Why are employee communication practitioners the “heart and soul” of an organisation, and why do they need a hig

h threshold of pain? Ross Monaghan finds out in this special “employee communication” edition of theMediaPod.

Ross talks with two North American-based internal communication practitioners, David Murray and Ron Shewchuk.

David Murray is the Editor-in-Chief of Ragan’s Journal of Employee Communications. He says the role of employee communication practitioner has never been more difficult. After 15 years of downsizing, he says that practitioners are trying to come to grips with new social media.

“You used to have print, video and photography, now [employee communicators] are dealing with a situation where they are kind of running Rupert Murdoch’s media empire on a corporate communication budget,” David says.

“There are so many choices in terms of media, and there is so much new stuff to learn…ultimately I think it’s going to be a great thing because I think a lot of the new social media is going to help us to great things again, but in the short term it’s been a bit of a distraction – fighting with IT people and trying to learn the stuff ourselves. I think it’s a challenging time for practitioners all round.”

David disputes calls that practitioners aren’t embracing the technology quickly enough.

“I think practitioners are embracing technology as quickly as they can. Remember a communicators job is never done outside this steep learning curve – and there is so much to learn.”

Canadian Ron Shewchuk, ABC, is passionate about employee communication and the importance of more tradition media such as written publications.

Author of “Writing and Editing the Internal Publication”, Ron believes employee communication practitioners are the “heart and soul” of an organisation.

“As internal communicators, everything we say, everything we communicate is essentially defining our organisation and its culture,” Ron says.

“The tone that you set, the words that you use are all creating the culture in which you live and work.”

And communicating well is just plain good for business according to Ron.

“Companies that care about communicating, and engage, with employees do better at business…I think it’s something that gets forgotten a lot of the time. It gets put on the backburner, and there are a range of business issues that take precedence over effective communications, but I think in the long-term employees and businesses suffer because of it.”

To be an effective practitioner, you need a strong stomach, a good heart, and high pain threshold Ron jokes.

“I think that it’s one of the most satisfying and frustrating fields you can go into.

“When you do something really well in internal communication you can make a real measurable difference in the workplace…There is a certain magical quality about being able to connect people.”

Ron’s book “Writing and Editing the Internal Publication” is av ailable online.

His blog, “For your Approval” can be found at http://ronshewchuk.blogs.com/
More information about the Journal of Employee Communication can be found at Ragan.com.

Whilst you’re there, check out the new MyRagan.com site. It’s like MySpace for professional communicators. Well worth joining! It’s still in “beta” stage, but more than 2,000 communicators have jointed already, including me. It’s free, and a great resource for communicators.
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Technorati Tags: employee communication, internal communicaiton, IABC, Ragan, David Murray, Ron Shewchuk

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Bronwyn Allan takes over this episode of theMediaPod and interviews Ross Mon

aghan about the use of podcasting in education.

Bronwyn is a year 12 student at Tintern Girls Grammar School in Ringwood, Victoria, and is writing an essay on “the potential benefits and problems of Podcasts in tertiary education”. She approached theMediaPod as part of her research into the topic and decided to podcast the interview as part of the experience (with permission from her parents and teachers).

It’s a great example of how to use technology creatively in education. Rather than just sharing information with just a one, or a small number of people, podcasting research and school work (with permission of course) allows a greater number from around the world to access the information. It also adds a new dimension to study. Rather than just writing about podcasting, using the technology, Bronwyn has actually produced a podcast, and had some fun along the way. Ross and Bronwyn hope you enjoy this special episode.

If you’re an educator or student who has had a similar experience, why not leave us a comment? We’d love to hear from you.

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Technorati Tags: public relations, education, podcasting, Tintern

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Running a public relations consultancy in a regional area can hav

e it’s challenges, but this weeks guess shows why having a public relations degree from a leading PR teaching university has it significant advantages.

Joanna Stevens (pictured) is the Managing Director and Founder of Premier PR in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

According to Premier PR’s website, Joanna “established Premier Public Relations in August 2002 after recognising a
need for a specialist public relations firm that could meet the diverse
needs of rural and regional Victoria”.

PR is still a relatively new profession in regional areas, Joanna says.

