Write On Target Blog

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You Can’t Handle the Truth!

May 17, 2012

Um, yes I can. And so can employees.

Don’t bury bad news. Put it up front and center. Like a Band-Aid, rip it off, tell it outright. But then follow it up with the business reason. Employees may not like the news, but give them the opportunity to process it and understand it.

“Because I said so” isn’t a business reason. But neither is “In an effort to manage rising costs, we’re changing our health insurance plan.” OK, so that is a reason. But on its own, it says nothing to the employee. (And, ahem, we’ve been guilty of using that line.) Give it to them straight, but in a meaningful way. In a few sentences, you can explain how changing plans will help save money for everyone and the benefits of the new plan(s).

Bottom line: Change is hard for most of us. But explain the “why” in a meaningful way and employees might be more likely to accept it.

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Get Out of Your Head and Into My Shoes

May 9, 2012

In communications there is often a gap between what HR wants to tell and what employees want to hear. Case in point… You may need to communicate that your company’s switching medical plans. In doing so, you feel compelled to explain the business purpose behind it. Whereas employees simply want to know how this impacts them and what they need to do.

How do you shift gears from focusing on what you want to tell? Put yourself in the reader’s shoes. Think from an employee’s point of view — not yours and not the company’s.

It’s not always easy. Sometimes leadership can strongly encourage you to tell the story the way they see it. If you’re in a position where you have to include the company’s point of view, put it in a side bar or move it to the bottom. It can be included but not be the primary focus.

Tip! If you want an employee to do something, think WIIFM — What’s in it for me (the employee)?

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Six Ways to Give Your Brain a Spring Break

May 1, 2012

By Elizabeth Borton

Have you ever had “writer’s block?” When you just can’t come up with the words, the deadline is looming and you start to panic? It’s happened to me plenty of times. I find it’s particularly true in the spring. The weather warms up, flowers are blooming and my mind starts wandering. Sound familiar?

Try these tips to give your brain a spring break.

Take a walk outside. Nothing like a change in scenery to change your perspective. Just relax and take it all in…the sights, the sounds, the smells…the whole sweet soup of springtime. By taking your mind off the task at hand, you’ll give your subconscious a chance to work on the problem and deliver a solution.
Just breathe. Hmm…sounds easy doesn’t it? Breathing is something we take for granted. But have you ever closed your eyes and really focused on your breathing for five minutes? Not so easy to do if you’re a beginner, but boy is it relaxing. I highly recommend breathing (meditating) to all my friends!
Switch gears. Surely you have other tasks on your “to-do” list. Give your brain a break by focusing it elsewhere. When you come back to the writing challenge you just may have some fresh ideas.
Carry a notebook. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Heck, a napkin will do. Just be prepared. Because once you relax your brain, the ideas will pop up at the strangest times. I keep one in my car, next to my bed and of course, at my desk.
Start in the middle. Who said you have to start with an award-winning headline or pithy opening statement? Start with some of the factual parts of your writing that are easy to compose. You can circle back to your witty headline once you get on a roll.
Just do it. American poet William Stafford offers this advice, “There is no such thing as writer’s block for writers whose standards are low enough.” I love this quote. Not because I think you should write terrible copy, but because you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously. Sometimes you just have to start putting words on paper. You’ll find it’s a whole lot easier and way less stressful to edit something than to stare at a blank screen.

The next time your mind starts wandering, don’t fight it…give your brain a spring break.

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Just Because You Like a Word…

April 25, 2012

Doesn’t mean you should use it.

By: Jennifer Witman

Back when I worked in the marcom department of a computer company, our staff of writers loved the word cornucopia. So much so, we would find a way to use it in the ads just to see which ones would pass through our editor. In any given week that could be 30 to 50 ads. That’s a cornucopia of opportunities!

Only once did the word make it to publication. Oh the glee to have it be my ad. What an award-winning use. So I thought… until I saw it in print. The word cliché doesn’t pay justice to how bad a decision that was.

Tip: We only have a short time to grab someone’s attention and even less time to keep it. Using useless words wastes precious time. Be conscious to make every word count. If a better word (ahem, even shorter one) does the trick, use it.

Seriously, cornucopia?!

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Where’s Your Summary of Benefits and Coverage Coming From?

