Cover -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- Introduction -- Part I: Taking a New Approach -- Chapter 1: Know Your Employees -- What Demographics Can Reveal About Employees -- What You Can Learn from Demographics -- Four Key Demographics to Explore -- Use Focus Groups to Explore Needs and Preferences -- Checklist for Knowing Your Employees -- Chapter 2: Treat Your Employees Like Customers -- How to Sell Employees on the Value of Working for Your Company -- How Marketers Begin: By Knowing Their Customers -- Checklist for Treating Your Employees as Customers -- Chapter 3: Plan and Manage Communication -- Start Each Communication Project by Asking Great Questions -- Use the Answers to These Questions to Establish a Goal and Objectives -- What's the Difference Between a Goal and an Objective? -- Questioning Helps Identify Personal Agendas, Too -- Manage HR Communication Projects Effectively -- Create Award-Winning Communications and Communication Plans -- Describe Your Communication Project Succinctly -- Establish an Appropriate Budget -- And When There Is No Money . . . Sigh -- Checklist to Manage Your Communication Project Effectively -- Chapter 4: Frame Your Message -- "Go Hollywood" to Create a High Concept -- Use the Inverted Pyramid to Organize Your Message -- Leverage the 1-3-9-27 Formula to Structure Content -- Checklist for Framing Your Message -- Chapter 5: Write Simply and Clearly -- Earn Points for Doing It Well -- Checklist for Writing Simply -- Chapter 6: Leverage Visuals -- Visuals Persuade -- Visuals Explain -- Take Text to the Next Level -- Put Simple Graphics to Work -- Take a Picture -- Create Shortcuts Using Icons -- Make Complex Concepts Simple Through Infographics -- When You Don't Have Money for Graphic Designers -- Checklist for Leveraging Visuals -- Chapter 7: Use the Right Tool for the Job.

Review the Tools in Your Tool Kit -- Deciding on the Best Tool -- Using Each Tool Effectively -- Everybody into the Pool! -- Summing Up: Put Every Tool to Work -- Checklist for Choosing the Right Tool for the Job -- Chapter 8: Make Meetings Meaningful-and Support Managers -- First, the Bad News -- Our Mission for Meetings -- What About Web Meetings? -- Support Your Local Manager -- Try a Meeting in a Box -- Checklist for Making Meetings Meaningful (and Helping Managers) -- Chapter 9: Measure Effectiveness -- Defining Effectiveness -- Survey Essentials -- Checklist for Measuring Communication Effectiveness -- Part II: Communicating in Key Situations -- Chapter 10: Recruiting -- "We Want Only the Best and Brightest" -- Keys to Successful Recruiting Communications -- Checklist for Recruiting Talent -- Chapter 11: Orientation -- Welcome Aboard! -- Before You Begin -- "My First Week" -- Set Up Managers for Success -- Translate the Manager's Role into Action -- That Special Day: The Orientation Program -- A New Format for Your Orientation Program -- Fun Facts -- Positive Feedback for NEO -- Checklist for Giving New Employees What They Need to Be Successful -- Chapter 12: Policies -- Here's What I Expect from You and What You Can Expect from Me -- Policies: The Short Form -- Here's Your Friendly Handbook. Don't Be Frightened. It Won't Bite -- Do Your Homework Before Producing Your Handbook -- Desperately Seeking Information -- Keep the Language Conversational-Please, No Legalese -- Encourage Employees to Use the Handbook as a Resource -- Put a Title on Your Work -- Measure Results -- Bring Policies to Life -- Communicate Life Events When Policies, Programs, and Benefits Intersect -- Checklist for Making the Most of All That Your Company Offers -- Chapter 13: Benefits -- "My Head Hurts" -- Is Eight Your Lucky Number?.

Checklist for Helping Employees Understand Their Benefits So That They Know What to Do -- Chapter 14: Compensation -- Beware the Black Box -- Money Does Not Equal Motivation -- The Magic Number Is 5 -- Checklist for Getting Value from Your Substantial Investment in Compensation -- Chapter 15: Performance Management -- It's Report Card Time! -- What Is Performance Management? -- What Do Employees Want? -- Begin with Company Goals -- Connecting the Dots if Your Company Is Large -- Does Everyone Understand Your Performance Management System? -- What if Your System Is Complicated? -- The Big Picture -- Teaching Managers to Fish -- Checklist for Communicating Performance Management -- Chapter 16: Saving for Retirement -- Hey, Can We Get Some Help Over Here? -- You're Ready for Your Simple Four-Step Program! -- Not Algebra, But -- How to Get Smarter and Richer -- How to Give Advice When You Can't Give Advice -- "Tell Me How You Got to Be So Rich" -- More Stories -- When You're Announcing a New Plan, Write Your Own Story -- The Beauty and Art of Illustrations -- Personalize to Make a Point -- Checklist for Helping Employees Achieve Their Financial Goals -- Chapter 17: Leaving the Company -- "You Say Good-bye, and I Say Hello" -- "Good News: I'm Resigning" -- We Regret to Inform You -- The Worst Day Ever: Layoffs -- Checklist for Communicating as Employees Leave the Company -- Endnotes -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J-K -- L -- M -- N-O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U-V -- W -- Y-Z.

Written by nationally recognized HR communication consultants, this book is filled with practical tips on how to take HR employee directed communication from boring to compelling. This handbook, organized around the employment cycle, offers HR professionals an approach and specific techniques they can use every time they communicate (in all forms and mediums).  This desk reference will help HR professionals increase employee responsiveness to communications and participation in programs.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2019. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.