"...we cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract."

It was less than 300 words. It took just three minutes to recite. It changed the course of a nation.

Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" is a timeless testament of how the power of words can shape our national consciousness. Fittingly, the address was part of the New York ceremonies commemorating the tragedy of September 11. Amazingly, its significance still resonates 138 years later as the United States fights only the second war started on our shores.

On that November day in 1863, Lincoln asked whether a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to equality could long endure. Yes it can, Mr. Lincoln. Yes, it can.

Read Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address"

Positive word-of-mouth is the holy grail of marketing. It has the power to create relationships with customers that few other marketing efforts, such as advertising and direct mail, can duplicate.

Cascading communications can have the same impact on an organization's internal communications. However, few organizations use it effectively.

Like a waterfall, cascading communications begins at the top. CEOs share important information with their direct reports, identifying key messages that need to be communicated. Those managers then communicate the information to their direct reports, adding information or clarifying how it is important to their business units. The process continues down through the organization -- level by level -- until it reaches all associates.

The benefits of cascading communications are numerous.

• It reinforces two-way dialogue where associates can ask questions and offer their opinions.
• It ensures that associates receive information that matters to them and explains how they are expected to perform their jobs.
• It satisfies the need of associates to hear important information from their direct supervisors (a key to employee satisfaction).
• It creates ownership of communications among managers.

Don't think cascading communications can work in a large organization? Kodak has used a cascading system to communicate with more than 90,000 employees worldwide. