Beyond the Babble - Leadership Communication That Drives Results

Praise for Beyond the Babble
"Beyond the Babble is a significant contribution to the practice of employee communications ?very pragmatic and useful in crafting a communication program that really works."?
--Harlan Teller, chief knowledge officer, Financial Dynamics
"This book explains in practical terms how to leverage and rally an entire organization, from the board room to the shop floor, around a common set of goals. Beyond the Babble is an important book for leaders looking to drive real change."
--J. Steven Keate, consultant and former president, International Truck Group
"Bob Matha and Macy Boehm have created a very readable book--without the puffery and exaggerations--that gives managers a logical and original framework for organizing their company's strategic communications and actions. Their On Strategy approach also smartly integrates the power of measurement into several steps in the model."
--Clarke L. Caywood, professor, integrated marketing communications, Northwestern University
"Matha and Boehm show CEOs, managers, and communications professionals how to engage employees through effective internal communications to produce real business results.Their approach benefits employers, employees, and yes, even customers."
--Gary Ross, general manager, corporate communications, CDW Corporation
"Today's leaders increasingly find themselves working at a pace that is some combination of a sprint and a marathon just to get things done.?Organizations of all kinds, not-for-profits and Fortune 500 companies alike, have experienced an incredible increase in both the velocity and number of issues that must be managed, and that trend is only going to accelerate in the future. Effective leaders find ways to help their organizations be successful in this challenging environment and Beyond the Babble is clearly one of those ways."
--Edward A. West, former senior vice president, corporate communications, WellPoint
"A must read for business leaders and their communication and HR advisers. The approach in Beyond the Babble makes strategy tangible and actionable for employees up and down the organization--and it gets results."
--Greg Elliott, senior vice president, human resources, Navistar International

List of contents

Foreword ix
The Authors xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
1. The Power of Communication 9
On Strategy Communication Cuts Through Babble 14
Effective Communication Gets Results 16
Why Communication Makes a Difference 19
Summary 23
2. On Strategy Communication: An Overview 25
The Action Equation 27
The People Channel 34
Summary 43
3. Do: What Do You Need Employees to Do? 45
The Elements of On Strategy Direction 47
Setting a Clear Path for the Land of Oz 57
Summary 61
4. Know: What Do Employees Need to Know to Take Action? 63
They Need to Know Why 64
Who Needs to Know? 70
The Land of Oz Knows 74
Summary 74
5. Feel: What Do Employees Need to Feel to Take Action? 77
Be an Organizational Psychologist 82
Getting the Insights You Need 83
The Land of Oz Gets Emotional 84
Summary 85
6. The "Why Nots": What's Getting in the Way? 87
The Behavior Chain 88
Addressing a "Why Not" 92
Be an Organizational Archeologist 95
The Land of Oz Confronts Its Demons 98
Summary 100
7. Package: Turn the Action Equation into a Conversation 101
Conversations Are "In the Moment" 103
The Memory Issue 104
The Conversation Platform 105
The Land of Oz Gets Ready to Roll 108
When Issues Are the Issue 108
Summary 114
8. Align: Make Sure All Leaders Are On Strategy 117
Don't Be Fooled 118
Start at the Top and Work to the Front Line 120
Promote Open Discussion at Multiple Levels 122
Include Informal Leaders in the People Channel 125
Summary 126
9. Equip: Give Leaders the Tools They Need to Communicate On Strategy 129
Train Leaders as if Strategy Depended on It 130
Support Local Leaders and the People Channel 135
Recognize and Strengthen the Weak Links 139
Complementary Leader Assignments 141
Summary 143
10. Drive and Support: Orchestrate and Sustain On Strategy Conversation 145
Create a Drumbeat 146
To Raise the Volume, Run a Campaign 154
How Communication (the Function) Can Help 158
Summary 165
11. You: The Top Leader's Role 167
Expect a Lot 167
Measurement 169
Reward, Recognize, and Hold Accountable 174
Prioritize 175
Lead by Example 176
12. "How to" Resource Guide 179
Conducting Discussion Groups 179
The Memory Game 186
Alignment Interviews and Snapshot 187
The Consider-Dialogue-Solve Process 191
Conducting a "Red Face" Test 193
Identifying Informal Leaders 195
Selecting Vehicles: Opportunities Abound 196
Glossary of Terms 205
Notes 207
Index 209

About the author

Bob Matha and Macy Boehm are principals and cofounders of Basics 3, a leadership communications and employee engagement firm headquartered in Chicago, and they also provide counsel to clients of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Matha and Boehm have applied fifteen years of experience to develop the philosophy, processes, and techniques outlined in Beyond the Babble, and they have been featured speakers at the Arthur Page Society and the Advanced Learning Institute. In addition, Matha serves on DePaul University's College of Communication Dean's Advisory Council.

Summary

Most business leaders need to do a better job mobilizing their organizations, as pressures for results increase and the time leaders have to deliver grows shorter every day. More effective communication is one of the best ways to achieve that goal.

Product details

• Authors: Macy Boehm, Boehm Macy, Matha, Bob Matha, Bob Boehm Matha, Matha Bob
• Assisted by: Silverman Marcia (Foreword)
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 29.04.2015
• EAN: 9781119116530
• ISBN: 978-1-119-11653-0
• No. of pages: 240
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business > Management; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Business Communication / General, Business communication & presentation, Business communication and presentation