1 Writing for Execs and Employees: Cut the Corporate Speak Already - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Writing for Execs and Employees: Cut the Corporate Speak Already

Joanne Callahan

Speechwriter, Storyteller, Communications Advisor callahanj@coned.com

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Four Points

• Creating real, honest, authentic communications for

executives to deliver and employees to hear

• Understanding what employees need to hear now and how

to deliver it

• Helping employees manage stress and anxiety
• Producing meaningful content for diverse employees

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How to Talk to People

• Be Authentic
• Be Engaging
• Be Inclusive

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Who’s Con Edison?

• Con Edison

– Con Edison of New York – Orange and Rockland Utilities – Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses – Con Edison Transmission

• 15,000 employees

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Intranet Homepage: Three headline stories every day

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How Do You Keep Your Cool When a Manhole Blows Up?

When a manhole blasts into flames in downtown Brooklyn in front of a school with 150 kids inside, you might feel a little nervous. A street exploding is loud and hot and sudden. It's

• ften chaotic. It's always dangerous.

But a few blocks away in the Brooklyn/Queens control center, managers Gus Kalogrias and Mike Sorrentino are calm. They're instantly taking and making calls. … “We train to respond to different types of emergencies," Kalogrias said. “We don't panic. We don't get nervous. We go step by step.” …

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Chances Are, You've Never Seen Anything Like This in Your Life

A 50-ton turbine lies out on 15th Street, cold, still, and silent. It's the first time anyone's seen it in eight years. It's so striking and massive and foreign, it feels like a UFO landing. But Richard Ferris, Robert DePasca, and Sowande Nurse know exactly what's going on. Each one can tell you with his eyes closed every intricate detail of this 27-foot-long, 9-foot-in-diameter machine. What it does, what it needs, and what it means for our

• customers. …

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Welders Light Up the Day Returning Lost Wallet

Welding a gas pipe deep inside a trench out in the street, you know you're helping a lot of people. But you usually don't know exactly who. Finding a full wallet behind the cones in your work area – and seeing a face smiling up at you from the ID – now you do. On a June Monday morning, William Clark, Andrew Daniels, and Jonathan Perin — all welders in Construction Gas Operations and Special Projects — and their supervisor Terrance McKeon had just arrived at their job site. …

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A Manhattan Steakhouse Loves Aristotelis Andronis. Here’s Why.

Helping a customer in the chaos of a crisis takes

• guts. Empathy, to put yourself in the customer's
• shoes. And skill, smarts, and strength, to assess

what's happening and map a way out. Aristotelis Andronis exudes all these qualities. So when he got the call about the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse scrambling to reopen after a fire at the height of the holidays, he knew what to do. … “When I walked in, there were a million workers," he

• said. “You could feel the urgency of what was going
• n. The entire restaurant had smoke, water, and fire
• damage. FDNY cut a hole in the ceiling to fight the

fire, so they had a lot of water damage." …

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Chris Delgado Saves Woman Trying to Kill Self, Two Kids

Chris Delgado last week stopped a Bronx woman from killing herself, her three-year-old son, seven-year-old daughter, and neighbors in her building. It started with a routine call. At 8:15 a.m., Sunday, June 10, Delgado got a call to check out a “hallway odor" at 303 East 158th Street, just a few blocks from Yankee Stadium. The fire department got the initial 911 call, found it was an “other odor" – not gas – and called Con Edison to investigate further. The lead mechanic arrived within minutes, saw the fire trucks pulling away, and walked up to a police car parked out front. He talked to the two officers in the car about the call, went into the building, and took the elevator up to the fourth floor. …

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Everyone Matters: James Quach

What do you do here? I'm a programmer for the Quality Excellence and Data Analytics department. … Is there anything you feel most proud of? I was a Vietnamese refugee after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Three years later, my family escaped. We were boat people. I was 17, my brother was 16, my older brother was 18, and my sister was 20. My mother had a stroke. She couldn't

• walk. …

My mother knew there was freedom for us. I was on a boat for 10 days. … What is your Vietnamese name? Anh. It means hero. When did you change your name? Five years after I came to this country, when I became a citizen. Who calls you James? The majority of the people. My wife calls me James.

