DALLAS--While no speakers at this year's conference of the
International Association of Business Communicators held here last
week dared to predict the future, many pointed out raging trends that
have the power to reshape business and society worldwide.
Organizational communicators already dealing with reengineering,
change management, and the changing-by-the-minute Internet need now to
consider how their very roles and competencies must adapt to change.
British historian and journalist James Burke addressed the rapid
pace of technology and its impact on businesses and societies. One
result of the explosion of low-cost and universal information
systems--particularly the Internet--is that "individuals and small
groups will have more autonomy" than they had in the past, said Burke,
the producer of dozens of British and U.S. TV documentaries on society
and change. This will be true of groups of employees within
organizations as well as of groups within societies or nations.
Burke advised the audience to prepare for rapid, global change,
but to realize that it is for the most part "uncontrollable."
Nonetheless, incoming chairman Don Bruun told attendees in his
first address to the group as its new leader, communicators can have
an influence on the future. One way they can do so for the benefit of
their organizations is through the "art and science of issues
management."
Internal Communications' Role
Communications' value internally will become increasingly
important, said panelists at a June 18 session that looked at the
future of the profession.
Communications will need to help organizations attract and retain
the best people, said Elaine Moore, director of corporate
communications and community affairs at Electronic Data Systems (EDS),
which spun off from parent General Motors Corp. earlier this month.
"Open and honest communication is going to be absolutely critical" to
earning credibility with employees in an era in which job security is
less certain, but companies' need for high-performance employees is
great, she said.
Communicators in the future also must take responsibility "for
what is heard, as well is what is said," said management consultant
Robyn Allan, former president and CEO of Insurance Corp. of British
Columbia. One of the best ways to gauge whether or not employees did
get the message is by monitoring their involvement, she said--watching
participation in programs or activities, or literally monitoring
responses in face-to-face communica- tions situations.
Addressing Real Employee Concerns
Questions from the audience during this session suggest that the
credibility of employee communications will become paramount.
Attendees raised concerns about layoffs, high CEO pay, conflicts
between work and personal lives, and the absence of any corporate
effective response to employees troubled by these developments.
Male, Female Communication
As men and women need to interact more and more in the future in
the workplace, both sexes should understand emerging theory about
gender communication styles. One presentation addressing this topic
was a June 19 keynote by linguistics professor Deborah Tannen of
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. The author of the bestseller,
"You Just Don't Understand: Men and Women in Conversation," pointed to
the distinctive communication patterns of men and women.
Interactions between men and women in the workplace, she said,
can become confused due to differing communication styles: women's
prpensity for extensive eye contact, verbal responses indicating
listening, as contrasted with men's typically more limited eye contact
and listening responses. These common differences in outward styles
do not necessarily mean that women are better communicators, said
Tannen. (IABC, 415/433-3400)