Iceland's disruptive volcano - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Iceland's disruptive volcano - The Big Picture - Boston.com

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Politicians as communicators

Over the years I have found that politicians are excellent examples of good communicators. They orchestrate information, emotions, human relationships, interactions, money so smoothly and with such panache that each one who is in orbit around them is in a dizzy spell of words, power and dreams.
Look at the IPL scenario. The press is dancing to the tune of sensationalism of news. Modi and Tharoor are trying to outlive each other and the public is swinging like a pendulum to keep abreast facts.
Who really gains in the bargain? The politicians. Their fine tuned manipulation of situations, behind the scenes adjustments and then the grasp on the language while dealing with the press and the public alike is really an example of effective communication.
The spade should be called a spade only when required, core group should be kept motivated and the press should be at the beck and call of the communicator.
Look at the Indian political scenario closely and you will find effective communication is flowing with the ease of a hot knife in butter. 

Communication is important in business

In any business scenario, ineffective communication is a major obstacle to productivity. It is immensely avoidable and must be constantly worked upon.
Management must face squarely the challenge of formulating strategies to encourage personnel to communicate effectively. 
It is important for seniors to set examples. They need to realize that successful communication is a two-way process.They need to realise that reciprocity is the essence of communication. This is irrespective of whether the process is conducted verbally or through the medium of the written word.
In any given situation, human beings are involved with other human beings. It is far greater than just giving or taking of information or instructions. Communication is as much a matter of human relationships as it as about transmitting facts.
To communicate successfully, each person has to understand his or her peers or the subordinates, and has to work hard to get the other person to understand him or her.
Words have to be chosen with care and actions must be in line with what has been said. 

e-mail manners

Interesting reading...
http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/communications/got-email-manners-see-these-dos-and-donts.aspx#GotemailmannersSeethesedosanddonts

Branding in brick and mortar sector

Eversince its inception, Ideas Inc. has been working closely with the brick and mortar sector, viz., industrial and engineering.

In fact, it is one of its kind, since it understands these sectors and the needs. Ideas is well equipped to develop the communication strategy and the communication tools that are required for these sectors.

Except for the major players, there are very few organisations in these sectors that really look at planned and sustained advertising. In fact, few of them have budgets allocated for promotion. This is mainly because the companies conecentrate on driving sales and whatever communication tools they require are mainly to augment the sales pitch.

There is no branding activity and the now familiar inconsistencies in the promotional activities, at times, makes me wonder if we are really in the right sectors! 

I really have to educate the clients, when I work with them, on the importance of a concerted promotional effort and what it gives back to the organisation. But if they were to choose between saving money and promotion, they would rather choose the former!

The result is a weak brand and no effective market position. Therefore, the emphasis on networking, service and driving sales gets even more critical. And when there is a new entrant, for example an MNC with an established brand, the insecurities are huge.

Then the company realises that it needs to focus on its image and gradually the change sets in on a much lesser scale than desirable.

With globalisation, branding has come to stay in the Indian brick and mortar sector. Sooner the players realise it the better it is for their business.

Portfolio

We, at Ideas Inc. have been doing a lot of good work in the BTL sector for industrial and engineering companies.
Some of it is on the website and some on my portfolio link.
Do have a look at the portfolio and give me your feedback!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ideas-Inc-the-communications-and-graphics-agency/500778035472

Our website is www.ideas-elan.com

Newsletter, the powerful communication tool for employee engagement

In the present global scenario, company managements are gradually realising as to how effective an internal newsletter is, as a communication tool, in the employee engagement plan. More so for fast growing companies where the management needs to keep its employees on the same page as far as the organisational changes go.
But finding the right set of people to give the newsletter an effective shape are not many in the market. Company newsletters are more than a simple set of printed papers bound together and sent around to show everyone associated with the company how wonderful the company really is. 
Company newsletter provides valuable information that employees should know about. It is an integral and important part of the communications strategy that keeps everyone on the same page wrt Important issues, policy changes, changes in direction, etc. 
The difference between an excellent and poor newsletter is content and commitment. If the editor of the newsletter is only writing about topics that interests him/her, it is likely to be seen as a company mouth piece. 
If th editor delves into topics that are relevant, important and interesting, people will read the newsletter regularly. Employee news, their achievements and helping them express their artistic efforts are critical in the acceptance of the tool and consequently its success.
Engaging employees' families in the process is also an added advantage.

Make your communication effective

Interesting reading..http://www.nwlink.com/~Donclark/leader/leadcom.html

Dos's and dont's while speaking

• When you are explaining something, ensure that the listeners understand what you mean
• Make sure the receiver has a chance to comment or ask questions
• Be sensitive to the receiver of the message, his feelings and his opinions 
• Your communication should be crisp, clear and consistent
• Look at the receiver in the eye while speaking
• Make sure your words match your tone and body language (nonverbal behavior).
• Vary your tone and pace of speaking
• Do not ignore signs of confusion

Speak right and speak tight

Lot of us face what Afridi has faced. Some frequently and some less frequently. That is having 'your foot in your mouth'. 
The ability to speak right and speak tight is a real uphill task! We all love listening to ourselves and if we have an audience...wow! Well, some of us just cannot stop preening. Such human beings are quite common and they end up with a greater share of misery in terms of controversies and irate acquaintances.
I believe such entities require a great degree of training in effective communication. How to speak, when and where to say what. The art of communication is actually a science. The methodology studies the human mind and its perception and reactions to situations.
The communication training models are accordingly developed, to suit individual requirements.
For, effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know. - Jim Rohn

All about words and actions

The IPL fracas brings forth the interesting issue of how important communication is. To begin with, the IPL management may not have foreseen the violent reaction of the Pakistanis and the Pakistanis never dreamt that their top players could be so royally dumped in the forthcoming IPL3. 

To start with, what went into getting the Pakistani players onto the auction platform was really not the concern of the team owners. Nor did the IPL management stop to think as to what would happen in the event that none of the Pakistani players were bid for, given the state of our delicate relationship. With the last fall of the hammer, the Indo-Pak 'Aman ki Asha' fell apart!

Pakistan, to say the least, was not amused. The damage was done.

In fact, the damage control mechanism went on to make more faux pas.

The media was given the freedom to opine on an already burning issue. They went about it like a bull in a china shop. Finally, Lalit Modi spoke, rather brusquely, without facts and figures to back up his statements.

Each group in the process washed its hands off the whole drama. The team owners, the government and the IPL management.

Leaving the Pakistanis red faced and baying for more blood.

Why did this happen really? Because many-a-times when we act or speak, we share our point of view, without considering the effect that it may have on the listener, reader or viewer. Picking and choosing words or actions are mostly not given the importance that it deserves and at times we are at the receiving end of actions or words meted out by a third person or element.

There was no apparent planning in the building up of inter-relationships. The IPL management and the team owners, riding high on the IPL success wave, forgot to build bridges of goodwill through cohesive and concerted action.

Planned communication is critical. A good communicator, at the end of the day, wins the war, even as the battles are won by generals.

IPL failed to win the war, it only won the battles.