How cascading communication can strengthen your culture

and raise engagement

Michael WatermanCHG Healthcare Services

You are here.

(well, ok, you’re pretty darn close)

You can be on the slopes in 30 minutes.

1. Share your name, your title, your company’s name, and where you call home

2. Share what you’re most excited to learn from the conference

3. Share what you plan to do in Salt Lake City while you’re not attending the conference

Get to know each other

2,000+ employees7 offices in six states$1 billion company

I love the open communication, the fun benefits, and the amount of coaching and development that is available to me.

Just continued improvement in communication and understanding between the different parts of the

wheel that work together to make this CHG car go. We've come along way. We still have room for improvement.

Once I realized I could be open and honest with my feedback to my team and let myself be receptive to their feedback, it was like an epiphany. It is absolutely freeing to have that kind of dialogue with coworkers and I really feel like it's had an impact on my personal communication.

Less meetings and communications that don't have a true value...we have far too many meetings and emails that just reiterate the same info over and over and take time away from more important tasks.

The transparency in this company from the CEO to my

direct leader allows me to trust this company and engage

myself more in my job.

2016 ?

2015 #16

2014 #16

2013 #3

2012 #9

2011 #27

2010 #26

71% 73%79%

83%86% 87%

90% 91% 91% 91% 90%

39%

31%29%

23% 24%20% 22% 21% 21% 23%

17%

2003 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Satisfaction Turnover EBITDA

Note: Employee satisfaction and turnover metrics are based on third-party survey of all CHG employees. Did not conduct survey in 2004 or 2006.

Engaged employees = increased profits

Benefits of cascading communication

1. Enables consistent, thoughtful and direct message delivery

2. Creates context

3. Creates transparency and builds trust

The rock & roll telephone game

Telephone game rules

1. Choose a table “Lead singer”

2. Lead singer opens envelope titled “Telephone Game”

3. Lead singer reads the message and then whispers the message directly to the second person, who whispers to the third person, and so on…

4. Last person (“rock critic”) on the table immediately writes down the message as he/she hears it

Kenney Jones was the well-connected drummer of The Small Faces, then Faces, then The Who,

where he replaced Keith Moon until Jones was replaced by Zak Starkey.

Kenney Jones – drummer

Kenney Jones

Kenney Jones Rod Stewart Ronnie Wood This Guy

Rod Stewart

Ronnie Wood

Keith Moon

Kenney Jones

Zak Starkey Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey)

KenneyJones

Kenney Jones

__________ was the well-connected drummer of ___________, then

_______, then ________, where he replaced __________ until Jones was replaced by ___________.

Kenney Jones is one of the most well-connected drummers in rock ‘n’ roll history.

Key message

Kenney Jones is seriously lucky.

Alternate key message

5 ways to cascade

TALK PRESENT PHONE EMAIL DOCUMENT

6 essential questions

1. Who

2. What

3. When

4. Where

5. Why

6. How

1. Road Show

2. Leadership Summits

3. Chats with CEO

4. Divisional meetings

5. Leader blogs

6. Huddles

7. Team meetings

8. Email and intranet

How CHG cascades

EXAMPLES

Strategy and plans

• Scope, audience and timing

• Key messages

• Message channels • Leader message

• Employee message

• FAQs

• Blog

Key messages

1. Three divisions moving in early 2014

2. This is good news

3. This is a temporary move

4. We’ll be together in 2017 at new HQ

How we cascaded the message

1. MEETING: Executive team

2. MEETING: Impacted teams

3. EMAIL: Email and FAQs

4. EMAIL: Divisional leaders

5. BLOG: CEO blog

Strategy and plans

• Scope, audience and timing

• Key messages

• Message channels • Leader message

• Employee message

• FAQs

• Presentation

• Blogs

• Social/PR

Key messages

1. Scott Beck becomes CEO in Q1 2015

2. Mike Weinholtz transitions from CEO to Chairman

3. Chairman supports CEO and executive team

4. Plan supports our values-driven culture

5. Excitement and confidence about the future

1. MEETINGS: Executive team

2. PRESENTATION: Leadership Summit 2x; FAQS provided

3. BLOGS: Blog post from former CEO to new CEO

4. HUDDLES/TEAM MEETINGS: Division and team meetings

5. EMAIL: Follow up message to all employees by leader

6. SOCIAL/PR: Social media and PR coverage

7. INTRANET: Internal news coverage

8. MEETINGS: 1:1 meetings for people who missed announcement

9. PRESENTATIONS: 2015 Road Show (7 offices)

How we cascaded the message

Strategy and plans

• Scope, audience and timing

• Key messages

• Message channels • Leader message

• Employee message

• FAQs

• Social/PR

• Internal news

Key messages

1. Mike is running for governor of Utah

2. He will transition from Executive Chairman to Chairman of board

3. We wish him well

1. MEETINGS: Senior leaders

2. EMAILS: All employees and senior leaders

3. SOCIAL/PR: Broad coverage

4. INTRANET: News coverage with video

5. BLOG: Guest post from Mike on CEO’s blog

How we cascaded the message

TABLE TALK

Cascading communications scenarios

• Choose a partner at your table

• Choose 2 scenarios and develop your cascading plan by defining how it flows through your unique message channels (10-15 minutes)

• Share your plans with your table (15 minutes)

• Four tables will share cascading plans with group (10 minutes)

1. Requires discussion and consensus on key message(s) BEFORE a meeting ends

3 reasons why cascading communication is tough

2. Requires commitment to directly and quickly share messages

3 reasons why cascading communication is tough

3. Requires effort to place the message in context for the audience

3 reasons why cascading communication is tough

Michael WatermanTwitter: @mcwatermanLinkedIn: michaelwaterman1