Ron Hess, president of Motiv8 Communications, offers his perspectives on current hot topics in the world of organizational employee communication. If you’d like to add a comment about the article below, send us an e-mail.

In a hi-tech world, personal connections are valued more than ever

"We’re ready to rumble," exclaims the ring announcer. Mr. Electronic, the impressive hi-tech challenger, and old Oral Communication, the long-time fan favorite, enter the ring – both playing to the crowd for acceptance and support.

In the audience, line employees, communicators, managers and company leaders cheer for their favorite and wait for the action to begin. The question on everyone’s mind: Which of the two heavyweight forms of communication will prove to be most effective in helping organizations achieve business goals in the first decade of the 21st century?

The excitement builds. But before the action begins and the questions get answered, let’s take a closer look at our two competitors. In one corner stands e-technology -- with its e-mail, Intranets, webcasts and other "e-vances" – it has emerged as a major force in organizational communication – while absorbing a lot of the investment dollars, too. "This is the digital age, and I shall be king," says Mr. Electronic. "People want their news fast and I represent a delivery system that can reach thousands and thousands of employees in minutes."

But wait a minute, says Oral Communication. "Electronic communication lacks the ability to meet all the needs," he points out. "Remember the words in the old Barbara Streisand song, People Who Need People? Well, over the past few decades, I’ve been the big crowd pleaser. Survey after survey has shown that employees place greater value on face-to-face communication than any other form. And I think people are looking for personal connections more than ever in the wake of the September 11 tragedy."

"But you’re old fashioned; your time has passed," Mr. Electronic chimes in. "No way," quips Oral Communication. "I’m more in tune with the times than ever. People still want the personal touch in this electronic age."

Let your imagination go and you anticipate that a Wrestlemania-style brawl for employee communication supremacy is about to ensue. Budget commitments, along with organizational commitments of time and energy, hang on the outcome.

But we have a surprise happy ending for you. Cooler heads prevail. A higher up with a broader view steps into the ring, and convinces the two combatants that they’ll be a lot more successful if they make peace and work to complement each other’s strengths.

The moral of the story is that no one approach should dominate your employee communication program. A balanced communication system that includes face-to-face, print and electronic is the best route to organizational communication success. Play to each of their strengths while avoiding their weaknesses.

In all the excitement about hi tech, there’s a natural tendency for communicators and their organizations to focus on the whiz-bang tools, while ignoring other aspects of their employee communication program.

Don’t fall into that trap. Electronic communication has been enormously successful in its ability to give employees fast access to a lot of information that can be extremely helpful in doing a job. But e-info won’t meet all your needs. Not by a long shot.

Hi-tech has its limitations, at least in 2002. Hi-tech still is not very good at sorting out what’s relevant, providing context and creating shared meaning that motivates people to perform at peak levels. Face-to-face can do that a whole lot better. And that’s something employees will quickly tell you, whether you’re in Seattle, Washington or Tampa, Florida.

We may be in a technological age, but survey results continue to tell us over and over again that employees of all age groups – including the Nintendo generation just entering the workforce – value face-to-face when it comes to sharing info about job expectations, job performance and what needs to be done to move an organization forward.

It so goes that we offer this advice to communicators and to their companies: don’t put all your communication eggs in one basket. E-tech can meet many needs, but it can’t meet them all.

But don’t take our word for it. Get out and talk to your managers and employees. Conduct focus groups, schedule informal lunch discussions or conference calls. Ask employees what communication channels work best for the differing needs of your organization. Need some help in getting this task completed? Give Motiv8 Communications a call. We can help.

When all is said and done, we’re confident that you’ll discover what others have learned: that face-to-face is still the most effective way to engage and motivate employees in the workplace.