Quick Tip: The Walrus Is Paul
March 15, 2008 by Eric Eggertson
Filed under Marketing
Outward-facing communication shouldn’t use jargon and inside jokes, but internally, the sky’s the limit.
For communication with and among employees, the use of nicknames, jargon and inside jokes is part of what bonds people together. Forcing the language to fit a preconceived notion of Strunk & White clarity can make work seem too much like work.
Relax a bit. Yes, some of your videos of the executive doing a skit may leak outside the organization. So don’t be stupid. But letting down your hair and relaxing some of the rules of formal communication is part of employee engagement.
You may want to correct the CEO’s use of nouns as verbs. (We know a transition is something you experience, not something you do.) Don’t bother.
Leave the edit marks and pursed lips at home when you’re at a work meeting or event. There is leeway to slip up a bit, as long as people’s intent is positive.
It’s interesting how sometimes an internal thing grows though. At Rackspace last week they told us how the “Fanatical” part of their tagline “Fanatical Support” was initially an in-house thing only. Many thought it was to “out there” for them to share with customers – much less making it the slogan. Some of the fears were that it would be taken as “crazy” or even “terroristic”.
I’m not sure what changed (internally or externally) to make them change their minds.
I think they kept it internal for about 3 years before it made its way to the public.
Rob: There’s no question that when something resonates with employees, it’s much easier to use that to push a campaign or an attitude of service excellence.
One of the biggest challenges behind promotions and customer service initiatives is to get employees to believe management is in earnest, and to get employees to internalize whatever concept they are being urged to put their energy into.
Something that grows organically has a lot more chance of being fully supported.
On the other hand, I’m sure there are lots of internal catch phrases out there that should NEVER be used outside the corporate locker room!
Using jargon/nicknames can become addictive, especially when there is a small group of employees. However, caution must still be used to make it a stress free workplace.