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Everyone Matters: Gloria Fakayode

What do you do here? I'm a general utility worker. … Is there anything you feel most proud of? I don't know. I don't really think of things that way. Is there anything you'd like to share that we haven't talked about? I was in the army for six years. What did you do? I worked on satellite communications. If you don't have communications, you don't have

• anything. You can't receive your orders. We were usually

the first ones the enemy tried to take out. Whoa! And you didn't mention that before? It's something I did. It becomes a normal part of life. … Was there anyone there to protect you while you were setting up the equipment? WE are the soldiers. We have to protect ourselves. We have to be able to get through it. …

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Everyone Matters: Stephanie Roper

What do you do here? I'm the general manager of Stores Operations. I'm responsible for buying and distributing all materials and supplies. That's a big job. It's something I've never done before. Each job I've ever had, I've really never done the same thing twice. I definitely attribute my adaptability and learning agility to my military experience. When were you in the military? I was a legal specialist in the Army Reserve for eight years. … What do you enjoy about your job? I just love human

• interaction. I think the more connected you are with

people, the more they believe you believe in them and they'll work hard for you and the company. What kind of background do you need for your job? Being a quick learner. I take complex problems and simplify them for people to understand. …

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Everyone Matters: Antonio Caso III

What do you do here? I'm an operating supervisor. We make sure the switches are working properly and keeping customers in lights. I also do a lot of volunteer work. It's the number one thing I like to do. What kind of volunteering do you do? I do all sorts – March of Dimes, Special Olympics, … How did you start? There was a period early on when I was a single dad. What drew me to it was getting the kids out of the house and doing something different. And they loved it. … How long were you a single dad? For about four

• years. Being separated was an emotional, mental, and

physical strain. It was worse than being in combat in Beirut, Lebanon. My coworkers helped me through. …

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March Until Now

• Global pandemic

– Radical life changes to protect our lives – Working from home – Going in to work

• Social unrest following police murder of George Floyd

– Sustained, sometimes violent protests across the country and around the world

• Divisive presidential election year

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March 1: Coronavirus Hits New York

• 3/1 – First known coronavirus case in New York State
• 3/6 – First employees known to be exposed enter quarantine
• 3/17 – First employee known to test positive

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How Do You Keep Going in a Pandemic? Ask Rob Pettenato

March 19, 2020

You’re facing one of the biggest challenges of your life right now. It’s hard. Con Edison knows it. What’s the company doing to help you keep moving forward as best as you can? We sat down with Rob Pettenato, director of Emergency Preparedness and head of our pandemic team, to find out. What is the pandemic team? The pandemic team monitors a situation like the coronavirus. …

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New York City Becomes Pandemic Epicenter

• 3/23: Con Edison region is world epicenter

– New York City has 35% of all known cases in the United States – more than

12,000 people confirmed to have COVID-19

• In the one month of March:

– New York State went from a single person testing positive to more than 2,300

people dying of COVID-19

– New York City saw more than 1,000 people die

• 3/31: Employees learn for the first time that a Con Edison employee died from

COVID-19

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Watch John McAvoy: “You are all essential to me and

• ur company.”

March 31, 2020

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Final Script Original Draft I come to you amidst one of the most challenging times of our lives. The coronavirus has created so much suffering, pain, and loss of life – for us at Con Edison, our customers, our country, and people across the globe. And New York is at the epicenter of this crisis. I come to you amidst one of the most challenging times for our team, our customers, for our country, and for

• thers across the globe, in many

decades. The coronavirus has created so much suffering, pain, and loss of life. And New York is at the epicenter of this crisis.

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Final Script Original Draft I know you have serious concerns – for your own health, and for your families, friends, and loved ones. We are all vulnerable to this terrible virus. We all, very understandably, have concerns, serious concerns. For our families and loved ones, for our friends, and for those who are most vulnerable to this terrible virus.

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McAvoy: “One of the most challenging times of our lives.”

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Final Script Original Draft But most importantly, there’s you. You are the highly professional, talented, and committed women and men of Con Edison. I am so impressed by the work you do every day. You know how essential we are to our customers. And I want you to know how essential you are to me and to our company. Most importantly, we have a highly professional, talented, and committed team, our 15000 woman and men of con Edison, who understand the importance

• f the service we provide to our

customers.

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McAvoy: “I want you to know how essential you are to me.”

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April

• 4/1: We learned about another colleague who died
• Then again, the next day
• A couple of days later, two more
• And then another
• In the one month of April, Con Edison employees learned of seven colleagues

who died from COVID-19

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“I Am So Proud of the Strength You Have.”

April 8, 2020

My fellow employees, It’s been about a month since we upended our lives to fight the coronavirus. We’re still in the thick of this global pandemic. New York is now the epicenter of the world. And we don’t know what’s ahead of us. With great sadness, we’ve lost five of our colleagues and 260 have tested

• positive. As of today, 850 of our fellow employees have been quarantined. I think

about and pray for all of them, our retirees and their families every day. I know this is tough for you, and for your family and loved ones. It is a painful, frightening, and confusing time.

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But today, there is also some good news – 69 employees who were sick with the virus have recovered and returned to work, and more than 500 who were quarantined stayed healthy and are back at their jobs. It is very encouraging to hear from many returning employees; how good they feel – to be well again, to be back at work, and to see, talk, and work with their colleagues, of course at a proper distance. “It’s a breath of fresh air,” one returning employee said. I’ve heard about the warmth, concern, and strong sense of community many employees feel from their colleagues. One coworker said his friend’s recovery and return to work is “incredibly uplifting and gives me hope.”

