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Communication Strategies & Skills: The newsletter that helps you accomplish more through better communication.

Consider these recent articles:

• The communication connection between pay satisfaction and knowledge of the structures or systems used to determine wages or salaries. We also looked at some of the basics of planning for communicating about pay structures or systems.



• Ever get stuck trying to figure out how to spell someone's first name? For example, which is correct: Malcom or Malcolm? Subscribers read about a quick and easy way to check out the spelling of first names.



• Do you find yourself in situations where you're faced with questions you'd rather not answer, or want to answer in a careful way? Subscribers to Communication Strategies & Skills found out how to do that using the Bridge and Deflect strategy.



• Have you been in a situation when you had to choose a name or title for something, and had trouble making up your mind which words to use? Subscribers learned about a couple of online tools that will tell them how to find out about the popularity of words.



• That same week, subscribers to Communication Strategies & Skills learned how to use exaggeration, to add humor to their speeches or presentations.


• Wouldn't you like to receive articles that solve communication problems, or help you communicate more effectively, too?

You can!

Each week, you receive:

• A feature article, usually focusing on the strategic use of communication. In other words, you'll learn how to use communication to achieve your goals. Our article about the connection between pay satisfaction and knowledge of the pay rate structure or system falls into that category.



• That's followed by an applications article, in which you get some suggestions on how to apply what you've learned. The feature article provides the idea; the applications article gives you practical suggestions for using the idea.



• Third, a writing tip. It's the first of two communication skills articles. In this one, you'll get a tip every week that helps you write more effectively. For example, in a recent issue subscribers received tips about using several short paragraphs (no more than 5 lines, as a rule of thumb), rather than one long paragraph.



• Next, a speaking tip, one that will help you make better presentations or speeches. Each week, you receive a new idea like this one: How to use questions of your own to stimulate questions from the audience.



• Fifth, Quick Takes. Let's call it a window on the world of business and management. Short descriptions and links point you to important articles in leading management magazines.



• Sixth, Useful URLs. More short descriptions and links, but this time to web sites and articles with information that will help you communicate or manage more effectively.

Every Tuesday, 50 times a year, you receive each of these six types of articles, each subject selected for its value in helping you communicate, or helping you help others communicate more effectively.

Our objective in providing these articles is quite simple: We want you to accomplish more through better communication.

A sample copy of the newsletter follows, so you can see for yourself....

Communication Strategies & Skills

Issue 46 - October 29, 2002

In this issue:

• Feature article: Pay Satisfaction and Communication



• Application: Planning for Pay Rate Disclosures



• Writing Tip: Help Spelling First Names



• Speaking Tip: Wobbly Platforms



• Quick Takes: Religion and Economic Development; Technology for Passengers; Managing Up



• Useful URLs: Fighting Internal Wars; "Why are you leaving?" Take a Break



• Administrative information

46 - Pay Satisfaction and Communication

By: Robert F. Abbott

A few months ago I came across a question in the I-HR discussion group about communicating the value of benefits to employees. At the time, I wondered how many organizations actually explained the dollar value of benefits to employees.

Little did I know that this might be just the tip of an intriguing communication issue.

Last week we saw reports about a research project that connected another couple of compensation dots (you may have seen or followed a link to it in last week's Quick Takes).

It drew a connection between pay satisfaction and the payee's knowledge of how his or her pay rate was determined. Now, I saw only a brief summary of the article (we have to pay to read the full report), but it was certainly enough to trigger my interest. That's due in part to my communication focus, and in part due to some experience doing union organizing in my younger days.

So far as I know, it's the first time anyone made a connection between how satisfied employees feel about their pay and how much they know about the process or structure that determines it.

Further, I think it should interest anyone with an interest in communication. After all, there's a communication process involved in making the connection between satisfaction and knowledge.

Let's start with the fact that employees can only learn about the process or structure if someone higher up in the organization decides to tell them about it. A senior person has to make a decision to communicate the information.

Second, that senior people have to implement the decision, which means providing the information to employees. Perhaps they do it verbally, perhaps in writing. Whatever the case, someone has to put the information into a meaningful form and then communicate it.

Third, each employee then has to receive the information. But, more than just receiving it, employees need to process and understand it. After all, we can be sure that someone who receives the information, but can't understand it, is in the same situation as the person who doesn't receive any information at all.

I'm not surprised the link exists. After all, if we understand the terms by which we're being paid, we're more likely to feel that some rational system underlies our pay structure (assuming some rational system does exist). Generally, that should make us feel the system is fair, or fairer than we would perceive it if we knew nothing about the system.

In a similar vein, I think the existence of a structure or system takes away the feeling that our pay is based on some bias, whim, or favoritism of the person who determines what we get in our pay checks.

We might also remember the old adage that "Knowledge is power" and that empowered employees are likely more satisfied employees.

Applications

Planning for Pay Rate Disclosures

Nothing evokes sensitivity in corporate offices like discussions of pay rates.

I recall an occasion in which I interviewed one of my newsletter clients, a CEO who used to emphasize the importance of giving employees the information that they wanted. Yet, he very quickly and very sharply responded, "That wouldn't be appropriate" when I asked about plans for the coming year's wages and salaries.

Given this sensitivity, we obviously want to start with a plan. That might involve the following steps:

First, identify the objectives you hope to achieve. Do you want greater satisfaction among employees? If 'yes,' why? Do you want less labor unrest, less turnover, higher morale? As these few questions suggest, identifying objectives takes us through several layers of goals.

