Internal Communications Archives | Agility Communications https://www.agilitycommunication.com.au Marketing & Communications agency specialising in aged care and disability services Sun, 29 Oct 2017 23:49:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 Drop the Jargon and deliver engaging communications https://www.agilitycommunication.com.au/drop-the-jargon/ https://www.agilitycommunication.com.au/drop-the-jargon/#respond Tue, 24 Oct 2017 04:35:59 +0000 https://www.agilitycommunication.com.au/?p=1951 It is only when we drop the jargon and focus on our audience in our communications that we will engage them.

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It’s Drop the Jargon day today! Most of us know that we should leave jargon out of our communications, but not all of us can do it.

Why not use this day to ensure that your future communications are jargon free and engaging?

Business communicators should be, (but aren’t always), experienced at producing information in plain English. Even if we get it right in writing, we need to be sure that all of our communications are clear.

Generally, when we write we stop and reflect and re-read, when we speak, we may not do this.

When we speak to our colleagues, jargon can be inevitable, a shorthand understood by our profession. But it is a real communications problem when it is used to communicate with the public.

Why should we avoid jargon?

  • When we keep our language clear and simple we increase readability which results in greater engagement.
  • At a time when we have more access to information than ever before, our audiences will quickly move on if the communications are not clear.
  • In a digital world, we do not share unnecessarily complicated information
  • The media will not pick up your news that is full of jargon

And perhaps the best reason of all – Do not write to be understood. Write so that you cannot possibly be misunderstood.

How can we avoid jargon?

  • Stay conscious of, and tailor your communications to, your audience(s).
  • Only use the specialised terms where there is not an every-day alternative and you know that the audience will understand the term
  • Don’t try to show off using big words
  • Do not use a jargon term where perfectly ordinary terms will be just as effective.
  • Use simple language that tells a story
  • Use examples and anecdotes

Contact us if you want some help with your writing to keep it interesting and understandable,

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The NDIS outcomes in your organisation are probably not often reflected in the news https://www.agilitycommunication.com.au/the-ndis-outcomes-in-your-organisation-are-probably-not-often-reflected-in-the-news/ https://www.agilitycommunication.com.au/the-ndis-outcomes-in-your-organisation-are-probably-not-often-reflected-in-the-news/#respond Mon, 14 Aug 2017 03:34:33 +0000 https://www.agilitycommunication.com.au/?p=1939 Many years ago I was PR Manager for a national (now international) employment organisation who specialised in Disability Employment services, Job Network and included a Registered Training Organisation, (RTO). IT was at a time when employment services were often in the news. Scandals of embezzlement, cheating the system, organizations making millions while job seekers kept […]

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Many years ago I was PR Manager for a national (now international) employment organisation who specialised in Disability Employment services, Job Network and included a Registered Training Organisation, (RTO).

IT was at a time when employment services were often in the news. Scandals of embezzlement, cheating the system, organizations making millions while job seekers kept on seeking.

And a time when RTO’s were in the news. Scandal, cheating, dishonest practise, tricking or bribing vulnerable people to sign up for courses that they had no real interest in or ability for.

Regardless of how impeccable the organisation you worked for was, the sector was disgraced and no-one cared if your experience was different.

I have been thinking about this the last few weeks, where judging by the news NDIS, (National Disability Insurance Scheme) is on the nose. Confusion, long waiting lists, people missing out or getting less assistance on the NDIS plan than they received previously.

I can imagine the impact of this on people with disability and their families and carers. In fact, I don’t need to imagine, a bit of time spent on news sites, social sites and forums shows a great deal of distress and anger.

Of course, there are many good stories as well, but they don’t often get past the ‘noise’.

What has exercised my thinking recently is the impact on staff in disability organisations, doing their best in a new system that is either finding its feet or flawed.

I imagine people who have faced frustration and heart break, but also jubilation and excitement, who perhaps celebrated with clients/consumers only to get home to news that is deflating.

How do you help staff to keep up their morale when their positive experiences of working in the NDIS environment never makes the news?

Here are some tips on communicating with staff that might help:

Encourage managers to celebrate all ‘wins’ in their team

Be clear on expectations around results

Be available for debrief

Be willing to take on appeals where necessary

Be clear about what could be done differently in this new environment

Amplify the successes

Recognise frustration

Create positive stories and use them to explain the organisation position

Tell your staff how much you appreciate their efforts

Communicate the above to all staff in all communication forums:

Newsletters, Intranets, meetings, emails….

In other words, make sure that your employees are able to do the best for their clients in a difficult environment and that in the workplace they feel valued, listened to and understood. We need the NDIS to work and the more effective we are in service provision the better off all people connected to the system will be – Particularly people with disability.

 

 

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