[00:00:00] Mel: Hi, and welcome to Less Chatter, More Matter, a podcast about all things communication without the waffle. I'm Mel Loy and in this show, I'll give you short, punchy, practical communication tips and insights you can start using in your communication practices right away. I'm a former corporate communication executive who happily took a redundancy, started my own business, and never looked back.

[00:00:32] Mel: These days I use my 20 plus years of experience to guide organizations of all shapes and sizes in how to communicate more effectively. I'm wife to Michael, auntie to 12 nieces and nephews, a gym owner, group fitness instructor, yoga teacher, and a bunch of other things as well. I promise these episodes will always be short, sharp, and insightful, so let's get amongst it.

[00:00:56] Mel: Well, hello there friends, and welcome back to another episode of [00:01:00] the podcast. And as always, it's an absolute delight to have your ears tuning in from wherever you are today. And speaking of wherever you are, that's a nice segue into today's episode, which is all about how to reach hard-to-reach people. So I've worked in all kinds of organizations over the years, and this has always been a communications challenge.

[00:01:21] Mel: And when I say all kinds of organizations, I really mean it. I've worked in everything from police to a massive childcare company, a big insurance and banking company, a retail company with a stack of brands, healthcare, construction and mining. You name it, I've probably done it. And here's the common challenge.

[00:01:40] Mel: When you've got people who are on the road teaching children, serving customers, on a construction site, they are not in front of a computer screen all day. So our traditional internal comms channels, like intranets and emails, are pretty useless a lot of the time. You might have the most [00:02:00] valuable spectacular intranet in the history of all intranets, but after a long day on a hot construction site or dealing with other people's children, the chances of that person then going home and logging onto the company intranet to just have a quick peek at what they might've missed for the day is pretty slim.

[00:02:17] Mel: Let's be honest. So like every communication that we do, we have to think from our audience's perspective. We can't communicate the way we want. We have to meet their needs. The good news is there's a lot of ways to do this very successfully, and some of them might surprise you. And of course, if you've got some ideas that you've seen work, I would love to hear about them. So please shoot them through.

[00:02:41] Mel: So let's get stuck into it. The first opportunity is messaging apps. So. These might sound a little bit old school, but they are quite good for a few things. So things like WhatsApp or SMS are a great way to directly reach your employees. And the great part about these apps [00:03:00] is most now enable you to set up group chats as well.

[00:03:04] Mel: They're free to download, and people have their phones on them most of the time, or they check their phones as soon as they get a break at work, right? There are some considerations, though, with SMS and text messages of any description. So firstly, check out what your employee agreement says about being able to reach people after hours.

[00:03:24] Mel: More and more organizations are finding their EAs are being updated to say that employers can't contact people out of hours, or via particular channels, including SMS. So that might be an issue with sending SMSs, especially if you are sending messages to shift workers. Another consideration is that it just might be really annoying when your phone is popping off all the time with all these text messages. And that just turns people off these types of group chats in particular.

[00:03:54] Mel: You know, it just gets too overwhelming and there's usually one or two voices that just keep... bombarding [00:04:00] people with messages through those channels as well. You also need to make it really clear about the appropriate use of the channel. So people can't go sharing inappropriate memes or jokes, those sorts of things.

[00:04:12] Mel: Look, most people are pretty switched on about the fact it's a work chat. So they won't do that or that sort of thing. But it is always good to set the expectation up front for the 1 percent of people who might need reminding of that. Finally, especially when it comes to SMS. I usually recommend reserving that for emergency situations or urgent messages.

[00:04:34] Mel: So, for example. The site is shut down due to a storm or people can't come into the building because the electricity is off - those sorts of things. If you start using SMS for everything, it dilutes the channel. Now, it's different, of course, if it's your immediate boss sending you a message and you've had a chat about using that as a comms channel as a team.

[00:04:54] Mel: The same with a message group chat like in WhatsApp. But if you're thinking about using these channels for group [00:05:00] wide communication, keep those considerations in mind. On one other point here too is around the database that you've got. So you want to make sure too, that if you are using a database with people's phone numbers, that that is up to date as well.

