I recently had the opportunity to address a group of leaders from a leading IT services provider. Here are thoughts shared with them on recession proofing communication during a downturn and the role of leaders. During a recession, organizations make knee jerk reactions based on how they see the markets panning out which can be detrimental to employee morale and customer engagement. Organizations go after support functions and resize and reduce budgets, freeze benefits, curtail training and avoid engaging with employees. Very often, in their quest to get ‘leaner’ and ‘sharper’, organizations lose the ‘human’ touch’. Employees have good memories and these actions are always held against the business. I am aware of organizations cutting down on something as basic as toilet paper but allowing off sites at external venues to continue. Not surprisingly, trust is eroding for senior leadership (according to Edelman’s Trust Barometer) and organizational communication tools. To summarize, the global downturn has posed numerous challenges for organizations and employees alike. That said, downturns may not last, but organizations that communicate effectively will. It is important to focus on the positives, craft consistent messages, reinforce often, communicate directly and focus on the positives while involving employees. Last but not least, it is vital for organizations to revisit the core of their existence and the core values that will sustain them in the long run.

1. Recession Proof Corporate Communication Staying ahead of the downturn Aniisu K Verghese April 21, 2009

10. All is not lost… Nano: 300,000 customers visited showrooms in the first ten days since the small car was launched. Did you know that General Motors' sales in China continue to grow? That India is contributing $11 billion to the International Monetary Fund?

12. What’s on their minds?

17. Tap the wisdom of your employees - Crowdsourcing The value of social media is proportional to the rate of participation www.threadless – sells t-shirts designed and voted by people Others: InnoCentive – R&D for pharma Galaxy Zoo – users classify million galaxies Emporis – building data with users RYZ – creates shoes using designs from users

18. Connect with communities New media technologies can build communities and increase discussion Trends: Niche Networks (dogster.com/ dopplr.com) Customize your network (ning.com/onesite.com Reputation Management Wink.com/reputa.com Aggregators Ex.plode.us/profilefly.com Second Life www.secondlife.com Coca Cola and others are engaging Second Life residents

20. Enhance Collaboration Can you collaborate effectively across teams on the Web? IBM created a wiki to help employees develop their own blogging policy P&G Goal for 2010: source 50% of new product & service ideas From outside the company Has opened patents to the world PBwiki.com