Feedback is part of collaboration
By swilson | August 27, 2010
Last night I sat in the school gym listening to the four second-grade teachers describe the rules, teaching approaches and how the parents all need to be involved with furthering education at home. It was curriculum night at Rooney Ranch Elementary.
I spent the 45 minutes straining to read the slides lit up with fuchsia, red and yellow backgrounds. Impossible. Not readable at all. Also, not in our packet of materials.
After the session, I approached my daughter’s teacher, whom she has for a second year in a row. So, I know her already. I said that the slides were really difficult to read. She commented on the poor lighting in the gym. I responded that, well, actually, it has more to do with the use of saturated colors and not providing a strong contrast between the background and the text. She said, “it looked so great on the computer.”
Usability is usability whether it’s in a PowerPoint presentation, a computer screen, or a web site. The human eye sees better with contrast, and saturated color interferes with that ability. I shared with her a tidbit about what the usability research says.
Upon returning home, my husband and I – he attended our sixth-grader’s curriculum meeting – shared notes. I told him about this exchange and he shook his head and rolled his eyes at me. What? I shouldn’t have said anything? I shouldn’t use my professional knowledge and training to help them improve their ability to communicate?
“They don’t care what you know,” he said. “They will all continue to do exactly what they want without regard to what is known to be best.” Not open to learning. Our teachers. Sad, but true. I’ve been offering for years to provide a free workshop for the school’s faculty on writing, particularly writing instructions for classroom assignments. No takers. Meantime, my kids struggle to interpret vague, passive and indirect language in assignments.
When the teacher tells me “you need to use this reading technique with her,” or “he needs to share his ideas in class.” Sure, we take that as important counsel, talk about it a lot and try to make it happen. We try to be very responsive to teacher suggestions and guidance. They know the education stuff. But, it’s all one way – no true collaboration here.
As a parent, there is much to be frustrated about with how the schools function these days. I have come to appreciate those who home school. We supplement with home school curriculum. Schools could be much like a corporation, a community of people with different expertise, training and knowledge collaborating to a singular goal. The school has the administrators, the professional educators, and the parents with all manner of unique expertise. Feedback from anywhere must be part of the collaboration mix. Why can’t we collaborate to that singular goal – smart, prepared, capable kids?
Topics: Internal Consulting, Writing | Comment »
Write the way you talk
By swilson | August 12, 2010
“I write the way I talk,” said Anthony Bourdain on a recent episode of his television show No Reservations. He recently was nominated for several Webbys for his web writing. I think of him as a writer first, chef second. I love the show and his books.
If only I could get all my client organizations to write like they talk. We rant about corporate speak and then we stand by while otherwise smart communicators continue to spew it out. Use normal, plain English! Or, whatever language you’re translating into.
A new client introduced me to a great online tool for generating your own custom corporate junk. Classic. Reminds me of the employee I had years ago who would write each new word in large red letters on her white board – to remind us to NOT use them.
In prior conversations about this issue I’ve expressed the idea as writing as if you are sitting across the table from the employee. But, I like Bourdain’s characterization better. Just say it, then write it down just like that.
We are gearing up for a new project with a client – employee portal overhaul. My absolute favorite type of work! I asked the owners of each individual project to write out how they might explain their project during an elevator ride with an executive. Even asked them to read it out loud to themselves. Some did tragically – too many words, the wrong words, etc.
Others surprised me with their tight, active and descriptive language. Brilliant! That, I could just say.
Some say that writing like we talk is dumbing down the language, or misusing proper English. What is “proper English” anyway? The language is constantly evolving. The rules I subscribe to are those that make reading and retention easier. And I’ll even bend some of those. Microblogging bends them all, texting too. As long as the message gets across with clarity and is retained. That is the most important thing.
Reading Bourdain’s books is like listening in to stone heads on the corner of the high school in the early 80s. “F” this and “f” that. He really does write like he talks. His TV crew keep their fingers on the bleeper throughout each and every show. I’m not suggesting that your next CEO letter be strewn with cuss words. But, it should actually sound like her or him. Make it real.
Topics: Writing, cooking | 1 Comment »
Driving conversation into performance management
By swilson | July 28, 2010
Internal communicators are no longer in the business of creating information – we are in the business of creating conversation. I said this to a listserve with which I participate recently and was bombarded with supportive replies.
It’s true. Our role is changing, technology is changing and the demands of the market are changing. I was reminded today that Cluetrain Manifesto was really the first to get us focused on conversation. Conversation is what we endeavor to generate, not just awareness or even buy-in. It’s true of the market and it’s true in internal communication.
Nowhere am I realizing this more than with performance management. Eloquor is helping a client with performance management right now. They are challenged to get employees to really engage with the program.
An article in the Wall Street Journal recently debunked the entire process. But, let’s face it, you have to have a way to set expectations, work on goals and realize success. I think there is still a strong argument for performance management programs. We just have to make them more about conversation than about ratings and measurement.
Performance management is really about those small conversations that happen throughout the year on an ongoing basis. It’s not really about the singular, end-of-year conversation when you and your boss complete the form and agree on a rating. The value is in those interim bits of dialog.
The fact that we promote/hire people into management roles with no emphasis on communication skills is partly to blame for the fact that a majority of managers don’t do this interim dialog well. We also do a poor job of establishing an expectation with these leaders. For example, do managers in your organization know that part of their responsibility is to ensure the right development opportunities, tools and resources to help their people succeed? Some are surprised when told they need to clear barriers, provide resources.
How does one do this well? Well, it starts with conversation. A manager cannot intuitively know everything their employee requires to be successful. Dialog gets us closer to understanding. Some employees don’t proactively ask, so a manager must take the initiative.
It has become evident to me that providing incentives, drivers if you will, to managers to engage their people in conversation is crucial. Many simply won’t on their own accord.
How does your organization incent this dialog? One idea I’ve come across recently that I really like is the personal performance portfolio. Samples, notes, documentation of accomplishments, challenges, needs and requirements, that an employee can use to start the conversation. ”This is the results of the so-and-so project.” “If I had this the thus-and-such project would have gone more smoothly.” “I am going to need to learn more about X to really help this other team.”
Make such a portfolio a requirement. And, give managers a simple form to document their thoughts and actions in response to the portfolio discussion. It might be a great way to inject dialog into a compliance focused program.
Topics: Leader communication, leadership | Comment »
« Previous Entries