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I’ve also heard how scared, upset, and worried many of you have been. “It took a lot to keep it together,” one coworker said. “But I felt I was honoring my friend by doing the best I could.” A returning employee said, “I try to behave normally and control my

• emotions. Everybody’s nervous but they don’t want to show it. To be

strong for others around them.” Another returning employee said, “I do feel kind of separate. People look at me differently. So much is unknown. I’ve been to the unknown.”

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I want you to know, we will get through this. I am so proud of the strength you have, the support you’re giving each

• ther, and the work you’re doing every day to do the best you can in

this difficult time. You know how essential we are to our customers. We are here to support and care for each other. Keep your eye on Conor for news, updates, and tips on how to keep being safe and protecting yourself and others. If you need support, please talk to someone. Stay safe and be well. And thank you, for all that you do. John

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Crew Springs to Action to Support Hospital and Save Lives

On Sunday morning, March 29, standing on Fifth Avenue up from 98th Street in front of the red- brick Mount Sinai Hospital, you could see the wide-open East Meadow right across the street – all lush, green, and lined with yellow-orange tulips. By Sunday night, 14 big white tents dotted the

• grass. An intensive care unit, 68 beds,

ventilators, and other medical equipment were going inside. And Kapila Bhamidipati and about 50 other employees had just expanded the electricity grid into the Central Park grassland. It all started Saturday around 4 p.m. …

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May

• 5/13: First day we could report no employees had tested positive
• Con Edison in negotiations with its largest union for a new contract before June

20 expiration date

– All employees preparing for a possible strike or lock out – We thought this would be our biggest new stressor

• 5/25: Police murder of George Floyd

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Employees Embrace Each Other in Trying Times

On May 25, police officers viciously murdered a black man named George Floyd on a Minneapolis

• street. You could see for yourself in a video that

tore around the world. Proof of an ugly, sick truth. Right away, as huge masses of people all over the globe erupted in outrage, protest, and solidarity, Con Edison employees embraced each other to create something healing, loving, and honest. “People were looking for a way to talk about what’s going on,” said Catherine Lewis, a director in Emergency Preparedness and president of the employee resource group Blacks United in Leadership and Development. …

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John McAvoy on Diversity and Inclusion

• Respect. You’re hearing a lot about it lately.

I want to tell you why it’s so important to me. And why I want you to feel it every day at work. Con Edison is changing. In big and exciting ways. Today, in addition to delivering safe, reliable energy… You have great meaning to the company and everything we do. When you come to work, I want you and your colleagues to feel safe, included, and able to live up to your full potential. The only way that can happen is with respect. Showing real respect for each other in our day-to-day work is the starting point for creating a culture where you and your colleagues feel valued for your unique voice, background, and

• experience. I want you to be able to discuss sensitive topics openly, honestly, and regularly.

Respect starts with you. Challenge yourself every day to be your best self. Treat others how you want people to treat you. Be a model for the people around you. …

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Tim Cawley: “You’ve made us a stronger company.”

…Today has been a long time coming. I had been looking forward to seeing you all in person in

• March. But then all of our lives and the whole world changed dramatically, very quickly. We’ve

all been through a lot this year, and it’s still unclear what lies ahead. But through all the personal and professional challenges we’re facing, I want you to know that – while many things in our lives right now may be unsettling, uncertain, and, frankly, upsetting – the values we hold dear, the same values you’ve shown so beautifully in your work, will always remain solid. …

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While I can’t look out across the room at the Botanical Gardens and see each of you in person today, I know about each one of you. I know the work you accomplished, and what you mean to this company. You’ve transformed the way we do business by making our work safer, more efficient, and more focused on the customer. You’ve made us a stronger company, very simply.

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We can quantify the money and time we’ve saved and the efficiencies we’ve gained. But the value of your work is exponentially greater than any numbers we can count. Your teams intentionally included and engaged employees with different points of view, experience, knowledge, expertise, and backgrounds to find the best way forward. You opened yourselves up to really listen to each other to be able to think broadly to work through complex issues and solve problems. This way of working strengthens us to our core as a company. With the money and time your work has saved, efficiencies you’ve created, and deep inclusion you’ve displayed, we have more freedom to focus on our future, which I am incredibly excited about, and what we envision for ourselves and future generations. …

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For Your Audience, Your Organization, and Yourself

• Be Authentic

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Be real, honest, and genuine

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Show emotion

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Write like you talk, use regular words, and avoid jargon

• Be Engaging

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Know and respect your audience: What’s in it for them?

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Make things easy: Be straight, direct, and clear about what matters to your audience

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Use “I” and “you,” simple words, and short sentences

• Be Inclusive

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Seek out and include the full human experience: people of different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, abilities, appearances

• Be Yourself

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Bring everything you’ve got to all your writing and interviews

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Give yourself space to write freely, get all your thoughts, ideas, and feelings out before editing

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Be bold

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Thank You