Beyond the Babble

Bob Matha and Macy Boehm are principals and cofounders of Basics 3, a leadership communications and employee engagement firm headquartered in Chicago, and they also provide counsel to clients of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Matha and Boehm have applied fifteen years of experience to develop the philosophy, processes, and techniques outlined in Beyond the Babble, and they have been featured speakers at the Arthur Page Society and the Advanced Learning Institute. In addition, Matha serves on DePaul University's College of Communication Dean's Advisory Council.

• Foreword ixThe Authors xiiiAcknowledgments xvIntroduction 11. The Power of Communication 9On Strategy Communication Cuts Through Babble 14Effective Communication Gets Results 16Why Communication Makes a Difference 19Summary 232. On Strategy Communication: An Overview 25The Action Equation 27The People Channel 34Summary 433. Do: What Do You Need Employees to Do? 45The Elements of On Strategy Direction 47Setting a Clear Path for the Land of Oz 57Summary 614. Know: What Do Employees Need to Know to Take Action? 63They Need to Know Why 64Who Needs to Know? 70The Land of Oz Knows 74Summary 745. Feel: What Do Employees Need to Feel to Take Action? 77Be an Organizational Psychologist 82Getting the Insights You Need 83The Land of Oz Gets Emotional 84Summary 856. The "Why Nots": What’s Getting in the Way? 87The Behavior Chain 88Addressing a "Why Not" 92Be an Organizational Archeologist 95The Land of Oz Confronts Its Demons 98Summary 1007. Package: Turn the Action Equation into a Conversation 101Conversations Are "In the Moment" 103The Memory Issue 104The Conversation Platform 105The Land of Oz Gets Ready to Roll 108When Issues Are the Issue 108Summary 1148. Align: Make Sure All Leaders Are On Strategy 117Don’t Be Fooled 118Start at the Top and Work to the Front Line 120Promote Open Discussion at Multiple Levels 122Include Informal Leaders in the People Channel 125Summary 1269. Equip: Give Leaders the Tools They Need to Communicate On Strategy 129Train Leaders as if Strategy Depended on It 130Support Local Leaders and the People Channel 135Recognize and Strengthen the Weak Links 139Complementary Leader Assignments 141Summary 14310. Drive and Support: Orchestrate and Sustain On Strategy Conversation 145Create a Drumbeat 146To Raise the Volume, Run a Campaign 154How Communication (the Function) Can Help 158Summary 16511. You: The Top Leader's Role 167Expect a Lot 167Measurement 169Reward, Recognize, and Hold Accountable 174Prioritize 175Lead by Example 17612. "How to" Resource Guide 179Conducting Discussion Groups 179The Memory Game 186Alignment Interviews and Snapshot 187The Consider-Dialogue-Solve Process 191Conducting a "Red Face" Test 193Identifying Informal Leaders 195Selecting Vehicles: Opportunities Abound 196Glossary of Terms 205Notes 207Index 209

"... offers a compelling approach to enable communication to drive results." (Supply Management, December 11th 2008)"... all managers can improve performance by using the principles outlined in Beyond the Babble." (Public Net, Tuesday 5 August 2008)