181: The Art and Science of Workforce Communication | with Laurie Barnes

You can’t achieve your potential as a leader or an organization without practicing effective communication.

Organizations that communicate effectively with their workforce deliver better results. According to a study by Willis Towers Watson, companies with high effectiveness in communication and change management are 3.5 times more likely to significantly outperform their less effective peers. They:

Attract top people

Engage employees fully

Achieve a superior bottom line

It’s NOT about transmitting information. 

Workforce communication is listening to people and using key principles to grab attention, inspire trust, and nudge behaviors of people to deliver results that matter … all within the crazy complexities of a human organization. Learning and practicing the principles of effective communication can help you become a better leader, a more successful businessperson, and maybe even a better person overall.

Workforce communication is a specialized focus within corporate communication.

Corporate communication, according to Wikipedia, involves managing and orchestrating all internal and external communications aimed at creating a favorable point of view among stakeholders on which the company depends.

Workforce communication, according to us, involves mostly internal stakeholders (such as employees, front-line managers, leaders, executives, board members, and their families and communities) and is aimed at engaging people, inspiring trust, and driving action to support well-being and business performance.

Workforce communication includes all human resources topics as well as other areas related to organizational talent and performance. The areas of expertise include:

Employer branding, recruiting, and onboarding

Employee engagement

Culture shaping (mission, vision, values, purpose, diversity, inclusion, etc.)

Talent management

Well-being

Compensation and benefits

Organizational merger, acquisition, and business transformation

Leadership development

Manager-employee communication (day-to-day coaching, etc.)

Our company, Workforce Communication, is a team of consultants and creatives using the power of communication to help organizations make a difference in the well-being and performance of their people. We’re all about engaging people, inspiring trust, and driving action.

We’re fun people, we do cool work, and we deliver real results. Our services include:

Consulting

Development and implementation

Workshops and presentations

Coaching

Along with Jesse, Laurie Barnes is a co-founder of Workforce Communication. With more than 30 years in the biz, Laurie is a successful communication executive who is known for out-of-the-box thinking. She has held leadership positions at three large, global consultancies — Willis Towers Watson, Deloitte, and Mercer. In 2010, Laurie formed Maple Tree Lab, a communication boutique. At Workforce Communication, she serves as a talent leader inside the firm and a creative strategist for clients.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Models and frameworks: workforcecommunication.com/tag/model-framework

LinkedIn: /laurieannbarnes

Subscription Links