HR Communication Tip: Finish with a Flourish

Scene 1: Your presentation starts out great. You’ve carved your slides down to the the best ones and your audience is reacting. You’ve got ‘em. And then you get to that slide that says, “Next steps.”

Scene 2: Your benefits brochure has the best opening line since “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Nah, it’s the HR communication equivalent of “Call me Ishmael.” Crisp. To-the-point. The copy rocks. And then you get to that closing paragraph that says, “If you need additional information, please see your manager.”

Scene 3: Your managers’ training begins with a bang. You have ‘em hooked and you let everyone breathe a sigh of relief that there won’t be any role playing in this session. (You’re a great instructional designer.) And then it’s time to go, and you end up talking about where the group dinner will be that night.

STOP! FINISH WITH A FLOURISH.

Have you ever been to a killer speech? What happens at the end? Do the speakers fade into the podium? Do they end with a whimper? Do they mumble their last words? Hardly.

Here’s the deal: Whether you’re presenting, writing, or training, put as much energy — if not more — into the closing that you do for the opening. People won’t remember every word you used, but they will remember how you made them feel at the end.

KnowHR on the Fistful of Talent’s Power Rankings

Here’s something pretty cool: KnowHR landed on Fistful of Talent’s Power Blog 25. We’re honored to be in such talented company. Thanks to the FOT Team for the nod. Now the pressure’s on to keep up the good work!

The Best Wrong Number Dialing This Week


[Photo credit: Old Shoe Woman]

I just got a call that started, “You guys still do those pony rides?”

Pardon me?

“Yeah, I got your name off the computer. I’m having a bunch of kids coming over to my house on Sunday, and we’d like to use your pony rides and that Wild West thing you have.”

Sorry…we have a communication consulting company. Maybe we could come over and teach the kids about how to write in the active voice, or maybe we could talk about selecting media in the internet age.

*****

It was a no go. But it made me laugh. There are some days when it’d be cool to be the guy who provides pony rides to kids on the weekends. My job: Provide pony rides to the big kids in corporations. I think I’ll stick with that for a bit. And if all else fails, I now have a backup position.

Want to Move Up In Social Class? Get Out of HR

I was looking at this interactive graphic in the NYT titled How Class Works. It summarizes the four elements that comprise social class in America: occupation, education, income and wealth.

Check out the first column and enter “Human Resources,” which is under the “Management” heading. Yeah, HR is viewed as less prestigious than “Ranch Hand,” “Food Service,” and “Funeral Directors.” Which is why at neighborhood barbecues, I often tell people that I’m a garbage man. It’s a lot easier than explaining what HR organizational communication is all about.

Why I’d Want Usain Bolt on My Team


Photo credit: Huffington Post

I’m a flip-flopper. I wrote an article yesterday titled I’d Like to Thump Chest Thumpers. I changed my mind thanks to BullsEye Resume author Marcia Robinson’s comment on the article.

I said I didn’t like Usain Bolt because he thumped his chest before he crossed the finish line in the Olympics 100-meter dash. I thought that was showing off. Marcia, who’s Jamaican, puts it in a cultural context:

In general, I agree that braggers are annoying. However, there are times when your feat is so great and so outstanding that you deserve the right to pat yourself on the back. How many of us have celebrated the same way in private when we landed a big account, solved a major problem at work or outperformed the competition? I know I have.

As someone with Jamaican roots myself, I encourage you to read my career blog where I explain why what others see as showing off, is really a way of giving one’s self a personal high five.

We cannot look at Bolt’s behavior in isolation of the culture from which he hails and the circumstances surrounding his win. I can guarantee that people in that tiny Caribbean country were bursting with pride, even as they waited for another tropical storm, Kaye, to beat them up again. (;>

There’s more in that comment, and I’d encourage you to read it. And please read Marcia’s article, Usain Bolt’s Chest Thump Heard Around the World, to get even more perspective.

I believe in the concept of “strong ideas loosely held.” That’s an essential skill in HR. And when I hear a better idea, I try to adjust my thinking. Thanks to Marcia, that was quite a 24 hours.

Congrats, Usain Bolt!

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