I Have Some Bad News for You…

I Have Some Bad News for You…

Giving bad news to your workforce is never good, but there are ways to make it less damaging to both employees who will feel the brunt of it and those employees left behind in its wake, says Julie Freeman.

Freeman is the president of the San Francisco-based International Association of Business Communicators, a professional organization committed to enhancing the quality of business communications.

“First of all, it’s important to recognize the sensitivity,” Freeman says, especially when it comes to what she considers the hardest news to deliver—namely job cuts and benefits reductions. She says that before the announcement, you should reflect ahead of time on employees' potential concerns.

For example, if a company is doing layoffs, a natural question may be when it’s going to happen. Also consider if there will be any way to soften the blow with severance packages or continuation of benefits. “So, step number one is thinking through what the attitude of employees is going to be about it, and how can I address their concerns,” Freeman advises.

To gauge employee reaction, the announcement can be made first to a small group of trusted employees, but Freeman says a human resources team that truly understands its workforce should be able to figure out on its own how the company will likely react.

Delivering bad news in the most sensitive way possible, Freeman argues, is more than a matter of moral behavior. There are practical ramifications from handling it clumsily. For instance, she notes that a company that has announced layoffs will occur slowly still wants the workers in the affected department to be productive in the meantime, and doesn’t want to worry about them sabotaging the company somehow.

Lastly, Freeman says a company’s rough handling of an already difficult problem may affect how the public, or its clients, perceive it. “An ex-employee has an enormous power, if he or she is disgruntled, to bad mouth the company,” she explains. Freeman points out that while this was always the case, today’s technology, including blogs, e-mail, and the relatively easy creation of personal Web sites, makes an angry ex-worker all the more powerful in turning away future business from the company behind his or her wrath.

For more information, visit www.iabc.com.

Leaders confident of growth prospects for 2006

Leaders confident of growth prospects for 2006

Three-quarters of senior executives in North America, Europe and Asiabelieve their companies and industries will grow in 2006, according to theresults of an online survey by Accenture.

The annual survey, which identifies the business outlook and major concernsof 1,000 executives worldwide, found that nearly 78% of companies will behiring in the next six months. In addition, nearly half the companies expectto increase spending this year.Some other highlights of the survey include:

- Most senior executives expect their companies to expand by buildingdeeper relationships with current customers and by launching new productsand services.

- Chief operating officers and HR directors are the most optimistic aboutthe growth of their organizations, with nearly 80% predicting businessgrowth in 2006.

- 98% of respondents in China predicted growth for their industry this year.

- Respondents in government were the least optimistic, with only 57% ofthese respondents expecting growth this year.

The survey also reveals what the respondents believe are the top threats totheir company’s success in 2006:
1. The competition: 72%
2. The health of the global economy: 67%
3. Inability to attract and retain the best talent: 60%
4. My company’s reputation: 59%
5. Inability to develop new products/services: 48%
6. Terrorism: 39%7. Low employee morale: 39%
7. Compliance with govt. regulation: 38%
9. Inability to focus on core competencies: 37%
10.Instability of senior leadership: 35%

Source: http://www.accenture.com

Leaders confident of growth prospects for 2006

Leaders confident of growth prospects for 2006

Three-quarters of senior executives in North America, Europe and Asiabelieve their companies and industries will grow in 2006, according to theresults of an online survey by Accenture.

The annual survey, which identifies the business outlook and major concernsof 1,000 executives worldwide, found that nearly 78% of companies will behiring in the next six months. In addition, nearly half the companies expectto increase spending this year.Some other highlights of the survey include:

- Most senior executives expect their companies to expand by buildingdeeper relationships with current customers and by launching new productsand services.

- Chief operating officers and HR directors are the most optimistic aboutthe growth of their organizations, with nearly 80% predicting businessgrowth in 2006.

- 98% of respondents in China predicted growth for their industry this year.

- Respondents in government were the least optimistic, with only 57% ofthese respondents expecting growth this year.

The survey also reveals what the respondents believe are the top threats totheir company’s success in 2006:
1. The competition: 72%
2. The health of the global economy: 67%
3. Inability to attract and retain the best talent: 60%
4. My company’s reputation: 59%
5. Inability to develop new products/services: 48%
6. Terrorism: 39%7. Low employee morale: 39%
7. Compliance with govt. regulation: 38%
9. Inability to focus on core competencies: 37%
10.Instability of senior leadership: 35%

Source: http://www.accenture.com

How to motivate people to learnMany

How to motivate people to learnMany

costly training initiatives fail to yield the desired outcomes. This isnot because of poor instructional design or weak facilitation, but becausemany people are reluctant to change their methods of working.