[00:05:16] Mel: The second option that you could consider from a mobile point of view are employee apps. So there are some companies that do this as part of their employee comms solutions technology. So, uh, companies like Staffbase or Contact Monkey for example. There's pros and cons to employee apps. Pros are that you can control the platform.

[00:05:37] Mel: So unlike other messaging apps, for example, you can customize it, choose what content is and isn't allowed, et cetera. And again, it's super accessible because people will have it on their own devices. Also, unlike a messaging app an employee app can have a lot of other functionality like the ability to apply for leave, check your pay slips, access company [00:06:00] news, et cetera, et cetera.

[00:06:02] Mel: And the latest apps even allow for you to tailor content for different employee segments and translate it into different languages, which is of course is just so useful from a diversity perspective. And especially if you work for an organization that is geographically dispersed across the world. Now, the cons are that you need to put in a lot of behavior change effort to get people to actually use the app.

[00:06:24] Mel: So that can take a lot of time and a lot of work. It's not a case of build it and they will come. Now, look, it's not impossible, but you need to be aware of that effort that is required. And also you may be asking people to use the app outside of their official work hours. So again, check your employee agreements and your policies and procedures.

[00:06:45] Mel: As a side note, I was on a flight to Sydney recently, and a flight attendant was sitting next to me. I think she was on a break. Uh, and anyway, as I do, because hashtag extrovert, I struck up a conversation with her, which she probably loved. She probably actually probably just wanted to sit in silence, but [00:07:00] anyway, but I, it was like, this is an opportunity I must take it.

[00:07:03] Mel: And I was pestering her about how they communicate internally at their airline, given. So many staff are on planes most of the day or on the ground helping customers, you know, again, not in front of computers all the day. And she was saying that the managers on each flight have an iPad that has their employee app and internet loaded onto it, and they get messages through there that they share with their teams, and they also log onto it or a computer at the end of the day to do all their paperwork. All the other flight attendants have access to the app on their own devices. So it's a great example of how these apps can work for hard to reach people and are working right now for similar organizations.

[00:07:41] Mel: Okay. The next idea, and I really love this one, is using a private podcast feed. So if you haven't heard of these before, there's a couple of ways you can set them up. One is that you can set up the feed as private in a podcast, hoping. Uh, hosting platform like hello. fm or similar, [00:08:00] and you shared that link with your employees. So the podcast isn't visible on the usual podcast apps, unless you actually have that link. The other way you can do it with some platforms is upload a list of email addresses for people who should have access to it.

[00:08:15] Mel: And then they will be the only ones who can listen. Now that of course requires a lot more. Admin to upkeep and to make sure the database is always up to date. Alternatively, you could host it as just a sound file on your intranet or your employee app. Now the great part about private podcast feeds is that people can listen to them on the go.

[00:08:36] Mel: So if they're traveling to and from work or they're on the road They can just pop on the podcast and listen in. And you don't always have to come up with original content. You could take a recording of a town hall, for example, and just put that on there. But the content like any other channel has to be interesting and relevant, short and snappy.

[00:08:57] Mel: Avoid long episodes at all costs. [00:09:00] People do not have time for that. And think about things like interviews with customers or interviews with employees, people who are leading exciting projects. All those sorts of things. I really do think it's an underused channel in general, not just for our hard to reach people. So I really encourage you to think about that. And if you remember back to some of our previous episodes about the way people communicate and learn. For auditory learners, it's awesome and it's a great way to reach them.

[00:09:29] Mel: Okay. Another tactic to consider is an internal social media channel, if you haven't already got one. So this could be Yammer, Workplace by Facebook, Slack, whatever you want. There's quite a few to choose from. And some of those employee apps I mentioned earlier have their own inbuilt. Uh, social media channels in those two. Now, the great thing about these channels is they usually have a mobile friendly app that means people can engage with them from their own devices.