April 18, 2012

From the desk of the resident benefit geek: Kelly O’Connor

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as “health care reform”) requires employers to provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage. The final regulations require the summary to be delivered by the first day of the plan year following September 23, 2012. Which means most plans must have the summary ready and distributed by January 1, 2013.

Tip: Consider including the summary in your annual enrollment materials – you’ll save on postage by including it with the materials you’re already mailing. Plus, it’s the one time a year that employees consider their benefits.

In addition, the regulations say that the summary must “use terminology that is understandable by the average plan enrollee.”

Tip: Write it the way you’d say it.

Finally, the summary may be on your radar but we also know that HR departments are waiting to see if their medical plan will provide the summary. And they may. But what if they don’t? Are you considering how you’ll meet this requirement?

Tip: The government has provided a template. You can download the summary at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/SBCtemplate.pdf. Plus, there is a Word version you can download.

P.S.: Don’t fall in love with your summary of benefits. The government is expected to provide revised templates in 2014.

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Cruising and Writing Tip 2: Get to Know the Locals

April 10, 2012

By Elizabeth Borton

Back in January I wrote a blog about how living on a boat helped me to become a better HR communicator. The first lesson I covered is that “less is more.” Today, I’d like to discuss the importance of getting to know the locals.

One of our favorite things about cruising was meeting folks along the way. In fact, as we traveled through the Erie Canal, many of the small towns had official greeters to welcome us as we tied up for the evening. They’d give us directions to the local grocery or laudromat, answer our questions and give us tips on local sites or restaurants. One night, we tied up next to a park where some fellows were fishing. At first, my husband was a bit skeptical because the guys looked a bit “fishy” (pun fully intended). But soon, he started chatting it up and told them how he was worried because we were running low on diesel and many of the marinas seemed to be closed. One of the fellows offered to drive Bill to the store to get a gas can then took him to a station that had diesel. We thanked him and offered money but he wouldn’t take it. To our surprise, he returned that evening with two prime rib dinners. Turns out he was a cook at a local restaurant. As you can see, getting to know the locals really paid off!

The same is true in your HR communications. Before you start writing, make sure you understand your audience and their needs. The simplest trick is to put yourself in their shoes. How does the information impact them? Why should they be motivated to act? Are you speaking their language? Are you being as direct as possible? (Targeted communications create better results than off-the-shelf, generic options that skim out details just so materials apply to everyone.) And for heaven’s sake, if you have bad news to tell, tell it. Don’t bury it in a bunch of corporate mumbo jumbo. Be direct, tell the bad news and the business reason for the decision and move on. Your employees may not like it, but they will appreciate being treated as adults.

It comes down to respect. When you take the time to know your audience you’re in a better position to communicate. Once you communicate well and make an emotional connection, you’ll be able to increase engagement and drive behavior. As you can see, getting to know the locals really does pay off!

PS. Are you in the Cincinnati area? Come to the HR Collaborative conference on April 18 to hear my speech “How Living on a Boat Made Me a Better HR Communicator.” I’d love to meet you in person!

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It’s All in the K.I.S.S.

March 27, 2012

Keep It Short and Simple (K.I.S.S.)

Attention spans are shrinking by the minute. Long gone are the days of leisurely reading something cover to cover. Today, you’ve got a millisecond to grab your audience. Then, if you’re lucky, another second to get them reading. That’s why K.I.S.S. is important.

Tips for keeping it short and simple…
Think USA Today not Wall Street Journal. Don’t be a novelist. Use bite size pieces of information. Subheads help break up long copy.

Omit needless words. If readers have to diagram sentences to figure out what you’re saying, you’ve failed. Aim for 14 words per sentence.

Avoid third person (employee, retiree, he and she). Write directly to your audience by using “you” and “your” instead.

Use active language. Passive writing confuses readers and weakens the message, especially if giving direction. (In active language, the actor comes before the action.)
PASSIVE: SPDs were distributed by the benefits department on January 1.
ACTIVE: The benefits department distributed SPDs on January 1.
PASSIVE: Your biometrics should be measured every year.
ACTIVE: (Implied you) Measure your biometrics every year.

Do your communications pass the K.I.S.S. test?

