Communications during the pre-bargaining stage, by Denise Hammond

Denise N Hammond CALM Conference November 2014

When should you start?

WHEN SHOULD COMMUNICATIONS START?

To answer this question consider how the union uses communications.

•  Information and news announcements about recent events

•  Upcoming meetings, events and campaign actions

•  Labour relations or government updates / changes

•  Education and clarification on collective agreement or workplace issues

•  Engagement with members directly

•  Engagement with elected leaders and activists only

•  Empower and educate members on their rights and role in the union

WHAT’S THE GOAL IN PRE-BARGAINING COMMS?

Educate Engage

Persuade for action

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS ARE INTEGRATED

Communications are part of campaigns and fundamental to mobilizing.

There should be no separation between bargaining preparation (the research) and preparing for mobilization.

Start now!

Unpacking the what, how and why.

WHAT IS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION?

•  Effective communication occurs when a message speaks directly to and meets the needs of a defined target, know as the “receiver”

•  It is always necessary to consider the medium, how the message is delivered, and to identify potential barriers that may prevent receivership

•  There should always be one specific idea that conveys a message

•  It's about understanding the emotion behind the information, not just exchanging it

•  It enables you to convey and distribute messages even challenging messages without creating conflict or destroying trust

HOW MESSAGES ARE RECEIVED & UNDERSTOOD

Member

Words

Tone Body

language

HOW MESSAGES ARE RECEIVED & UNDERSTOOD

Member

Words 7%

Tone 38%

Body language 55%

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

WHY DO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS MATTER

1.  To Build Trust Establishing a positive relationship is key to having your message heard. Make time to listen.

2.  To Build an Active and Engaged Membership Developing a simple communications plan which includes repeating a consistent message, supporting member engagement, and responding to member needs.

AIM OF PRE-BARGAINING COMMUNICATIONS

The purpose is to influence a members’ attitude, behaviour, understanding and persuade them to take

action as part of the collective.

Communications are

a vehicle to create change.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION IDENTIFICATION

Consider the following: •  What does communication look like?

•  What does communication sound like for the union?

•  What does communication sound like to members?

•  What does effective communication feel like for the union?

•  What does effective communication feel like for members?

•  What are the barriers to communicate to individual members?

•  What are the collective barriers to communication?

MAPPING COMMUNICATION

•  Identify all current communication sources used by the union

•  Identify the current communication sources in the workplace

•  Compare what the workplace and members use and what the union was using

•  Identify ways in which we could make a personal connection between the written materials and the member

IDENTIFYING BARRIERS

•  What are the barriers to communication?

•  What are individual barriers to communication?

•  What are our collective barriers to communication?

ISSUES IDENTIFICATION & MAPPING REVEALED

•  Communication delivery problem •  Comprehension problem •  Lack of trust and hope in union, leadership •  Identification of union inside workplace and lack of community

PRE-BARGAINING COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

•  Educate members on the process and their role in it

•  Establish information source & mechanism / info coordinator

•  Update contact personal information

•  Recruit volunteers and activists

•  Create visibility in workplace

•  Develop communication network for 1-way and 2-way communication

•  Engage members to foster community

WHAT’S THE FIRST STEP

IDENTIFY ISSUES – DO YOUR HOMEWORK

1.  Establish a system to communicate, must be multi-prong and include active learning and teaching methods

2.   Identify who can deliver communication in the workplace

3.   How communications will be visible

4.   What message is important to deliver now to build the foundation

PRE-BARGAINING COMMUNICATION GOAL

COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES

SIMPLICITY

CLEAR LANGUAGE

POSITIVITY

PERSONAL

REPETITION

RESOURCE / REFERENCE

FOCUS

VISIBILITY

STAY IN TOUCH…………………………………………….

E: [email protected] T: @denisenhammond