Laura butler

Executing an internal communications strategyGE Capital’s approach

Laura ButlerInternal Communications Manager

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Executing an internal communication strategy• Telling your story to

employees and asking them to do the same

• Two-way communication for increased engagement

• Implementing a smart strategy, fully utilising funds and resources

• Examining the right amount of information to include

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

About GE Capital A&NZ

• One of the largest financial lenders in Australia and New Zealand.

• Our diverse portfolios of companies includes GE Money, the former GE Capital Finance, Pacific Premium Funding, and Custom Fleet

• Around 5000 GE Capital employees working in 5major sites.

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Edison

Story telling is a powerful way of communicating• Authentic story telling

can help you become more influential

• All of us, even business, have stories we want to tell

• Internal communications develops strategies to tell the story effectively and engagingly

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Trust drives action & hits bottom line

Source – Edelman study 2009

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Tiger Woods is a good example

Sponsorships • Nike - $30MM• Accenture - $20MM • Gatorade- $1MM• Gillette - $15MM• Electronic Arts -

$8MM

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

There are key drivers of corporate reputation

Source – Edelman study 2009

Offers high quality products and services76%

Stays within the spirit and letter of the law 76%

Treats employees well75%

Senior leadership can be trusted74%

Company I trust70%

Communicates frequently and honestly69%

Gives value for money66%

Strong financial future60%

Commits resources to greater public good59%

Strong commitment to environment58%

Creates and keeps jobs48%

Innovator of new products 40%

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

GE Capital: our local strategy

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Internal communications goals

1. Increase employee trust

2. Empower employees to tell our story

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Content

How we execute on our communications strategy locally

Compelling, relevant, and interesting. KISS.

Channels Multi-platform, two-way communications

Initiatives Giving back to employees

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

GE Capital: our story

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Communications today

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Communications environment today• Importance of

communications to drive change

• More frequent and open communication

• Facilitate a dialogue• Increased

engagement

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

2010 Initiative: Our Story Week

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

The goals and objectives

• Activate employees to Tell Our Story • Reinforce Our Story – People, Performance, Planet• Promote GE’s global strategies – ecomagination,

healthymagination & HealthAhead • Reinforce ‘One GE’ culture in A&NZ• Have fun and engage employees!

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

The result!

Our Story Week met its overall goals and objectives• Employees were activated to tell our story – 200

competition entrants and 349 GE Ideas generated• 170 events reflected our commitment to People,

Performance, and Planet, and GE’s global strategies

• A true One GE effort – 22 sites involved across A&NZ

• High level of engagement - 45% rated it ‘very good’, a further 21% rated it ‘excellent’

• Employees grateful for opportunities to take part - 69% attended two events or more

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Video from Our Story Week comp

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Our Story Week on a budget!

• Be resourceful• Rely on employees• Use existing trusted

suppliers • Repeat business• Promotional opportunities

for participating businesses

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Key learnings• Initiatives should be aligned to GE strategy (eg. health/eco) so

employees understand the reason/purpose of the week (thereby reducing cynicism)

•Success requires a great deal of effort from a great deal of people

•Ample time to plan and create the week is crucial

•Communication needs to clearly articulate the purpose, and events need to be promoted earlier

•Events should be chosen strategically – 10 well aligned events may have more impact than 30

•Visibility of Exec and senior leaders before and during the initiative should be encouraged

•You get more bang for your buck with harmonised national activities/discounts

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Two-way communications

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is harnessing a crowd to share ideas and stories and leveraging the mass collaboration enabled by Web 2.0 technologies.

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Yammer

Yammer is a micro-blogging site used to share knowledge. It is like an in-house Twitter which connects you with others from your business.

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Why two-way communications?

• Seek input, test ideas, gather feedback quickly

• Generate new ideas• Gives leaders a true insight • Collaborate in large numbers• Build a connection with employees• Give employees a voice• Harness collective wisdom• Do anything we already do face-to-

face

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Examining the ‘right’ amount of communication

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

Tell the story your audience wants to hear• People like yourself or in

a similar situation to you now

• Solutions to your problems

• Experts in areas you care about

• And fun, cool stuff!

GETV video

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler

How you can execute your internal communications strategy•Tell your company’s story. Ask employees to tell it too.

•Create two-way communications channels. Let go of control – collaborate with employees.

•Remember to have fun! Be creative and use your resources to inject a little fun.

Internal CommunicationLaura Butler