Holtz Communications + Technology

The next time management asks workers at its Benecia, California, facility to lend a helping hand, the answer is likely to be something along the lines of, “Sure, hyappy to help, just as soon as the Stanley Cup Playoffs are held in hell.”

Who would be willing to offer discretionary effort at management’s request after several workers were fired for allegedly doing just that? This…

While the connection between effective employee communications and business growth has been demonstrated time and time again, many companies continue to under-invest in internal communications while throwing good money after bad for less-than-effective marketing and advertising. Australian “brand experience agency” ABT has an amusing video that hammers the point home. Unfortunately, there’s no embed code, so you’ll have to click to see it, but it’s worth…

As organizations seek to expand their communication efforts to include social media, they often find themselves facing the same hurdles that were faced and ultimately overcome by earlier adopters. Efforts to introduce social media have been hamstrung by questions of time commitment, IT issues, and legal concerns.

Usually, blogs are the tactic that face these obstacles (although I have also heard…

Just today, I’ve received half a dozen pitches by email. Some are nothing more than press releases without even a passing effort at personalizing the pitch. Others make nothing more than a passing effort. So it’s a welcome relief—not to mention an entertaining and engaging experience—to get a pitch that is personal, creative, and attention-grabbing.

The pitch began with a cryptic email from Darren Barefoot,…

Content summary: Shel Holtz presents a breakout session on the blurring lines between internal and external communications at the Society for New Communications Research New Communications Forum in Santa Rosa, California, on April 23, 2008. The session delves into internal communications practices that prepare employees to represent the company in their social media activities.

Download the file here (MP3, 29.2Mb, 1:04).…

Checking my feeds, I found a short obituary noting the passing of Alvie L. Smith back on March 19. I figured somebody must have noted Alvie’s passing somewhere in the blogosphere, but a Technorati search turned up nothing.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Alvie was 84 and had been retired from his role as General Motors’ director of corporate communications two decades ago.…