Three Benefits of Listening in the Workplace

By Rina Goldenberg Lynch

Listening is important for personal reasons (like making a true connection or showing that we care), but recent studies[1]  also reveal that good listening – and for us that’s inclusive listening – is imperative in the workplace.

The other thing about listening is that most of us think we’re already a better than average listener. In one study of 8,000 people from different disciplines, most rated themselves as being as good as – and in many cases better than – their colleagues… hmmm.  In my experience this represents a gross overstatement of one’s abilities.

In other words, most of us probably do need to improve our listening skills.  And when we do, there are many rewards we might reap, particularly if we want to create a more inclusive workplace where people feel that they belong.  Here are three of them:

1. Job Performance

New research suggests that listening in the workplace leads to positive outcomes for everyone involved: the listeners, the speakers and the organisation.  For example, good listening is associated with better financial performance, like higher sales, and improved creativity.  In addition, studies have shown that employees’ perceptions of how well their supervisors listen, positively influences their level of Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (employee conduct and attitudes that, although not strictly speaking mandated by the organisation, are typically expected of them) Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, poor listening seems to be linked to undesirable outcomes for companies, such as increased number of malpractice suits, disruptive behaviour by employees and high employee turnover.

2. Leadership

There are a number of leadership benefits that derive from good listening.

Leaders who listen well make it easier for speakers to provide more accurate details of their accounts of events and, in this way, make it possible for those speakers to incorporate the additional details that they uncover during attentive listening  into their own recollection and recital of events.  Imagine, for instance, a leader who listens with interest to the circumstances of a lost sales account.  Probing further into the situation, asking incisive questions, the leader goes on the journey of discovery and analysis with the speaker, allowing them to recall more relevant details. This often leads to new insights that would otherwise have not been discovered.

Leaders who don’t listen well, however, might jump to conclusions or voice their judgment about the shared event, inhibiting speakers from sharing or recalling more details, which causes the speaker to further disconnect from their own narrated experience.

Listening has also been shown to improve trust among leaders.   When it comes to sharing new strategic ideas, for example, middle managers cited their willingness to do so more readily in circumstances in which they perceived their senior leaders as being willing to listen.

As mentors, leaders who listen well add clarity about the job roles and responsibilities of their mentees.  Simply by providing the space for mentees to explore their understanding of the requirements of the job, mentors give the mentees the opportunity for further reflection and exploration of the various nuances of a role that would otherwise have not been that clear.  So it’s perhaps not surprising that mentees have reported these benefits from mentors who listen.

In contrast, mentors who don’t listen as well, tend to create confusion in their mentee’s understanding of role and responsibility, perhaps by superimposing their own understanding of those roles.

More broadly, a leader’s ability to listen well is also strongly associated with employees’ job satisfaction and commitment to both the leader and the organisation.  No wonder then that good listening is seen as a good predictor of leadership potential.

3. Wellbeing

Several studies show that listening improves the speakers’ wellbeing. From improved psychological safety to reduced anxiety, emotional exhaustion and stress levels, those who are listened to, experience mental health benefits.  Another facet of wellbeing that benefits from good listening is how engaged workers feel.  Study after study shows that managers who listen improve work engagement in employees – and those who don’t listen reduce it.

What’s even more interesting is that it’s not only those who are listened to whose wellbeing improves.  The listeners themselves also benefit, for instance, by experiencing lower levels of burnout and anxiety and an increased sense of competence in dealing with difficult people. So listening improves the wellbeing of everyone involved, be it the speaker or the listener.

Intuitively, we know how important it is to listen at work.  And now we have evidence to show the correlation between good listening and myriad benefits to our peers and colleagues. So much so that, if as an organisation, we are not emphasising the importance of listening as an integral people and leadership skill, we are missing more than just a beat.  We are also making it more difficult for ourselves to create a culture of inclusion.

 

If you would like to explore how to improve your colleague’s listening through training, we wou­­­­­­­­­­­ld love to share some ideas with you.  Book a call with me to find out how we can help.

[1] Kluger, A. N., & Itzchakov, G. (in press). The power of listening at work. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

Guest Blog: What do we Miss Out on When we are Not Listening?

Jane Adshead-Grant

Guest Blog By Jane Adshead-Grant

Caring for colleagues was a strategically questionable priority, before the pandemic, but has since become mainstream. Covid illuminated the paradigm shift of more human-centred leadership and care towards employees, according to the Bank of Ireland’s Chief People Officer, Matt Elliott. He asserts that providing connection through meaningful communication and developing an altruistic skill set is now a priority for line managers.

