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Coming to a desktop near you – the CEO
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...Webcasts have obvious communication wins but technology challenges...
Talking heads on the television screen may not be the
most interesting TV around, but it's a news and information delivery
style we've come to expect. And since the computer screen looks like a
television screen and works like a television screen, can faces online
be far behind?
It's happened at GE Appliances, where
president and CEO Larry Johnson appears regularly, and his words and
image are delivered instantly over the intranet to employees. "People
love it," said Terry Dunn, general manager for global communications
& public relations for GE Appliances in Louisville, Kentucky.
These webcasts address "business results, progress against our
strategic imperatives, always focusing on the consumer and on energized
employees," Dunn said. "The viewer can see and hear all this on his or
her PC."
Electronic campfire
It sounds like an obvious win, but there's a challenge in the
technology itself. Some people just don't have the computer horsepower
to receive the webcasts. "Our IT organization is rolling out hardware
and software as fast as they can. Not all the salaried employees yet
have the equipment to view the webcasts at their desktops, so they go
to one that currently can view them." Dunn said.
Can you just
imagine those GE employees huddled around the flickering screen listing
to the chief and discussing what he says? Dunn says that most people
who have the ability to view the webcast from their desktops in fact to
turn it on to watch. Measurement comes in the form of hits. Even with
little more than anecdotal research, Dunn is convinced it is just as
effective as other communication tools. "It is great at delivering
messages, inspiring action, and informing the workforce."
Visual variety
Employees receive e-mail alerts announcing the monthly webcasts.
Besides watching the CEO, viewers see charts, graphs and video while
Johnson speaks.
As straightforward as it sounds, it is still
cutting edge as other corporations try to even begin addressing the
technology challenges GE is tackling. Dunn sees room to grow in these
webcasts: "We plan to 'e' everything, to leverage the technology 'til
it squeaks for productivity and satisfaction for customers and
employees."
© 2001, Sheri Rosen. This article first appeared in Communication World, August-September 2001, published by the International Association of Business Communicators.
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