009. The following month, Sun Microsystems, Inc. was merged with Oracle USA, Inc. to become Oracle America, Inc. The company in its originality does not exist in its original form anymore but its engagement practices are still worth mentioning. One may question the feasibility of doing so. Well such practices could be still a message for many companies.

Communication seemed to be at the heart of engagement at Sun Microsystems. The entire management team right from the CEO was actively involved in communicating with the employees appraising them with the strategic direction of the firm and how they matter in this big picture -

Direct & Polite

The recent column by Ranjini Manian on how to communicate without being rude is an excellent piece and makes a lot of sense especially in Asian context where direct communication is rare and sheer diplomacy is preferred.
The author is right that the art of being 'direct' in communication without being rude is equal to professionalism. And undoubtedly professionalism is strongly amiss by and large right from top to bottom in countries such as India. How many times have you believed when some public servant or your business partner has promised you something, by some 'X' date. I bet more number of times you have 'not'.
The lessons that I read from this article are three-fold:
1. Direct communication + Effort = Professionalism
2. All communication trainers need to read this article for appreciating the art of effective communication.
3. All HR professionals can draw lesson that their ability to undertake 'direct' communication with their employees shall stand them better chances of engaging them then otherwise.