I like what high technology has done for the life of the ordinary work-a-day communicator like myself. Although it is still a good back-up, gone are the days of time spent standing in front of the fax machine sending off a myriad of news releases. Or sending internal written memos with urgent notification to staff members who will ironically only 'get the chance' to read them on that last day when they are cleaning out their desks to move on to a new job several years later (Yes, I was that soldier).

Technology has definitely improved the communicator's return on investments and there is more to come. Plus, if the right communication tools are used in the right way levels of engagement are 4.5 times higher at companies that communicate effectively, and the single largest driver for retention and productivity, is the strength of the communication link between employees and supervisors, according to communications expert Angela Sinickas.

The new way of communicating is many-to-many. Think of it as a swirling mass of different voices and perspectives, where influence is based solely on how well you can express yourself rather than who you are or how long you have been around. The currency of this new media landscape is the ability to communicate appropriately.

According to technology communications guru Shel Holtz, in 1980, technology as a percentage of the capital budget of most organisations was in the neighbourhood of three to five per cent. That investment was made in photocopy machine, mainframe financial systems and other run-of-the-mill technology. Today, the same category probably accounts for over 25 per cent or more of the average organisation's total capital expenditure budget.

Technology tools available for professional communicators, that is, the public relations professional, the corporate communications officer et al include: e-mail, intranet, virtual private network, blogging, podcasts, instant messaging (IM) and now teaching is done via 'black-board' on the computer (that's a whole 'nother' story). Each has its merits and great demerits, but as with everything in life it depends on how you choose to use them. The difficulty with these leaps and bounds in communication technology is that it deletes the interpersonal side and often leaves the communicator trying to track to see how many 'hits' or effective communications connections were made.

Mission Unaccomplished

The badly abused and misused e-mail seems today to have outlived its usefulness. It seems to have taken the path of the internal memo that was sent in hard copy, or pinned with the thumb tack on the notice board near the water-cooler. And nobody reads it. Nothing is more disheartening for a communicator than getting back an e-mail months later, deleted unread. That simply meant "Mission Unaccomplished" if it is that you were hoping for behavioural change or creating awareness through that missive. And don't even try to accuse staff of not being 'informed because they did not read their email' that is akin to raising a battle cry - they don't buy it. What did you use to do before e-mail?

Of course if your employees spend a lot of time on the shop floor and do not have access to e-mail through a computer then that should not be your first choice of communications solutions. Perhaps a radio station that reaches out to and appeals to them would be a more logical solution.

One of the great merits of the e-mail era is that if your company has branches flung far and wide geographically and you need to have a centralised message, sent simultaneously, the e-mail is your solution. I must confess that I am an e-mail junky. Nothing gets me going like a nice, long, interesting e-mail from a friend or colleague and it does not have to be juicy gossip (sometimes it is better to hear that and not to see it on the screen in black and white) - just fascinating news of the type to keep me riveted to my chair.
But if I am getting an inter-office e-mail, please spare me the gory details. I really am not too interested in too many pros and cons, just KISS, (Keep It Simple Stupid!) cut to the chase and tell me when "we getting the lickle raise a pay".

Instant Messaging

Then, these days I am into the Instant Messaging - complete with webcam so you can actually see whoever it is you are talking to in live and living colour. You can speak to groups or have a two-way conversation with your friend on another continent and cut down on your telephone bill this way.

I like the idea of blogging as a corporate communications tool. Blogging, another name for a web-log, is a hierarchy of text, images, media objects and data, arranged chronologically, that can be viewed in an HTML browser or is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is blogging and someone who keeps a blog is a blogger. Blogging is by its very nature a decentralised, uncontrolled style of communication that encourages dialogue and spirited debate, and breaks down traditional boundaries. Blogs are much like online diaries. Media outlets like The Wall Street Journal are starting blogs on business topics in an attempt to solicit comment and connections from readers.

Here in Jamaica it has great potential for some of our comatose or camera-shy CEOs/executives who have no idea that their staff members need to hear from them. To be fair, some of them reached their positions by default (out-surviving the competitor, knowing where all the bodies are buried, etc) and so have no communications skills or training.

For those with the fear of public speaking, or those who will inevitably say the wrong thing when they speak, (foot-in-mouth disease) let them blog, especially if your organisation has an intranet. It is a neat (I hate that word) way for the CEO to connect with their employees. He/she can do a weekly or monthly blog. I would never advise a daily one - especially if things are not too kosher in the company generally.

Wikis, podcasting, social networking and social bookmarking are enabling conversations to take place at a grassroots level, delivering information, opinion, argument, emotion and humour in a collaborative way. From these conversations, new forms of social organisation and knowledge exchange are emerging. Podcasts are audio (or video) file broadcasts. With a browser and cheap or free software, you can own and operate a blog, wiki or podcast. Your audience is anyone who chooses to visit your website.

Consequently, we are seeing some fundamental shifts in how we plan our communication strategies and tactics. I see where, not to be outdone, PanCaribbean Financial Services Ltd, has launched 'Pan Cast'. Excellent news.

And then there is SNAP's solution that gives you a web-based software solution complete with tools such as screensavers; pop-up alerts; tickers; quizzes; surveys and internal magazines. You can, for example, eliminate staff e-mails by putting content in the 'Snap' magazine, which is easily created and managed using their web-based interface. It makes the ride easy for the communicator and gives them instant feedback as it tracks how many persons actually read your message and they can be asked how they feel about the company or a new product.

Yvonne Grinam-Nicholson, (ABC) is a Business Communications Consultant with ROCommunications Jamaica, specialising in business communications and financial publications. www.rocommunications.com.

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