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Before You Start Writing, Plan, Plan, Plan

March 20, 2012

We know. Planning is not the sexiest part of marketing and communications, but it is probably the most important.

Whether you’re talking about a major annual enrollment campaign, or just a 140-character tweet, you have to take a moment to think about what you want to accomplish. Otherwise you’ll be throwing your time, energy and budget at communications with no results.

Before ever putting finger to keyboard, write up a plan. Take some time to think through:

what you hope to achieve (objective)
who can bring about your desired result (audience)
what they need to be told to motivate action (key message)
the best way to reach your audience (vehicle)
when to get the message across and how often (timing)

A quick overview:
Objectives: Define meaningful and measurable goals so you can show results for your efforts. It’s best if you can show how your objectives support the company’s overall objectives.

Audience: In addition to your obvious target audience, consider those who might influence your target as well as those who could help out as messengers or champions.

Key messages: Audiences have very short attention spans, so don’t overwhelm them with too much information. Try to stick to three to five key messages then let them know where they can go for more details.

Vehicle: Think outside the box. What vehicles are available to you? Which are preferred by your target audience? Which can you afford? The key is to use as many vehicles as you can so you can get the key messages out as often as possible. Which brings us to….

Timing: You need to reach your target audience at least seven times before the key messages start to sink in. How do you do that? By repurposing the same information through various vehicles (e.g. postcard, intranet site, poster, brochure, employee meetings, blog, twitter, etc.) We covered more about timing in our post on Ground Hog Day.

Creating an annual calendar is the best approach
Ideally, you should create an integrated HR communications calendar at the beginning of the year. Consider all the upcoming initiatives and notification requirements for every area of HR including compensation, talent management and benefits. It will be a bit overwhelming at first, but it will help you to see the whole picture and prioritize your efforts. For example, some messages may be able to be combined. Some may be handled through a targeted mailing to a specific group. Some may only be a notification posted on the intranet. The important thing is to plan ahead so you can maximize your time, energy and budget.

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When is the Best Time to Communicate?

March 14, 2012

By Elizabeth Borton

This past Sunday morning, my six year old grandson was standing next to my bed, asking if we could go downstairs to have a cup of tea (it’s our bonding ritual when he spends the night). I opened one eye, looked at the clock and saw it was 6:30 a.m. – or was it? You see, our clocks “sprang forward” one hour Saturday night. Lucky for Sam, it was actually 7:30 in the morning.

It got me thinking about the perception of time. At many of my speaking engagements, folks ask about the timing of their HR communications. They want to know how far in advance they should communicate a change. My answer is that it depends on many factors.

The following are some guidelines to keep in mind:

If your communication is about an action employees need to take, do not send it to them until they can take the action.
If you are dealing with something like annual enrollment that lasts a couple weeks, post reminders throughout the period on your website, through posters and so forth to keep the momentum going.
If you are making big changes, such as introducing a new HSA medical plan or changing investment options in the 401(k), then you’ll want to start educating employees about the change prior to the effective date or enrollment. I’d suggest starting a series of communications one to two months in advance, depending on the complexity of the change. (Keep in mind, that people absorb information better if it is delivered to them in small bites, rather than one gigantic communications package.)
If you are making big changes to the salaried population that you hope to negotiate into union contracts, you might want to start educating employees about the upcoming changes prior to the union talks. In this way, you’ll avoid misinformation trickling into the rumor mill.
However, HR communications isn’t all about changes. Employees need to understand how to access and use the plans and services you provide. So it is important to communicate with employees throughout the year, either through mass communications or more targeted messaging to specific groups (e.g. educating managers around merit pay increases or bonus payouts). Remember, you don’t want to just “push” information out. You need to have a clear, concise website where employees can “pull” information when they need it.
It’s important to coordinate timing with Corporate Communications. For example, you don’t want to send out total rewards statements to tell employees how valuable they are to the organization in the same week that a major plant shutdown is announced.
And of course, you need to keep in mind the various deadlines to send out compliance documents.

Whew! That’s a lot to consider, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg. How do you get your arms around all these timing issues? PLAN! An annual communications plan and calendar is essential. We’ll tackle that issue in our next blog. In the meantime, enjoy the spring weather and the extra hour of daylight!

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