Insights on Excellence | "Insights on Excellence" Archive

Communication versus advertising

by Stephen Hawley Martin
for Virginia Business
August 1, 2006

In employee surveys, one complaint employees consistently make is a "lack of communication."

Organizations typically respond by putting into place more programs that focus on sharing information and data: newsletters, videos, electronic boards, town-hall meetings and such. All of these programs have their place, but they are not communication. And they are not what employees want.

Employees want to hear and to be heard. They want information, and they want to be able to look their bosses in the eye when it is given to them. They want the opportunity to give their opinions and ask questions. And the only way for this to happen effectively is face-to-face.

Communication is the delivering and receiving of information in a personal, two-way manner. It occurs with the exchange of words that convey meaning, as well as through intonation and body language.

All the other ways of exchanging information are advertising. And any way you look at it, advertising is a one-way method of sharing information that does not assure people really get the message, or take it to heart. As an old ad guy, of course, I think advertising has its place. Once two-way communication has taken place, once the information has been effectively placed between the ears, it can be reinforced through various advertising means, such as e-mail, bulletin boards, company newsletters and electronic messaging boards. No matter how well or graphically sophisticated the delivery, however, advertising is just advertising. It can never take the place of face-to-face exchange.

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Stephen Hawley Martin is a former principal of The Martin Agency in Richmond and the author of more than half a dozen books including his newest, Lean Enterprise Leader: How to Get Things Done Without Doing It All Yourself. He is editor and publisher of The Oaklea Press, a book publishing business dedicated primarily to helping business executives increase productivity.