Communication Should Always Be Treated As A Negotiation. By Thomas J. Roach Words we choose and ideas we express are unavoidably subjective. We are mistaken if we think others receive our messages and understand exactly what we say and why we say it. Furthermore, if it were possible to utter a perfectly objective message, everyone who receives it would still…
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To Be Yourself
Communication In A Work Environment Calls For A Balance Between Professional Formality And Basic Sincerity. By Thomas J. Roach “Be Yourself,” is good advice, but it is an odd expression. Logically, if someone encourages you to be yourself it is because they think you are being phony. On the other hand, if you are advised to be yourself, the implication…
Read MoreCultural Onboarding
Allocating Time And Resources For Acclimating New Employees To The Organization Is An Investment. By Thomas J. Roach First impressions can have a long-lasting impact on employee performance and morale. Allocating time and resources for acclimating new employees to the organization is an investment that will pay dividends over all the years they work at the company. Onboarding new employees…
Read MoreBureaucratic Kryptonite
Those Who Embrace Change And Those Who Resist It May Be Necessary Sides Of A Dialogue. By Thomas J. Roach Organizations naturally develop procedures and rules to ensure that employee work habits and decisions will lead to efficient, safe and ethical conduct. Procedures and rules are necessary, but they can also cause problems. Technology and markets constantly make advances and…
Read MoreHow You Say It
Because Communication Technology Has Given Us So Many Options, How We Deliver Our Messages Is Another Strategic Choice. By Thomas J. Roach Demosthenes, considered the greatest orator in ancient Greece, said the most important choices we make when communicating are “delivery, delivery and delivery.” As it turns out, his oft-quoted hyperbole is more prophetic than profound. For Demosthenes delivery meant…
Read MoreIn 100 Years
We Can’t Independently Manage All Our Activities, But We Can Manage How We Look At Them. By Thomas J. Roach Perspective gives our actions meaning, and perspective takes it away. Years ago, when I worked in the corporate offices of the Carson Pirie Scott corporation, Vice President of Human Resources Bruce Rismiller got philosophical and told a group of his…
Read MoreThe Habit of Character
Public Relations, Marketing And Advertising Create The Illusion That We Can Manufacture Reputation, But It Is A Fool’s Errand. By Thomas J. Roach Reputation is a broad term that implies prestige, reliability, quality, values and strength of character. Much effort and money is spent touting the other attributes, but the important one is character, and character must be observed. Our…
Read MoreCommunity Relationships
When We Say Community Relations, What We Really Mean Are Community Relationships. By Thomas J. Roach Terms like community relations and public relations are misleading. They objectify complex, dynamic social interactions as if they were tasks on a to-do list. The people outside the organization are not one entity. They are individuals: mayors, judges, business owners, and neighbors. They can’t…
Read MoreCommunication Networks
Communication Networks Exist With Or Without The Help Of Management. Joining Them Is A Lot Smarter Than Trying To Beat Them. By Thomas J. Roach All human interaction functions within informal communication networks. Governments, corporations clubs, groups of friends and families, all consist of individuals sharing information, developing tacit rules of conduct, constructing identities and forming consensus. The great temptation…
Read MoreThe Making of a Media Release
Mass Media Are Still The Best Channels For Reaching The General Public. By Thomas J. Roach When it comes to free public communication, mass media are still the best channels for reaching the general public. Social media and web pages are best used for targeted communication. Important networking publics interface on social media, and websites are visited by costumers researching…
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