Executing an internal communications strategy GE Capital’s approach Laura Butler Internal Communications Manager
Oct 30, 2014
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