As leaders and line managers acknowledge their responsibility of care, one of the key skills is to master the art of listening. Whilst these skills are not unknown to us, they can easily be overlooked. And so, what do we miss out when we are not listening and how do we become more intentional in our listening?

Let me ask you do you ever find your mind wandering and simply pretend to listen? Perhaps the speaker has triggered something in you that takes you elsewhere – you are thinking about the list of things to do or people you need to see.

It’s not uncommon for us to engage in pretend listening. We might look as if we are listening, yet in reality we are caught up in our own thoughts and feelings or are simply distracted by something else.

Creating a connection and showing you care

When we engage in pretend listening, we miss out on the opportunity to connect more deeply, enabling others to feel valued. They will know that we are not really listening.  They may call you out with “you’re not listening to me” or worse, they may simply share surface information and withhold what they think and feel in the knowledge that you are not listening. You both leave the interaction missing out on the opportunity to connect with each other in a meaningful way.

You can overcome pretend listening by imagining your own mind as a white board and clear it free from lists of things to do or places to go. Quieten your own mind, and make the decision to give your attention to the speaker, free from interruption and distraction.

An opportunity for creativity and courage

Imagine one of your team members calls you with a problem they need to solve. It’s Wednesday afternoon and they declare “our customer is requesting that we amend the reports and distribute 100 new copies by Friday – we don’t have enough time”.

Do you jump in before they have finished describing the issue and offer a solution? Do you squelch the ideas they have that don’t match your own and only listen to reload your position, judgement or idea?

You see, how you listen depends upon your own mindset. If your mindset is one which is fixed and you assume you have the only right solution, you miss out on offering an opportunity for others to be creative and courageous as they think for themselves to solve their issue in the presence of your attention and listening to bring out the best in them.

Adopting a mindset where you listen for the potential and possibility in another and engage in generative listening will create the space for your team member to tap into their resourcefulness, build courage as they think through new possibilities and negotiate a more realistic distribution time line with the client.

A mnemonic for the foundational skills of generative listening is the simple use of EARS:

E – engage with gentle eye contact on the eyes of the speaker as you give your attention

A – ask open questions those that require more than yes or no answer

R – resist the urge to interrupt, allow them to finish their thoughts and self-expression

S – silence will enable the answers they have been searching for. Don’t rush to fill that space.

Chance to show compassion and collaborate

Many of my clients describe their day as being filled with back-to-back meetings with no time to plan, think or engage in conversations other than work topics, now heightened by the new hybrid way of working.

When we excuse ourselves from listening to another through insufficient time, we miss out on the opportunity to show compassion and collaborate with others.

Let’s revisit the team member who has received a request by the customer to amend and distribute 100 new copies of the report. Deciding to engage in empathetic listening, we enable our team member to feel seen, heard and understood. Employing the skills of being empathetic, noticing the non-verbal cues and asking open questions, we are able to demonstrate compassion and discern there may be a chance to collaborate so you both gain from the experience.

Listening to others is one of the most valuable gifts we can offer. It’s a skill worth mastering, assuming your responsibility as a team leader to care and not miss out on the impact on the lives of others when you do.

Thank you for listening!  

Jane’s purpose is to create the environment and leadership that enables growth and fulfilment. She does this through listening. Listening to ignite the best thinking, ideas and solutions in others. In her executive coach and facilitator roles she supports individuals and teams develop person-centric leadership and cultures where everybody matters generating people and business growth in harmony. She is a master credited coach with the ICF and global faculty member with Time to Think. Jane has over 30 years’ experience within people-focused roles in professional and financial services.

Jane’s experience includes director of her own coaching practice, and HR executive within European and US Investment Banks and an International Law Firm where she was responsible for the strategy and implementation of resourcing and development of people across front line businesses. Jane’s work is underpinned with post-graduate diplomas in Human Resources Management and Psychological Coaching. Jane is also author of The Listening Coach – Coach yourself through the elements of listening that critical in life, business and our communities.

jag@janeadsheadgrant.com

+44 7813 167252

Learn more about Jane here.

Active Voice: LISTEN to Become an Inclusive Leader

Do you want to become a more inclusive leader?

Listening is a leadership responsibility that does not appear in the job description. Those who do listen to their employees are in a much better position to lead a diverse and multigenerational workforce. Follow our simple acronym LISTEN to become better at this skill and make others feel more valued.