“Many business are still trying to grasp what public relations can do for them,” she says.

“There’s also the perception out there that to get good quality PR you have to go to metropolitan areas. So we have the challenge of explaining to our clients that we’re not a regional-based PR firm that does national work, but a national organisation located in Ballarat.”

“We also need to explain to local business that we provide services that you can get in Melbourne, but we’re located next door,” Joanna said.

Also in this podcast I talk with Deakin Univeristy tutor and PR veteran Lee Palmer about the importance of good communication skills.

According to Lee, PR is a tool of management, and communication is a tool of public relations.

As a PR educator, Lee says her goal is for students to take away from university an “ability to express themselves to a wide variety of audiences”.

Show notes

1:20 Joanna Stevens, Managing Director, Premier PR, Ballarat.
5:30 Lee Palmer, PR Tutor, Deakin University, Geelong.

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Technorati Tags: PR, public relations, communication, writing, Ballarat, university

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In previous podcasts we’ve spoken with journalists in a range of metropolitan and national news organisations. In this mediapodcast I visit the editors of The Warrnambool Standard, and the Murray Valley Standard. Both have interesting observations about reporting in regional areas.

According to Rick Bayne, Editor of the Warrnambool Standard, regional newspapers have a much greater connection with local communities than their metropolitan counterparts.

“Here (in Warrnambool)…everyone knows where I work, so if they want to say something about a story, they let me know about it,” Rick says.

“You have to be responsive to local people, and you have to know what boundaries to set.”

At the Murray Valley Standard, Editor Travis Simmons says that responsiveness to local communities extends into recruiting new from the local area.

“Where possible we try to source journalists locally,” Travis says.

We give locals the opportunity to develop a career at the local newspaper, becuase that local focus is very important to what we do”.

I then travel to Canberra to talk with the CSIRO about the Total Wellbeing Diet book. Sales have exceeded all expectations, but were they ready for the criticism from some quaters?

Finally I talk with Laura Stewart about some volunteer opportunities for Deakin PR students. The Geelong campus’s DRT is looking for some PR help – it’s a great way for one, or a small number of students, to get some practical PR experience before they graduate.

And congratulations to 2006 graduate Cara Ash on being appointed Geelong Football Club’s new Marketing Assistant. It was a hotly contested role, and a credit to Cara who was a fantastic student, and I’m sure will be a great asset to the Cats. Go Cats! Check out Cara’s 2006 podcast with Dave Hughes at NOVA FM.

Show notes

1:23 Regional Newspapers

1:59 Rick Bayne, Editor, Warrnambool Standard

16:15 Travis Simmons, Editor, Murray Valley Standard

28:00 Marilyn Chalkley, Manager Media Liaison, CSIRO

34:30 Laura Stewart, Communications Officer, FRH Group

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theMediaPod 26 February 2007

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In this weekly PR mediapodcast, Ross Monaghan travels to Sydney to talk with the Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Elizabeth Ann Macgregor.

Elizabeth Ann was meant to speak at Frocomm’s excellent PR for a Cause conference in Sydney late last year, but was too unwell to attend. Delegates were disappointed, so she agreed to chat with Ross on theMediaPod.

Also in this program, Ross talks with Belinda Wong, the Australian Red Cross’s Fundraising Officer for the South-West Region of Victoria.

Please note: My airfare and some incidental costs associated with travel for the MCA interview were paid by Frocomm Australia. Frocomm facilitated the interview to allow delegates to the PR for a Cause conference to hear from Elizabeth Ann.
Show notes

0:00 Introduction from Sydney Airport
1:15 Interview with Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, MCA.
22:07 Interview with Belinda Wong, Australian Red Cross.

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theMediaPod 19 February 2007

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If you’re still living in the age of stage coaches, this is the podcast for you. In this first of a series of 13 weekly PR podcasts, we look at podcasts, and examine the benefits for PR practitioners.

We also talk Crisis Communication with the Corporate Communications Manager for Australia’s Civil Aviation and Safety Authority, Peter Gibson.

What do stage coaches, telegraphs and company identity have to do with employee communication? Listen to this episode of theMediaPod with Brad Bellaver and find out.

