The year 2007 has whooshed by us with maddening speed. No sooner than one earth-shattering event or issue came upon us with frightening intensity and was the talk of the town, did that excitement subside and a newer happening was thrust upon us. We've now come to the end of yet another year, with a whole lot of thanks and praise.

And so, in keeping with the Christmas season, I have made my own business communications wish-list for corporate Jamaica. Don't know if I have been naughty or nice, although I should hope that I have been more than a little of both. Here are my wishes.

Wish 1

My Christmas wish for my fellow communications practitioners in the field is for you to have the renewed respect of your CEOs and executives and that they will take your professional counsel. This is, of course, providing that you do your research, seek help and guidance and give your execs the best expert opinion, advice and follow-through that you can. Give them wise counsel. So, no more bleeps and blunders during that all-important public event that so easily exposes an organisation's lack of knowledge of protocol.
And even though you yourself are no fashion-guru, make sure to advise them that casually elegant on the invitation means just that, with an emphasis on the elegant.

Public speaking? If it is anathema to them, but they have to do it, protect them from themselves by ensuring that they get the best training available. The last time I checked, there was no law against learning to do something that does not come easily to you - no matter if you want to appear to your staff and others as if you are related to the All-perfect one. Advise your execs why it is usually not a good idea to give a speech that they have not personally gone over themselves (line by line) or speak to an audience who they know nothing about.
They will thank you for it when their stocks rise. It is important for them to be apprised of how to speak on camera; how to speak from a platform; how to speak to the media and gosh darn it - how to speak to their employees. It is definitely not cool for your CEO to send out e-mails in the heat of anger about some 'alleged staff infraction', as if addressing tiny tots. Trust me, your employees will give you that face-splitting grin when they collect that bonus cheque from you - but bet your bottom dollar come January morning when the money has dwindled and they are doing their assessment of your stewardship, they will be frantically leafing through the want ads.

Wish 2

I wish that more of our companies in the roll-out of their corporate communications plans would include an employee communications plan. In doing any analysis of ROI, executives should recognise that employees are their company's chief ambassadors. They spread the word about you, your products or services no matter what your colourful and costly advertisements shout to the public. Furthermore, are your employees engaged? Are they plugged into what it is they are being paid to do or are they just going through the days, longing for Friday to come?, Worse yet, are they waiting for their 'redundancy money' so that they can invest it you know where? Have you formed effective alliances with you human resources department to find out where the problem areas in employee communications in your company are? Are your managers trained to communicate effectively with their staff or do you just throw everybody together, pretend not to hear the fighting and hope to God no one gets killed in any ensuing battle? And, sorry the e-mail alone won't cut it for 2008. Think again.

Wish 3

Communications technology move at a rapid pace. Now-a-days you have a choice to either be innovative or die. Not that we Jamaicans are late adapters to any new trend, but it is my wish that we utilise more effectively the technological tools that are available to make our jobs easier as communicators. And I speak specifically and lovingly of SNAP tools. A communicator's dream, this tool-kit consists of six innovative and cost-effective means of communicating with your staff and other channel users. Developed in New Zealand, it appears as a small icon on your desktop and can assist with you reaching the nirvana of employee engagement. It will definitely make the burden lighter and you sure will not hear the feedback that that staff member, "never get that e-mail".

E-mail me and tell me what your b c wishes are for this Christmas and I will use my preferred status to make sure that they get on that long list for December 25th.

Yvonne Grinam-Nicholson MBA, ABC, is a Business Communications Consultant with RO Communications Jamaica, specialising in business communication, employee communications and financial publications. Contact her at yvonne@rocommunications.com or visit her website: www.rocommunications.com.

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