But, if theycan see how things could be better for them, they're more likely to committo learning. Here's five steps for encouraging your workforce to learn:

1. Go on the campaign trailCommunicate the importance of a training initiative in meeting businessobjectives. Research the practical difference it’ll make to employees'productivity and any perceived or genuine barriers.

2. Reinforce learnings via regular updatesBuild a linked series of learning installments to boost and reinforce eachlearning. Follow up with post-course assignments, action-learning projectsand sustain them with online tools for ad-hoc support.

3. Equip your managersLine managers have to be engaged in the learning process and given the rightskills and tools. Make sure managers know what their people will learnbefore they attend training and cascade development programs from the topdown, so managers model the required behavior to teams.

4. Make measurement visibleHelp managers see that the biggest contributor to achieving all of the otherobjectives is their ability to build teams of capable and engaged people.Gauge team members' engagement levels and performance ratings, and ensuremanagers know this data will be shared and used to evaluate their ownperformance as leaders.

5. Build communities, forge networksFoster loose networks by bringing the same group together several times overthe year and have them share challenges from different parts of theorganization. Celebrate career advancements publicly with stories of thedevelopment challenges individuals accomplished to get where they are.

Source: Lucy McGee, DDI. For the full article see the forthcomingMarch/April issue of Strategic HR Review.

Effective training ?

The goal for any trainer is to present effective training.

This is especially true in a newsroom where time is short and newsroom people are quickly turned off by ineffective training. Adult learning theory makes two points over and over about effective training design. The material should be practical and the training should be active.

Education professor Malcolm Knowles says it is essential to recognize that adult learners are different from students. Adults are more self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions. The familiar information dump, classroom lecture format will not work with adults. According to Knowles, effective training designs for adults must take into account: Adults need to know why they need to learn something. Adults need to learn experientially. Adults approach learning as problem solving. Adults learn best when the topic is of immediate value.

As part of his "Conditions of Learning" theory, psychologist Robert Gagne developed a sequence of nine "instructional events" that he found provide effective adult learning. Gagne's outline is a good starting point for designing effective newsroom training.

The nine steps are:

1. Gain attention

2. Identify objective

3. Recall prior learning

4. Present stimulus

5. Guide learning

6. Elicit performance

7. Provide feedback

8. Assess performance

9. Enhance retention/transfer

Sample program Here is how Gagne's nine-step model might be applied in a program on anecdotal leads:

1)Gain attention: Share examples of a good and a bad anecdotal lead.

2)Identify objective: How to write good anecdotal leads.

3)Recall prior learning: Ask participants to list other types of leads, their strengths and uses, and reasons to use an anecdotal lead.

4)Present stimulus: The how-to lecturette: List the four elements of a good anecdotal lead.

5)Guide learning: Evaluate examples of weak anecdotal leads using the how-to material.

6)Elicit performance: Ask participants to evaluate and rewrite weak anecdotal leads with the how-to material. (Alternative: Present raw material for another story and ask participants to construct an anecdotal lead.)

7)Provide feedback: Share and discuss their anecdotal leads.

8)Assess performance: Identify successful examples.

9)Enhance retention/transfer: Ask participants to share potential anecdotal leads from stories they are now working on.

Timing When planning such a program, block out times for each of the nine sections with an eye toward limiting lecture and facilitating self-directed learning. Below is how the anecdotal lead program might look in a 60-minute outline. (10 min.)

1. Gain attention: Share examples of a good and a bad anecdotal lead.

2. Identify objective: How to write good anecdotal leads.

3. Recall prior learning: Ask participants to list other types of leads, their each strengths and uses, and reasons to use an anecdotal lead. (15 min.)

4. Present stimulus: The how-to lecturette. List and explain the four elements of a good anecdotal lead.

5. Guide learning: Evaluate examples of weak anecdotal leads using the how-to material. (25 min.)

6. Elicit performance: Ask participants to evaluate and rewrite weak anecdotal leads using the how-to material. (Alternative: Present raw material for another story and ask participants to construct an anecdotal lead.)

7. Provide feedback: Share and discuss their anecdotal leads.

8. Assess performance: Identify successful examples. (10 min.)

9. Enhance retention/transfer: Ask participants to share potential anecdotal leads for stories they are now working on.

Note lecture time is short. More time is spent on applying the how-to material to solve problems. Active training plays to adults' learning preferences by providing time to practice new skills and learn by doing. This increases the likelihood new skills will be learned and applied on the job - the test for effective training. In a program outline, a long lecture segment is a warning the program is trying to cover too much material. When a program tries to cover too much material, and does not allow time for practice, it will be ineffective. This is by no means the only way to design a newsroom training program. But Gagne's model does provide a basic outline that can be applied to many newsroom topics. When you develop your own training designs, Gagne's model is still a good reminder of the basic ingredients for effective training.

By Michael Roberts