L – Loosen up – It’s not always easy, but lending a listening, supportive ear can be much more rewarding than telling someone what they should do. Most people prefer to come to their own solutions. So try not to impose your opinions or solutions. If you really must share your brilliant idea, ask first if they want to hear it – say something like, “Would you like to hear my suggestions?”

I – Investigate. Asking relevant questions can show that you’ve been listening and help clarify what has been said. If you’re not sure if you’ve understood correctly, wait until the speaker pauses and then say something like, “Did you mean that x…” Or “I’m not sure if I understood what you were saying about…” You should also use open questions where you can, like “How did that make you feel?” “What did you do next?”

S – Offer your Silence. Try not to interrupt. Being interrupted is frustrating for the other person – it gives the impression that you think you’re more important, or that you don’t have time for what they have to say. If you are naturally a quicker thinker or speaker, force yourself to slow down so that the other person can express themselves. Remember, a pause or a few seconds of silence doesn’t mean that you have to jump in. Letting the other person speak will make it easier for you to understand their message, too.

T – Test your understanding. Sometimes also called reflecting, paraphrasing and summarising what has been said to show that you understand it. This may seem awkward at first, but really shows you’ve been paying attention, and allows the speaker to correct you if you haven’t understood correctly. If you’re not sure how to do this, try starting a sentence with, “It sounds like you are saying…”

E – Maintain Eye Contact. Check your posture and make sure it’s open – avoid crossed arms or crossed legs, which can make you look “closed” or defensive. Leaning slightly forward or sideways while sitting can show that you’re listening – as can a slight tilt of your head or resting your head on your hand.

N – Remain Neutral. Listen without judging, or jumping to conclusions. If you start reacting emotionally to what’s being said, then it can get in the way of listening to what is said next. Try to focus on listening. Equally, don’t assume that you know what’s going to be said next.

Listen to Your Inner Self and Unleash the Power of Vulnerability

By Melissa Jackson

Have you ever put yourself in a position of vulnerability, then conquered your fears to emerge as a stronger, more empowered version of you? If not, why not? It can be a transformative tool, which will help you discover more about yourself and how you can develop strategies to cope with the slings and arrows that life throws at you.

I was sat indulging in a bit of “me time” in a café and thought I’d fight the urge to look at my phone and, instead, pick up a book from its inviting mini lending-library.

As I thumbed through a small volume, I read about a woman in her 50s who’d experienced corporate “burn-out” and left her job. After speaking to a confidence coach, she realised she was blaming everyone else for her disappointments in life and not taking responsibility for them herself. So, she set a goal to try to find some “inner peace, rediscover the simple joy and pleasure in life and re-set my hope button”.

As part of this process, she took a giant leap into the unknown and tried her hand at kayaking; consciously exposing herself to risk. The journey from vulnerability to competency involved a steep – and slow – learning curve. But part of the joy was “paddling along” at her own pace, and not trying to get there “as quickly as possible” and missing half the pleasure of the journey, which is where she had been 12 months’ earlier.

She said, “I feel vulnerable on the water… by being open to this vulnerability, I have found that I connect with my fellow kayakers. The minute anyone needs help, the collective rallying to come to their aid feels fantastically protective and reassuring.”

Perhaps all managers and leaders should go on a kayaking course, I hear you cry! It might make them more considerate and improve their emotional intelligence.

Vulnerability is one of the Eight Inclusive BehavioursSM that underpin the foundations of Diversity and Inclusion and which we are sharing through our #InclusionInsights podcasts, blogs and discussions. It, of course, complements listening, which is another of the inclusive behaviours that we are homing in on this month.

My proposition is that vulnerability makes you listen to your inner-self and discover new aspects of your personality that you may have papered-over before.

“A leader who expresses vulnerability is someone who does not feel compelled to be the first to answer or come up with an idea,” says psychologist and resilience coach Dr Jodie Lowinger.

“Being vulnerable as a leader involves a change in mindset that enables you to see through the eyes of the people you lead,” she continues.

Her comments contend that listening to others is an essential skill for leaders. Listening, like vulnerability, should never be seen as a weakness, but a strength. Vulnerability is the feeling we get when we step out of our comfort zone or do something that forces us to loosen control.

We’ve come full circle to the experience of our novice kayaker. Later in her tale, she shares the benefits she reaped from her mission.

“I now look at the world with fresh eyes… I have also found that my appetite for self-knowledge and understanding has made me want to read more,” she said.

“But my biggest realisation is quite simply that it’s my life, my responsibility, my choices, so embrace it and accept the mistakes. Learn with good grace and go forward with hope and positivity.”