A North American employee communications specialist Brad describes himself as having an “accidental career” in IT, and didn’t start in the communication business right out of college. He is currently head of internal communications at financial services company Wells Fargo. For the past seven years he’s been in an internal communications functions thanks to the intranet allowing him to bridge from IT to communications.

He describes his work as “helping people in their cubes connect the dots between the organisation and their work”.

Whilst heavily involved in work on the intranet, he describes his current work as sometimes media-based, sometimes not.

Brad has some great insights into employee communications, especially in relation to intranets.

“A big challenge in large organisations is when you have large (intranet) systems – how do you make it simple so that people can find what they’re looking for. That’s the secret sauce for my organisation at the moment – trying find out how to do that effectively,” Brad said.

This is a great conversation between Lee Hopkins and Brad Bellaver. I hope you enjoy it.

Show notes

0:00 Introduction

1:12 Vox Pops & commentary on podcasts

5:07 Interview with Peter Gibson, Corporate Comms Mgr, CASA

11.30 Volunteer opportunities for PR students (for more information see DMG World Media’s website, or contact Ross Monaghan.
18:19 Lee Hopkins talk with Wells Fargo’s Brad Bellaver

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theMediaPod 12 February 2007

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The mass media has changed, so public affairs practitioners must too. That’s the message from David Jones, the head of public affairs for the country’s second largest health insurer, MBF.

The changes don’t only need to be taken into account by practitioners working with an external audience, according David. Employee Communication practitioners also need to heed the change.

“Gone are the days when the media paid little attention to what happened inside the corporate world,” David said.

“Generally (in the past) the media thrived on a diet of crime and politics, but business was always left to the back of the paper. But more and more, the business world is now under scrutiny from the media.

“You can have a major development happening within a company, but unless you get your internal communication right, you could wake up with the problem of your staff are reading about major developments in their company in the morning newspaper rather than hearing it first from managers within their own company,” David said.

David also points out that the world is becoming ever more complex, so making sure employees understand company direction is absolutely vital.

This is a great conversation from a very experience practitioner. Students, and practitioners alike will benefit from David’s insights. I hope you enjoy this podcast from Lee Hopkins and David Jones.

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Lee Hopkins talks with David Jones

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“Professor” Lee Hopkins (of the unofficially recognised University of Better Communication Results, Adelaide Hills Campus) has delivered another gem of an interview. Continuing with his series of interviews on employee communication, Lee speaks with communication and social media expert Shel Holtz, ABC (Accredited Business Communicator). Shel is also a blogger, consultant and author. He is a generous contributor to the world of “communication thinking”, and is always willing to share his thoughts and ideas, and help advance the profession.

In this podcast, Shel explains how he started in employee communication with a chip on his shoulder, but quickly realised effective communication is an essential element of successful organisations.

He shares some of his successes and thoughts on how new social media and traditional forms of employee communication can be used within an organisational context.

See Shel:

• For Immediate Release – Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson’s “twice weekly commentary on public relations and new technology”. This is a “must subscribe to” podcast for anyone who is serious about public relations and interested in the impact ICT is having on the industry.
• A Shel of my former self – Shel’s blog “at the intersection of communication & technology”. Shel says he began in corporate communication in the mid-1970s, has been online since the mid 1980s, and been on the net since 1990. He wrote “Public Relations on the Net,” among other books, manuals and articles. He consults, he speaks, he writes – and he provides a wealth of information on his blog for free! Check out the great archives section too.
• See what people are saying about Shel at Technorati.
• Shel’s webinars for Ragan Communications
• Shel’s bio from the Podcast & Portable Media Expo
• Why Lee Hopkins is a Shelaholic.
• (One of) Shel’s books mentioned in this podcast. Amazon. Emporium Books.

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theMediaPod interview with Shel Holtz

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In this double MediaPodcast, Lee Hopkins talks with Amy Gooen who is Manager, Global Internal Communication for VeriSign, a world-wide internet security company. Lee also talks with Catriona Byrne who is a Director at SageCo, a company that looks at “demographic management within workforces”.

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theMediaPod interview with Amy Gooen

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theMediaPod interview with Catriona Byrne

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