Reaching Offline Employees in a 3.0 World

Cindy Crescenzo wrote a great article entitled: “Reaching Offline Employees in a 3.0 World.”

As a healthcare professional responsible for communicating to nearly 2,000 employees and more than 500 physicians at a 511-bed hospital, I know firsthand the challenge of keeping them focused and engaged on issues that pertain to them. In addition to the more traditional internal communication vehicles like our printed employee newsletter, I’ve explored other platforms in an effort to connect to my audience on a more personal level, including several of the items listed below:

SOCIAL MEDIA 
Since the launch of our Facebook and Twitter pages in 2009, I’ve really tried to engage and educate our audience on a daily basis by publishing the latest news and events, creating polls, uploading service line videos, creating photo albums and publishing patient testimonials. Basically, I’ve tried to mirror everything that’s on our website, while at the same time, trying to shine a bigger spotlight on our doctors and nurses. The feedback has been positive, but I realize there are several other untapped platforms, including Google+ hangouts and Pinterest.

DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS 
We recently unveiled a digital communications platform throughout the hospital. Strategically placed in our cafeteria, West Outpatient and ICU, these TV screens allow me to customize slides directly from my computer and publish content in real-time. I feel this platform is very effective because we’re reaching multiple audiences with the added ability to embed videos, publish our ER wait times and promote our YouTube channel as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages. We hope to install several more screens in our physician lounges, main lobby and several other waiting areas.

E-MAIL NEWSLETTERS 
In addition to the monthly print newsletter I produce for our employees and physicians, I also produce quarterly e-mail newsletters focusing on several major service lines of the hospital. Included within these e-mail newsletters are staff profiles, updates on clinical trials, a personal message from the department director and physician profiles highlighting specialty procedures they perform.

VIDEO
With assistance from an outside vendor, we’ve produced promotional videos with patient testimonials for nearly all of our service lines. All of these videos are stored on our YouTube channel, which we’re able cross-promote through various internal and external outlets. In 2012 I may opt for the inexpensive route and simply shoot short videos from my iPhone camera, highlighting staff from a different department each month and posting it to our Facebook page.

Lastly, I like the face-to-face communication tip. Our CEO holds town hall meetings a few times a year, and it may be another opportunity to engage the audience with the hospital’s digital communications and social media efforts.

I love watching these two play, but I hope we haven’t seen the last of Roger Federer.

Crennel to Lead Chiefs

Well, it’s official. The Kansas City Chiefs have hired Romeo Crennel as its head coach. Maintaining Romeo is a great move because the team can build upon the success it achieved during his three-game stint as interim coach, and it eliminates all distractions as the team enters the offseason.

Crennel is a brilliant defensive coordinator so I’m hoping he maintains this role. The Chiefs now must find an offensive coordinator who’s not afraid to stretch the field and create bigger plays for the quarterback and our running backs, similar to what Charlie Weis did during his time here. I would welcome the addition of Mike Mularkey or Marty Mornhinweg to the Chiefs staff. Both are proven offensive coordinators who currently lead potent offenses for the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles respectively.

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Maze Runner was a fun read! Vivid descriptions of the Runners sprinting through the Maze fighting monsters, discovering secret passageways and trying to decipher secret codes, was reminiscent of scenes from Lost. I’m really looking forward to continuing the journey with The Scorch Trials.

View all my reviews

What’s Your Biggest Professional Accomplishment?

Arik Hanson posed a question on his blog Communications Conversations, entitled: “What’s Your Biggest Professional Accomplishment?”

It’s definitely a Midwestern tendency to not brag about one’s accomplishments, but if I were to look back on my professional career to date, I’d say my biggest highlight was when I received the 2007 Bill DeLay Award for Distinguished Service to the Greater Kansas City PRSA Chapter. Working in the non-profit world for nearly 10 years and looking to expand my networking base, a colleague of mine suggested I join the local PRSA chapter. After attending one of the Chapter’s monthly professional development luncheons, I immediately volunteered for the PRISM Awards Committee and soon after accepted the role of volunteer website manager. I remained website manager for nearly five years, working with an outside agency to produce a new website and Intranet portal for select Chapter members. I was also elected to serve on the Board of Directors as VP, Communications, in 2007 and 2008. During the Chapter’s annual PRISM Award ceremony, after all of the category winners receive their PRISM and Silver awards, they announce and present three special awards (Roger Yarrington PR Professional of the Year, Best of Show and Bill DeLay Award for Distinguished Service) at the end of the program. The awards are much anticipated and a complete surprise to the recipients. In my case, it’s also a little embarrassing when the previous winner prepares a lengthy speech highlighting my accomplishments in a packed banquet room of nearly 500 attendees. In the end, it was truly a honor to be recognized that night.

Another highlight is winning the 2009 Missouri Hospital Association Show-Me Excellence Award. I received a first place award for CARE, an internal monthly newsletter I produce for the employees and physicians at Research Medical Center, a 511-bed acute-care hospital located in Kansas City, Mo. The CARE entry and my email newsletter campaign also was recognized by the Greater Kansas City PRSA Chapter and Kansas Hospital Association.

2012 Pro Bowl Rosters Announced

Congratulations to Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali on their selection to the 2012 AFC Pro Bowl Roster. It’s a shame Brandon Flowers wasn’t selected because he was deserving of a roster spot too.

Below is a photo I took of Johnson and Hali at this year’s training camp in St. Joseph, Mo.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Sunset

I just returned from an unbelievable vacation in Palm Desert, CA.

Midwest Heart Associates

Midwest Heart Associates continues to expand at Research Medical Center. The newly renovated clinic space includes the Midwest Heart Associates’ cardiac rehabilitation program, Center for Wellness and the hospital’s Center for Cardiac Imaging. Midwest Heart Care, which has five accredited chest pain centers, offers the highest quality heart care in the Kansas City metro area. Visit Midwest Heart Care for more information.

Chrysler – Whatever Happened to Style?

This commercial aired during the Golden Globes a couple of weeks ago. I got chills after viewing the spot….great visuals, music and script!

Vary Your Communications to Reach Non-Wired Employees

Matt Wilson wrote a nice article on Ragan.com highlighting various channels of communication with the intent of reaching multiple audiences.

Great topic! For three years I’ve tried unsuccessfully to get buy-in from senior management on the idea of digital signage. I’d love to install three kiosks and 30+ TVs throughout our 500-bed hospital so I’m able to stream promotional videos, promote our Facebook/Twitter pages, upload new physician announcements, etc.

I knew my job was evolving back in ’08 and I was ready to enter the world of social media and digital communications. I still continue to produce print and electronic newsletters for our employees and physicians, but the addition of digital signage can reduce printing costs and streamline the communication process. I’m certain that the implementation of digital signage will increase employee engagement scores too.