Hi, there.

I’m happy to debut my new biweekly letter (well, email) to friends and colleagues.

The concept is simple: to share insights and ideas designed to help you communicate with employees. I know you’re busy, so I’ll keep it short and simple. But if you’d like to learn more, just reach out and we can chat.

Ready to get started? Here are 3 thoughts:

1. 2020 is (mercifully) over. But before you try to block all memories of the year from your consciousness, consider this: You did some groundbreaking work in 2020. And now you can build on those experiences to create awesome internal communication in the year ahead.

For example, many of us continue to improve the way we communicate with a hybrid workforce: some employees on location, some working from home, some doing both. And my colleague Eric Goodman offers helpful advice on how to keep making progress.

2. Yesterday, I was talking with a smart communicator about some of the challenges she faces in her organization. This is one that will be familiar to you: Everyone she works with (including people in finance, legal and safety) thinks they’re an expert on communication.

I gave the communicator the same advice I’ll give you: when dealing with these “experts,” use persuasive techniques to make your case and establish your expertise. Members of my firm have written a lot about this topic: Here’s a quick-read blog, for instance, and a more in-depth guide.

3. One persuasive technique I’ve used successfully is to cite relevant statistics. For example, recently I read a Google study that shows that “why” was one of the top search trends of 2020. People didn’t just search for “what” (“What is happening with California wildfires?”); they sought answers to “why” (“Why is the sky orange?”).

Last week, I used this stat in a conversation with a client at a large pharmaceutical company who is developing a content strategy for 2021. It’s easy for communicators to shape our content to focus on “what”—what’s changing and what employees need to know or do. But don’t forget to answer “why” as well. (And if you’re trying to improve internal search, make sure you write sentences that are searchable if employees ask “why.”)

Hope you found this helpful. Talk to you soon!