On that note, I’d like to share that I’m trying something new, placing myself in a position of vulnerability and having to listen to others.

I’m taking up golf with a group of girlfriends… it may not have the danger element of kayaking, but I’m certainly up against some very competitive women, so my vulnerability nerve is quivering. Be assured that I’m going to be listening very carefully to the coach!

Inclusive Progression: How Empathy Can Help

By Inge Woudstra

Who makes up the senior team in your organisation?

Many organisations have noticed that the homogeneity of their people becomes particularly stark in more senior roles. The existence of a Gender Pay Gap across many sectors in the UK is a clear example of this lack of diversity.

When working with our clients on addressing this situation, we come across the common perception that they are working within a truly meritocratic system: You do your job well, receive a positive performance evaluation and then you are asked to take on a more senior role or larger project.

Yet in focus groups, another picture emerges. Some people recognise the process as described. Many, however, tell us that progression seems completely subjective. They tell us that, in order to progress in their organisation, it’s important to be visible, know the right people and be the ‘right sort of person’. Not only do these factors tend to be more decisive than performance, they also skew perception of what good performance entails.

So how can we solve this and ensure that it’s not just the dominant group – the group that tends to be better connected and informed – that is the beneficiary of this ‘meritocracy’?

How do we make the system more equitable by giving everyone a fairer chance of advancement?

How Empathy can help make progression more equitable

Let’s apply the first of our 8 Inclusive Behaviours℠ – Empathy – to help with the answer.

To do this, we must put ourselves in the shoes of those who find it harder to be visible, bond with the ‘right’ people or be ‘the right sort of person’.  We must ask ourselves: what can we do to make it easier for them to progress without the need to be ‘part of the club’?

Here are 5 ideas that have worked for a number of our clients:

  1. Make the progression process more transparent.

Many employees report that they don’t know exactly what it takes to progress in their organisation and that the process is opaque at best! Empathetic managers will realise that this can be discouraging and daunting for team members who would like to progress but don’t know how. In this case, we recommended companies set out clearly what experience, skills and capabilities are required to progress. One example of this would be to design career progression maps that show various pathways to more senior roles. Another example is to list the requisite capabilities, skills and experiences required for the various levels of seniority.  In this way, every employee knows what experience and skills they need to amass and demonstrate in order to progress.

  1. Find ways to allocate work more equitably.

This is especially important for projects that offer greater visibility or vital experience. For instance, consider ways that high profile projects can be rotated so everyone has a chance to work on them. The aim is to encourage everyone to step up, whilst understanding that not everyone is comfortable putting themselves forward. When that happens, the more coveted projects are no longer only available to those who have asked for them.

  1. Publish job roles widely.

When job roles are visible to all, the chance to apply is there for everyone. It becomes less important if someone is tipped off about a job opening and gives equal opportunity to those who don’t know ‘the right people’.

  1. Formalise (parts of) the progression process.

When the process is more formal, it’s less subjective, meaning that the contribution of those who are less visible will be more easily seen. For instance, consider publishing clear performance criteria that are measured objectively and communicated widely. Ideally use ways to assess skills that do not rely on interviews alone. For example, use role plays with real life scenarios or ask the candidate to do a particular task that is required for the role, such as a client presentation, working out a financial business case or designing an image for a computer game. Another example of formalising the progression process would be to set up a formal sponsorship system where senior leaders get actively involved in the progression of a minority staff member.

  1. Reduce the risk of failing in the next role.

People from underrepresented groups might be particularly reluctant to take a chance on a more senior role in case they don’t succeed in it. Organisations that are empathetic to this found that it helps to reduce the risk of a new step. One such company, for example, offers shadowing opportunities ahead of progression. Another offers a six-month trial period in a new role, after which the person can choose to return to their previous role and salary.

Empathy Training and Coaching

We recommend that you accompany these process changes with training for managers. Process changes are susceptible to sabotage if there isn’t a genuine understanding of the reasons for the change, and empathy for those that will benefit from it, but this can all be addressed with training. Once the premise is accepted and the changes adhered to, they help reinforce more empathetic, inclusive behaviour by managers and colleagues.

If you think your organisation’s progression process is not as inclusive as it should be, why not schedule a 30 minute call to talk to Inge about it?

The Power of Inclusion

By Rina Goldenberg Lynch

Diversity and Inclusion are inextricably linked.  So much so that any organisation that wants to benefit from the power of inclusion must ensure it has a culture that values and welcomes the diversity of thought of its people – that’s an inclusive culture. Put differently, if you don’t have a sufficiently inclusive work environment, you’re unlikely to benefit from any of the diversity that you’re working so hard to increase.

