Make a real difference with your communications

By Annie Waite, Global Editor of the Internal Comms Hub, Melcrum

There seems to be a surplus amount of "celebratory" days cropping up lately that, admittedly, we've helped to gain credibility by chatting about on online forums and blogs like this one...but of all these days, I most appreciate, and see most worth in, the sentiment behind one that's coming up this Saturday.

It's "Make a Difference Day". Before you start thinking it's all getting a bit "Bono", just think about how taking this simple formula, communicating it and then applying it within businesses could have numerous positive repercussions.

As Richard Ellis, vice president of communications at McDonald's USA explained at Melcrum's Strategic Communication Management conference in Chicago a month ago,  publicising employees' efforts within his organisation has had a major effect on the brand. He mentioned the "I-story" concept whereby real success stories from existing employees who've made a difference at McDonald's, for a raft of different reasons, are promoted around the organisation – and by building employee pride in the organisation, employees can become an even more valuable strategic business tool. 

So, how can you take the simple 'make a difference' concept to make an impact at your organisation? You might try doing a little external PR by rousing your troops to volunteer for a local charity (thus boosting your internal brand and the company's visibility in the local area, earning a bit of goodwill, and maybe even making your employees feel a little warm inside at the same time).

Or, as a communicator, you could encourage your managers to stop and think and try to make a difference themselves just by making them aware that such a "day" exists...(perhaps offer a little incentive to the team that makes the most effort in trying to make a difference to the company?)

Has anyone got any success stories of using this type of concept on a short-term 'bout' like the Make a Difference Day?

Soundtrack to the blog post: My Morning Jacket - It Makes No Difference

Comments

[Sona Hathi]

Hi Annie,

We've heard of quite a few companies recently who are "making a difference" by investing in CSR initiatives as part of an ongoing process. For example, at the SCM Summit in the UK last week, Mark Darby from Visa Europe spoke about the company's sponsorship of CEOP - Child Exploitation and Online Pornography Protection. He believed that if you asked any Visa Europe employee which of their many sponsorships they were most proud of, this would be it. So the organization is not only making a difference to society in general, but also to its working environment and employees' perceptions of the Visa Europe brand values.