Blogroll Internal Communication

Tap Employees To Build Your Brand: Key Take-Aways From Communication Forum

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Today I attended one half of the Global Communication Association’s 9th India conference at Bangalore and came away impressed by how well communicators were adapting to the changes shaping our world. Great to have connected with my peers and communication leaders who engaged in meaningful panel discussions and presentations.

A hat tip to Krishna Mariyanka for curating this event and gathering speakers from around the world and from different industries. The mix of thought leadership and practical insights made this event worth participating in. My tweets on the sessions I attended can be read here. Loved the example of Hyderabad Rail and how the communicator is involving citizens and roping in branding ambassadors even before it is officially launched!

My key take-aways:

  • Communicators and organizations are realizing the value of engaging employees as brand ambassadors
  • The lines between the internal and external brands are blurring
  • There is greater openness to seek out employees and involve them to influence others beyond the realm of the organization
  • With the workforce getting younger communicators are seemingly conscious of their expectations and are tweaking initiatives accordingly
  • Emotional engagement through storytelling is gaining momentum among communicators. Building pride among employees is now seen as a responsibility
  • CSR communication as a domain is very nascent and most organizations are struggling to define their game plan
  • Communicators and CSR consultants are unable to comprehend how to tackle the 2% CSR clause in the New Companies Act in India. Most are doing what is sufficient to meet legal and compliance obligations. The organizations doing well aren’t communicating enough
  • Based on my conversations with peers my understanding is that good talent in communication is hard to find among the new bunch of youngsters – a worrying trend
  • Huge need to mentor and get more students to appreciate and take communication as a profession

If you attended the event on either or both of the days, what did you observe?

heatheryoung

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