That’s why we have distilled Inclusion into 8 Inclusive Behaviours(SM):  four Inclusion Behaviours that help us be more inclusive (Empathy, Listening, Mitigating Bias and Personal Values), and four Diversity Behaviours that help us invite difference into our lives (Humility & Vulnerability, Valuing  Difference, Use of Language and Speaking Out).

Sure, most  organisations believe that they are already inclusive.  But of course, it’s easy to be inclusive with people who are like us.  What about those others who aren’t like us?  Do they feel as included?  Would they feel welcomed to join your organisation and then contribute with their difference or experience?

To ensure that they do, it’s important to continue to develop our inclusive behaviour.  From the newly-hired graduate right up to the CEO, each one of us has room for improvement.

How do the 8 Inclusive Behaviours make use of the power of inclusion?

Each one of the 8 Behaviours is designed to help us improve in the way we connect with others – be it our colleagues, suppliers or customers.  Understanding the behaviours and improving in them increases our performance, engagement and connection with the world around us.

What exactly does this mean?

Let’s take Empathy, for instance.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch captured the essence of empathy in these words:

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.

In order for us to be inclusive, we need to be able to understand our colleagues and customers – what’s important to them, how they interact with their environment, and how we can improve this for them with our conduct, services and products.  How else can we design products for the elderly, for instance, if we cannot empathise with them?  Or build social housing that meets the needs of the people who are meant to live there? If we don’t know how these people experience the world around them, how can we deliver to their required needs?

Similarly, in our teams, we need empathy to understand what colleagues are experiencing, so that we might get their best contribution. When we asked a team (in one of our Inclusive Behaviours workshops) to explain why empathy is needed at work, they said things like “to create a space where everyone feels safe and included, regardless of who they are’ and ‘to bring people together’ and ‘to understand that people from different backgrounds are going through different things in life’.

Using Empathy for Success

Most people appreciate the importance of empathy in the workplace, but not everyone is aware of the fact that they need to develop their own empathy in order to benefit.

Before we embark on any project, therefore, we need to develop greater empathy.  And that should start now.

Just think of the many business decisions taken without sufficient empathy that created big losses for companies. You may have heard of the Chevrolet Nova – a car that never made it in the Spanish-speaking market (comprising most of Latin America, and beyond) because the word Nova was heard as ‘no va’, i.e. ‘no go’ – a bad name for a product that’s supposed to take you places.

Other prominent examples include:

  • Google Glasses – the people behind this product massively overestimated the market’s interest in this new technology,
  • RJ Reynolds’ smokeless cigarettes – the team behind this product misjudged smoker’s emotional connection to the familiar elements of traditional cigarettes (the smoke, the burn and the flick), and
  • New Coke – the creators of this product that was intended to reinvigorate sales of the drink, misinterpreted their customers’ strong preference for the traditional flavour of Coca Cola Classic.

All these flops have one thing in common: the people behind them failed to improve their levels of empathy – better listening skills, greater social awareness and greater desire to understand their stakeholders, including their customers.  Using a little more empathy might just prevent your next project failing.

Empathy is just one of the 8 Inclusive Behaviours; imagine what business gains – with peers and customers – we could make if we were to improve in all 8!

Here’s to a Year of Mistakes and Missteps!

By Rina Goldenberg Lynch

I’d like to take a moment to set the trajectory for 2022, before we delve into the details of our work and forget to remind ourselves why we’re doing what we’re doing in the first place.

When I set up Voice At The Table, it was to ensure that women – like me – could contribute more fully, that our contribution was valued and welcomed, and that managers and leaders understood this and learned how to do so.

Our Mission
While our focus has expanded from women to every individual, the gist of our mission remains as it was:

To make your organisation truly diverse and inclusive, we work on inclusive behaviour change. In this way, every team and individual develops, improves and embeds inclusive behaviour habits. It becomes who you are.  

We also help you uncover and tackle any systemic bias. In this way, your processes automatically nudge you to be more inclusive. It becomes how you work.

So we continue to develop corporate cultures where people value difference in others.  Why?  Because we genuinely believe that Diversity and Inclusion is good for business. When more people feel included, their engagement, creativity and performance improve.  And aren’t people our biggest asset?

Guided by this, Voice At The Table have been relentless in learning new techniques, engaging experienced associates and – above all – working hard to practice what we preach.