Second, determine the desired employee response. To a certain extent, we've identified employee response in the objectives section above. But, that's strategic. Now, think about it from a tactical point of view. Do you want them to read a document, listen to a speech, or meet with their supervisors? This will affect cost, speed of delivery, message retention, and more.

Third, assess threats to morale, competitiveness, and so on. We all know where good intentions can lead us if we're not careful. Could morale complications arise, could competitors take this information (and you have to assume at least some of it will get out) and use it against you?

Fourth, who will deliver the message? Will you use a one-time speech by the CEO, or will each supervisor meet individually with every employee? If using mass-media, what channel or channels will you use?

Fifth, will the existing pay schedules or ratios continue for the foreseeable future, or will you need to make changes to adjust to something you can't control, like the state of the economy?

You may have issues of your own that you would add to the planning process, but certainly you want some sort of plan before starting. And, ideally, you would let the plan sit for at least a few days or weeks, for further reflection, before delivering it.

Writing Tips

Help Spelling First Names

Yesterday, I had to send a message to a person named Jamie, or was it Jaimie, or maybe even Jamie.

I couldn't be sure, and I did want to get the name right, although I was sure it wouldn't be a big deal if I did use the wrong version (of course, with a name like Bob, what would I know about having my first name spelled incorrectly?).

In an effort to figure out which version to use, I did what I often do when faced with such problems: I went to Google and did a search. In this case, I expected the best way to find such a name would be to check out places that provide lists of baby names.

So, I entered the phrase "baby names" and back came a list of sites. From there it was just a quick jump at the first site on the list to come up with names that began with the letter 'J'.

Unfortunately, several spellings of Jamie/Jaimie/Jaime exist, so the exercise didn't meet my primary objective. However, it did let me know that the version I planned to use was acceptable, and so that even if I used the wrong one, at least I wouldn't be entirely off the mark.

This site also offers another useful service: listing whether the name is commonly female, male, or for either gender. Jaime is listed as male, Jaimie as either male or female, and Jamie as either male or female.

While that search wasn't entirely a success, we should look on baby name sites as another useful writers' resource. Just to take another couple of examples, if you aren't sure about the spelling of Malcolm, you can find it in the first site I came across. Similarly, if you're not sure whether its Megan or Meagan, the baby names site I used did clarify that Megan is the accepted version.

Other sites may return other interpretations, and you can't always count on parents to have used the same logic as you do, but, I'd say we've found another useful tool.

Speaking Tips

Wobbly Platforms

I attended a Toastmasters' speaking competition in a hotel conference room on the weekend, and noted that contestants spoke from wobbly platform (everyone, that is, except for the woman who spoke about the challenges of being tall, and in her case, she likely stayed off the platform for strategic reasons).

Now, this didn't pose any imminent danger. The platform stood less than a foot above the floor, and it didn't rock much; it just wobbled a bit when the person on it moved. But, it may have distracted some of the speakers.

Which leads us to offer another reason for arriving at your speaking venue at least a few minutes early. When you're delivering an important message, especially one important to your career or reputation, it helps to be prepared.

Given time and a quick trip to the people responsible for the facilities, you might have repairs or alterations made, to eliminate the problem.

Alternatively, you might decide you can live with the problem, but with a bit of time to spare, you can move around on the platform, to look for good spots and problem spots. That's especially true if you're dealing with a speaking platform that squeaks or makes other noises.

And, if you're feeling up to it, spend a few minutes coming up with one-liners about the platform. A joke perhaps that addresses the problem for the audience, and takes it off the agenda, so to speak. For example, you might intentionally cause the platform to squeak, and then lead off with a joke like, "Just so you'll know, this sound comes from the platform, and not from the cat I'm hiding under my coat." Well, maybe I should have said a good joke .

Quick Takes

Religion and Economic Development
A new study looks at the connection between the strengths of a nation's religious beliefs and the strength of its economy. It's a tangled web, but the economist authors have reached some conclusions:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1021/p21s02-wmgn.html

Technology for Passengers
For years, airlines have mostly used technology to take care of the back end of their businesses; scheduling and yield management, for example. Now, they're applying technology to improve service for passengers:
http://www.contextmag.com/magazine/setMagazineMain.asp

Managing Up
We've touched on this before, but here's a long article that deals with the issue of leading the people above you in the hierarchy (access to the article requires free registration):
http://www.strategy-business.com/press/article/?art=410959&pg=0

Useful URLs

Fighting Internal Wars
Getting ambushed at an internal meeting ranks right up there with root canals in my experience. Here are some tips for solving the problem if people in your organization play the "Gotcha" game:
http://www.bizjournals.com/extraedge/consultants/at_work/2002/10/21/column34.html

"Why are you leaving?"
To keep employee retention rates up, you need to know what's going on in employees' minds. One good way to do that is to conduct, or have someone conduct for you, exit interviews:
http://hr1.blr.com/elert_current.cfm?id=1003

Take a Break
Here's another humor spot, for your continuing sanity. It's called The Onion, and it offers a satirical take on the news of the day and other subjects:
http://www.theonion.com/

[You may have to copy long URLs and paste them into your browser, rather than simply clicking on them here.]

About this Newsletter

Communication Strategies & Skills is delivered only to paying subscribers. Please observe fair usage, which means treating this newsletter like a subscription to a printed magazine. You may make one printed copy for limited distribution, but please do not circulate it widely, either electronically or in print. Corporate subscriptions are available if you do want to circulate it to others.

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Unless otherwise specified, all articles are written by Robert F. Abbott, who encourages you to email your comments, questions, and suggestions robert@abbottletter.com.

Copyright 2002 by Robert F. Abbott