4 The head office communication forum

Out of sheer need, the BP Oil communication manager invited a small group of key middle managers to meet on an informal basis, to help her by discussing communication issues. This evolved into a formal monthly meeting because the managers themselves wanted it. They were the first to appreciate the chance to be together and catch up on what was going on outside their immediate areas. Useful spin-offs included head office tech-ins, head office get-togethers and – stealing from the US – head office brown bag lunches. And, most satisfyingly, management in head office owned its own communication.

Then BP Oil brought its main communication professionals together to develop the next stage in helping line management communicate. One of the outputs of that meeting was a redefinition of the role of the professional communicator:

To facilitate an open, timely and balanced two-way communication process in which messages about BP, and its objectives, enhance BP Oil’s ability to perform.

Points worth noting in this statement are the words ‘facilitate’, and ‘perform’. The former is a clear indication that communication professionals are there to help management; they cannot do the communication task for them. The latter is the recognition by the communication professionals that, for many managers, ‘communication’ is still a soft issue. If you talk to managers about communication the chances are they will switch off. If you talk to them about performance you have a better chance of getting their attention.