Leading up to the virtual IABC World Conference 2021, speakers will spotlight their can’t-miss sessions on Catalyst. Read on for a sneak preview of “From Measurement to Meaning — Listening Grows Up.” Before attending World Conference, visit Catalyst for a look at the presenters’ research in The Listening Project, which explores how communicators help their organizations listen to employees.

How do organizations listen to their employees? What challenges will communicators face as we emerge from the pandemic, and how will we respond to changing expectations from employees and other stakeholders? These are the burning questions that have been on our mind in the last year and as we prepare our presentation for the IABC World Conference 2021.

During this session we’ll illustrate listening practices, barriers and success stories. We’ll show how listening helps organizations innovate, manage change and create a sense of fairness.

Our research has shown that listening to employees primarily involves surveys and measurement, and we’ll share the evidence supporting it. It’s about time we created organizations that feel more tuned in to the needs of the people who work there, and we’ll cover that, too. We’ll discuss how we can deliver a deeper understanding of the employee experience and explore how listening can help support new ways of working.

On the other side of the coin, we’ve learned communicators may overestimate how well their organizations listen. It is leaders rather than line managers who are key to change in listening, and we’ll reveal what needs to happen to make the difference.

We are basing our insights on three years of research amongst communication managers across the globe. We’ll share some of the findings, and at the IABC World Conference, we will launch a challenge to all communicators to engage in conversations around:

• What is a “listening culture,” and how can we engage leadership more in active listening?
• How can we use digital and qualitative listening more effectively?
• How do we develop continuous listening and manage expectations?

For years, IABC World Conference has meant meeting people from outside our normal experience, learning about what’s new in communication, sharing real best practices on a global scale, and building new relationships. If you want to be part of it, we hope our session will honor that tradition and start a longer-term series of conversations that help us all improve how we support the development of listening in the organizations we care about.

We hope to see you there.

Don’t miss “From Measurement to Meaning — Listening Grows Up” and many other inspiring sessions during the virtual IABC World Conference 2021, taking place online 28–30 June. Register now to secure your spot for this top-tier virtual event, and look forward to connecting with communication professionals from around the globe.

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