On the trip home following a recent sales meeting at our offices in Memphis, my flight encountered some of the most significant (worst?) clear-air turbulence that I have experienced in some time. Since I am a fairly frequent flyer, I was never really worried about the turbulence. But it was a bit unsettling nonetheless – especially since it continued for several hours.

Alleviating my unease, as well as that of my fellow travelers, I’m sure, were the flight crew’s regular public address announcements. These communications included not only the obvious reminders about the importance of seat belts, but also about how long the turbulence might last and their attempts to find a smoother ride. And while the information conveyed was fairly predictable, the regular frequency of the announcements made them more effective and reassuring.

Now, I can certainly understand if you are questioning why I am relating this experience in this blog post. The reason lies in the fact that our leadership and sales team had just spent a good deal of time at our meeting discussing the role of communications in recognition and incentive programs. So, I found it interesting, and a bit ironic, that a real-life experience had once again demonstrated the importance of effective communications.

Our meeting discussion covered all aspects of program communications, including the various delivery methods (e.g., email, print, etc.) as well as the program stage at which different types of communications are most effective. It was somewhat of a revelation when we cataloged the wide variety of current and planned communication campaigns.

This led us to further realize that we can, and should, do a better job of outlining communications options for current and prospective clients. Therefore, we decided to develop a new section of our corporate web site dedicated to program communications. While we are still in the planning stages regarding the exact content of that page, we intend to outline the various types and applications of program communications – and provide examples.

We’re very excited by the potential for this addition to our web site. We will make sure that we highlight it once completed. In the interim, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like us to help with your communications strategy and tactics.