Is that a dead moose in the room?

After a great night of jazz and big-band music, Monday was all about finding the best sessions and speakers at IABC's 2007 conference in New Orleans. I especially wore comfortable shoes so that I could do the rounds and check out as many sessions as possible. A few stood out for me.

One was a presentation by Alison Ekizian, director of strategic change for information technology at Gap Inc., together with Barbara Fagan-Smith, CEO of ROI Communication. They were talking about a transition that Gap went through recently following a decision to outsource an element of its IT operation. As with most outsourcing transitions, the change process meant tough times for both employees affected by the change and leaders trying to manage it effectively.

In the interests of being transparent, I should mention that Melcrum sponsored the change track in which this particular session featured. But I thought their presentation was so good I asked them to share the story as a case study in a forthcoming issue of Strategic Communication Management.

The presentation focused on the communication strategy and approach taken to managing the IT transition at Gap, and the successful outcome that resulted from it. A small detail that stood out for me was their description of the "Moose Sessions" – leadership meetings introduced by the CIO where leaders were encouraged to address the "dead moose in the room" (an actual fluffy toy moose featured as a prop) and talk about the difficult issues that everyone was aware of but no one liked to mention.

The Moose Sessions were a smart way to get some of the really tricky change issues out on the table, giving everyone a chance to discuss them, decide what to do about them and move on. Simple, but apparently very effective.

Next up, the Gold Quill Awards – IABC's very own Oscars night. Watch this space for more about the big stars of the night...

Comments

[Liz Guthridge]

Moose are simple, yet extremely effective tools to help people confront and deal with change, especially in talking about the unmentionables. My preference is live moose, even better the Silent, Sugarcoated Moose variety. Check out www.silentsugarcoatedmoose.com. By calling out the silent, sugarcoated features, people start to realize that they are circling around issues, rather than talking about them directly. Liz Guthridge

[Mandy Thatcher]

The "Sugarcoated Moose" is inspired Liz! I particularly like the "moose facts" and the "Dangers of Moose on the Loose". Funny but true.

Do you often find yourself urging clients to address the dead moose in the room? I'm sure there's initial resistance followed by relief - it can be exhausting pretending everything's OK when it clearly isn't.

[Mandy Thatcher]

By the way, Alison Ekizian from Gap Inc. has just pointed out that it was actually their CIO and NOT their CEO who introduced the Moose Sessions at Gap.

Sorry Alison and thanks for the correction. My notes from the session were a bit of a scrawl!

[Liz Guthridge]

Depending on the situation, I sometimes carry several stuffed moose of various sizes with me in my briefcase and show them to the meeting participants. Little moose are for little problems, medium moose for mid-size challenges, and large moose for huge troubles. People tend to pick up the little or mid-size moose when they want to start to address an uncomfortable, unsettling issue. Cradling, even stroking, a stuffed moose releases people's inhibitions about talking about something that's been troubling them. When they're finished, they often then pass the moose along to someone else who wants to add onto the conversation. Sometimes, the next individual will choose a different size moose. All in all, a terrific way to encourage people to have break-through, meaningful conversations about issues that matter.

[Sue Anderson]

Thanks for reminding me that "moose on the table" is still out there as a relevant metaphor. I have not used it lately. I first started using "the moose" back in my role as Director Internal Communications at Xerox Canada in the mid-90's. In fact I bought a wonderful large, plush moose who made the rounds to many meetings - even borrowed by the executive team on a regular basis, and most effective at getting the issues on the table. When I left Xerox in 1999 I bequeathed him to the new communications manager. I wonder where he is now! While getting the issue on the table is important, even more important is the approach to the follow-on dialogue about the issue. As an Appreciative Inquiry practitioner and coach, my role is to help clients reframe the issue to focus on possibility. Another animal metaphor that I use regularly is the "giraffe view" - I find it really helps people to stretch, and focus on the bigger picture, and see the connections. What might it look like on the other side of this issue? What possibilities do you see? What might it take to move beyond what we think is possible right now?

[Mandy Thatcher]

You're absolutely right Sue, a toy moose (or giraffe!) is great as a visual cue or to lighten the mood, but of course the important thing is what happens after the difficult issue has been raised and how it's actually resolved. Otherwise, instead of solving problems, you could just end up with a room full of people clutching fluffy toys and complaining!