Michel Hogan |

10 Aug

The cost of failing to communicate

Failing to communicate isn't entirely accurate. What mostly happens are well-intentioned if clumsy attempts that land as overly wordy, inadvertently patronising and jargon-filled information. And over and again, those efforts routinely fail to get any message across. Which is ironic given the roots of the word. Communicate emerged in the 1500s...

21:26 / Communications / Unheroic Work

14 Oct

In a game of experience happenstance, you lose.

Experience without expectations is unthinkable — literally. What I believe will happen plays a prominent part in how I feel about what does happen.Even when it’s part of a subconscious story I didn’t know I was telling myself.So, why should organisations even try to shape people’s experience?Because even a modicum...

12 Sep

Avoid statement creep and focus on what matters most

You know the page. There might even be one in your organisation. At the top is purpose, and from there, the cascade continues…PurposeVisionMissionCore ValuesStrategic pillarsBrand promiseBrand valuesEssencePersonalityExperience principlesPositioningEtc. I frequently see organisations that have the entire shebang including some I haven’t even listed. It’s madness. No one can hold all of...

06:28 / Brand / Communications / Org Identity / Purpose / Unheroic Work / Values

16 Mar

How expectations and obligations cascade into broken promises

Promises play an indispensable part in how value accrues in your brand result. Yet despite that, too little thought gets applied to what’s going on within the promise itself.Have you ever found yourself trapped under an avalanche of cavalier promises, with people playing fast and loose with the content. And...

06:52 / Brand / Communications / Promises

02 Sep

Communication with employees is a Goldilocks problem

Ask people what their organisations need to do better, and nine times out of 10, they will say communicate. Whether it’s too much or too little, it’s never just right. When it comes to communication, we have a Goldilocks problem.If you think communication is not your job, you’re wrong. Everyone...

07:05 / Communications / Culture / Employee Experience / Promises

19 Mar

When communication fails, peoples’ experience is the casualty

A friend Sue (not her real name) lives in a rental house that’s up for sale — in our overheated real estate market, it’s a common story.The landlord warned her about it late last year, so she wasn’t surprised when the real estate agent Dan (not his real name) got...

07:31 / Communications / Customer Experience / Promises