{
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    "title" : "How to Be a Fly on the Wall: The Dos and Don’ts of Sharing Executive Discussions |Digital.gov",
    "description": "How to Be a Fly on the Wall: The Dos and Don’ts of Sharing Executive Discussions",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/10/how-to-be-a-fly-on-the-wall-the-dos-and-donts-of-sharing-executive-discussions/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"How to Be a Fly on the Wall: The Dos and Don\u0026#8217;ts of Sharing Executive Discussions","summary" : "A sure way to annoy employees is to never share what executives discuss or decide until a new mandate lands on the organization’s collective head. While senior leaders should expect some privacy in decision-making and debate, they should also expect to openly hold themselves accountable and to make sure their employees know where the","date" : "2013-09-10T10:05:05-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"david-hebert" : "David Hebert"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "product-and-project-management" : "Product and project management",
            "social-media" : "Social media"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2013-09-10-how-to-be-a-fly-on-the-wall-the-dos-and-donts-of-sharing-executive-discussions.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2013/09/2013-09-10-how-to-be-a-fly-on-the-wall-the-dos-and-donts-of-sharing-executive-discussions.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2013/09/2013-09-10-how-to-be-a-fly-on-the-wall-the-dos-and-donts-of-sharing-executive-discussions.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2013/09/2013-09-10-how-to-be-a-fly-on-the-wall-the-dos-and-donts-of-sharing-executive-discussions.md","slug" : "how-to-be-a-fly-on-the-wall-the-dos-and-donts-of-sharing-executive-discussions","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/10/how-to-be-a-fly-on-the-wall-the-dos-and-donts-of-sharing-executive-discussions/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eA sure way to annoy employees is to never share what executives discuss or decide until a new mandate lands on the organization’s collective head. While senior leaders should expect some privacy in decision-making and debate, they should also expect to openly hold themselves accountable and to make sure their employees know where the organization is headed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne way to offer that clear accountability and communication is by keeping people apprised of what happens in important executive meetings, even as those meetings are happening. Here are a few things you should and shouldn’t do.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e plan to cover meetings in which topics important to many, if not all, employees will be discussed and related decisions will be made. Don’t cover a meeting simply because executives will be there — they have to attend a lot of meetings, and many don’t interest them, much less everyone else.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSetting Expectations about Coverage.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e all you can to ensure that everyone, including the executives themselves, is aware that the discussion will be documented for employees. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e assume that one memo or a mention at the weekly senior staff meeting will make its way through the agency.\u003ca href=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2013/09/hands-typing.jpg\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2013/09/hands-typing-250x183.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Hands on a keyboard typing\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e set explicit expectations about what and how will be covered in the meeting, including the sort of information that will be shared and the media used to share it. Execs need to trust you, and employees will define trust of execs through your coverage. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e make employees think they are going to get sensitive info before it’s ready to be shared, and don’t surprise your leaders with a video camera when they think you’re keeping written comments.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnalytics: Measure Your Live-Blogging (or Other Coverage) for Internal Communications.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e find a way to measure participation, whether through web metrics software looking at your executive blog, email delivery services, or the other analysis tools. You can also poll employees about whether they followed the coverage and why. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e assume that everyone will stay glued to your coverage all day (remember, they’re at work) or that attention is the same as assent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eThe Writing: Good Material, Clear Messages.\u003c/strong\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e keep the voice and tense of the coverage clear and consistent, and time/date stamp your posts. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e make employees have to think about who’s writing the updates or when they were supposed to be written.\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e pay close attention to what’s being discussed so you can pull out the best material to share. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e check your email, write that proposal you’ve been meaning to get to, or browse for jobs while you’re supposed to be covering the event.\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e make quotes, paraphrases, and attributions crystal clear. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e leave out important contextual information that leaves employees wondering what on Earth these overpaid clowns are thinking.\u003ca href=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2013/09/fed-community-post.jpg\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2013/09/fed-community-post-250x188.jpg\"\n    alt=\"whiteboard image of community drawing\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eMake It Live for Better Internal Communication.\u003c/strong\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e strongly advocate for live or near-live coverage to ensure that the discussion is captured and the word is out. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e agree to a process through which meeting notes are approved and scrubbed clean by every cook in the executive kitchen — if this happens, you might as well not cover the meeting.\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eManaging Comments and Participation While Live-Blogging for Internal Communications.\u003c/strong\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e come up with one or two good questions to ask individual leaders during breaks or at the end of the event. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e ask them a question that would put them in an awkward position with their colleagues (“So, why do you think Brenda’s programs keep getting cut?”).\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eDo\u003c/strong\u003e gather and consider how to handle incoming employee comments during the event, whether through email, blog comment section, or otherwise, and bring up good ones during breaks or when asked. \u003cstrong\u003eDon’t\u003c/strong\u003e raise your hand to read out feedback every time it comes in during the meeting.\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n  Originally published on the\u003ca href=\"http://fedcommnetwork.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-to-be-fly-on-wall-dos-and-donts-of.html\"\u003e Federal Communicators Network Blog\u003c/a\u003e.\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}