[00:09:56] Mel: And also they allow more two way organic [00:10:00] conversations rather than just the broadcast one way comms that we get through an intranet or a podcast, for example. Now I've worked in organizations where they've had some really active Yammer groups, and they've been a great way to connect people who work over a really large geographic area and who work in shifts as well.

[00:10:19] Mel: But again, like an employee app, it takes change efforts to get people to use these channels. Now you can do things to encourage use, like making certain content exclusively available through these channels, uh, running competitions. And of course, encouraging senior leaders and team leaders to use them.

[00:10:37] Mel: One of the most popular things I've ever seen, and this might sound a bit weird, but it was a, a pets group. So, and, or it was a competition about people's pets in this organization and people could post photos of their pets and, and all this stuff - that went gangbusters. So again, it's, it's a bit of a different channel in that it's two way, but also it encourages a little bit more [00:11:00] personality, which is also really nice.

[00:11:03] Mel: It is going to take a lot of effort and education to get people across the line, but it is well worth it if people feel more connected with each other as a result. And it helps them feel really well informed about what's going on in the organization. Now, in the past, I've met some resistance from some leaders who were worried about people putting messages on these apps that were perhaps inappropriate.

[00:11:27] Mel: And to be honest, as I said earlier with the messaging groups. Most people realize these are work tools, and they use them as such. They're usually respectful, and the content is often, and most often, related to the work or to the team. But on the very rare occasion when someone has put something inappropriate, or they've been really critical of an idea or a person - it's been dealt with one on one.

[00:11:51] Mel: And when I say being critical, it's not so much the fact that shared feedback, but it's usually the way they've shared it, the language and the tone that they've used. And the fact that they've done it [00:12:00] publicly, when usually that kind of thing is better as a private conversation. So again, I wouldn't be too worried about that, but just make sure you're setting expectations up front. That the channels aren't monitored and everyone needs to treat it like any other digital channel at your organization.

[00:12:16] Mel: Okay. This next one is one we've spoken about at length on this podcast before, but it's super relevant for this topic too. And that is team leaders. Team leaders are one of your most powerful channels. All the research shows people trust their immediate leader more than any other voice in the organization. Team leaders also usually have very direct communication channels with their team members, so you can use them to get to those people. You can get those group wide messages out to individuals who aren't in front of computers all day because they'll have their own methods for reaching them that work for them and their team.

[00:12:52] Mel: Now, just be aware of the fact that the cascade of information through an organization is never perfect. I won't [00:13:00] harp on about that here because there's an entire episode of the podcast. We've dedicated to the broken comms cascade and what to do about it. If you'd like to refresh your memory, head back to episode 12.

[00:13:09] Mel: The next tactic I'm going to share is a simple one, old school, paper based communication. For people who are on site or on the road or work from home, mostly paper based comms can actually help just cut through the digital noise and can be very successful because it's very accessible.

[00:13:28] Mel: So when I'm talking about paper based communication, I'm thinking about things like printouts of an employee newsletter left on the staff room table, posters on the backs of toilet doors, notices posted on locker doors. Even letters sent out to employees homes. You can even get local team leaders to personalize this stuff by leaving a space for them to write their own related messages.

[00:13:49] Mel: Now, a few considerations with paper based comms. Number one, it has to be fresh. After a while, that poster in the kitchen just becomes white noise because it's been [00:14:00] there so long. One organization I've worked with, they change the posters on the backs of the toilet doors every week. And I know it sounds crude, but those spaces are where you have people's full attention.

[00:14:11] Mel: So those posters actually work really well. When they are changed every week. So they stay interesting. The second piece is make them legible like accessibility with digital channels. Paper based communications also need to be accessible. So good sized sans serif font, high contrast colors, all those sorts of things.

[00:14:32] Mel: A third point to consider is your sustainability goals as an organization and if these paper based comms actually fit with those goals. It might be that you need to limit printing or make sure it's on 100 percent recycled paper, those sorts of things. And the final point here is delivery. So will you be asking the local team leader to print everything and display it or can you get it delivered straight to their door?