Looking Ahead
In 2022, we look forward to expanding on the practice of our 8 Inclusive Behaviours with new interventions for leaders that will help them guide the way and develop psychological safety in their teams; and with new reminders for staff on how to continue to improve these behaviours.  We also look forward to improving the employee life cycle with the introduction of pragmatic corrections to processes like recruitment and promotion that reduce bias without much effort.  Finally, we look forward to sharing stories and experiences from our communities and supporters, broadening horizons and raising awareness of what it’s like on the fringe, with inspiring and practical content in our newsletters, podcasts and LIVE Q&A online sessions.

The team and I look forward to a fulfilling year of progress, missteps, corrections and learning, making our way together from Unconscious Incompetence to Unconscious Competence.

 

Three Guiding Principles
For now, let me leave you with 3 of my own guiding principles for life, in the hope that they may inspire you too:

  1. Live and let live.  Individual freedom is important of course, and we encourage everyone to be themselves as much as possible, within boundaries.  These boundaries are the rights of others.  So, live your life the way you want to, so long as that doesn’t impede on others’ ability to do the same.
  2. I’m just like you.  I’m nothing like you (Nancy Kline).   Recognise that, while we’re more alike than we’re different from each other, each of us is an individual, with their own experiences, filters and identity.  We ought to remember and honour this conundrum – it isn’t a mystery; it is a fact of life.
  3. Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.   We are our own biggest obstacles.  If we sometimes live like no-one is watching, we might accomplish far greater things than we give ourselves credit for.

So here’s to a year of trying hard, pushing boundaries, making lots of mistakes and learning from them, and letting others do the same.  Together.

Here’s to 2022!

Four Steps to a Successful Awareness Raising Campaign

by Inge Woudstra

This year we will be sharing more on our inclusive behaviours in our blogs and events for you. We start with Empathy – the true foundation of being inclusive.

In the workplace, Empathy allows us to understand that what we experience isn’t the same for everyone.  Yet many of us still think that our workplace provides similar opportunities to everyone, and that everyone else feels as included as we do.

That’s why many clients start their D&I work with an awareness raising campaign, helping people see what it’s like for those who are not like them.

Raising awareness is an important first step that builds consensus and support for a successful D&I strategy.  Today, we share with you an example of a corporate communications campaign that successfully raised awareness in an international law firm about its LGBTQ+ community.

Four steps to a successful corporate awareness raising campaign

  1. Set clear aims

The first step is to understand what you want to achieve with the campaign.  In this case, the firm set four clear aims for their campaign:

  • Reinvigorate our ‘sleeping allies’​
  • Demonstrate what good allyship looks like​
  • Increase Pride+ ally membership​
  • Promote the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion to our people and our clients​
  1. Choose an impactful message, channel and medium

To achieve impact, it’s important to unite behind one specific message to which everyone can relate.  In this case, the campaign team designed a logo and a slogan that would resonate with the majority of their people.

They  then invited individuals from each region to share their personal LGBTQ+ experiences and showcased those stories in the weekly internal update message and on the global intranet.

To ensure the message sticks and reaches as many people as possible, the team chose to repeat the message often and via a range of channels, including by leveraging their many internal staff networks and champions. They asked regional networks to host ‘on topic’ local events, posted on LinkedIn and Twitter and created an e-mail signature with the campaign logo and slogan.

Most notably, the team worked with senior managers to help them find their authentic voice in talking about the subject.

  1. Add a call for action

A key to any communication campaign is to know what people should do once they become more aware of the topics and issues. In this case, the campaign team gave staff a number of options:  they could use some of the prepared material to start conversations with clients, they could attend some of the many local events hosted as part of the campaign, they could attend in-house courses on how to become an ally, and they could join the LGBTQ+ network as an ally.

  1. Measure results

The campaign ran for an entire year.  At the end of the year, the campaign team looked at their data to measure its effectiveness.  The campaign was indeed very successful:  LGBTQ+ network membership increased from 20% to 27% in six months (worldwide)​ and opportunities were identified to work with clients on LGBTQ+ initiatives that also strengthened client relationships.

 

As the example above shows, a successful awareness raising campaign doesn’t need to be complicated.  Yet the results can be powerful and impactful.

Of course, companies don’t have to follow this particular model.  There are as many different ways to raise awareness as there are reasons for doing so.  Identifying what you want to raise awareness about and what you want to achieve with it will help inform the best approach to choose.

If you want help to find the best way to raise awareness about an aspect of Diversity and Inclusion, book a free consultation with us for that initial discussion.