[00:14:56] Mel: What's the easiest and also the most cost effective? [00:15:00] Okay, the final tactic we'll chat about today is the most powerful one, and it is visiting your team members where they're at. So if they're in a factory, a childcare center, a contact center, a monthly team meeting where all the on the road sales people get together, go visit them.

[00:15:17] Mel: There is nothing more engaging than a senior leader showing up, taking the time to listen and getting to know team members on the ground. It really starts to break down this idea of the mothership. Directing everyone else. And it allows people to get their notes, get to know the senior leaders as people rather than these distant figureheads.

[00:15:38] Mel: It can help them build more trust and engagement. So if you are a comms pro supporting senior leaders, factor team visits into their plan and make sure they're not only regular team visits, but there's follow up communication as well. So for example, sending a personalized thank you email to the team, paraphrasing what they spoke about [00:16:00] and anything else they can expect in the future.

[00:16:02] Mel: You want to show the visit was more than lip service. Okay. It's time for episode recap. So if you tuned out for a bit, it's time to come back in and get the executive summary. I'm also going to give you my biggest tip at the end. I've saved the best for last. So in today's episode, we spoke about the need to reach our unwired or hard to reach audience members.

[00:16:24] Mel: The tactics I shared are these: number one messaging apps, platforms like SMS and WhatsApp can be great ways to reach people, particularly to communicate within teams, but be mindful of employee agreements, policies and procedures. And be mindful not to flood these channels. People hate being spammed, but it also means they tune out.

[00:16:44] Mel: And that means there's a good chance urgent or emergency messages just won't be read. The second tactic, employee apps. These can allow not just communication, but access to other tools and resources that people need, like leave applications or forms, for [00:17:00] example. The caveat is that you need a concerted change effort to get people to use these apps.

[00:17:07] Mel: Number three, private podcast feeds. These are a great way to reach people who are on the road or traveling to and from work, or who just love listening to podcasts. And you can repurpose content from other channels like recordings from town halls, but make sure the content is always interesting, relevant, short, and snappy.

[00:17:26] Mel: Number four, internal social media. So channels like Slack, Yammer, Workplace can be a great way to not only communicate, but foster connections between geographically dispersed groups or people who just work in different shifts. Number five, team leaders. They're the most influential voice for most employees.

[00:17:45] Mel: So equipping them with messages to send in the way that works for their unique team is a really great way to reach hard to reach people. But just be aware of the perils of that broken communication cascade. Number six, old school, paper based [00:18:00] comms, posters, letters, printed newsletters, postcards, all those things.

[00:18:04] Mel: They can really help cut through the digital noise and can be very accessible for people. And number seven visits, getting senior leaders out and about chatting to people on the ground is so powerful, but make sure there's follow up communication. Now, the bonus tip I'm going to share with you is this.

[00:18:24] Mel: Ask your audience. That's right. Ask your audience. Do not make assumptions about how to reach them, but find out what works best for them, given what they do every day, where they're located, how much access to internet service they even have. If they're already using a platform that works really well for them, consider using that as well.

[00:18:44] Mel: If they say they'll never check an employee's social media channel, but they will check text messages, You could consider putting a link to the internet content in an SMS, for example, or, you know, that you've got to put in a lot more change of it. So like everything in comms, it [00:19:00] starts with who; get to know your audience, ask what's working, what's not and test and trial some solutions.

[00:19:07] Mel: So that's our show for today. I hope you've got some ideas. And as I said, at the top of the episode, I'd love to hear your ideas or what's working for you in your business. So please send them through. Also channels is such an important part of internal and external communication. So knowing how to plan and manage them is a critical practical skill for any communicator.

[00:19:29] Mel: I've gone into depth on channel management and use in my new online course Communication Career Fundamentals. And you can find out more about that via my website, or we'll pop a link in the show notes. So in the meantime, I hope you have a fantastic week. Keep doing amazing things. I will see you all back here next week for another fresh episode.

[00:19:47] Mel: And bye for now.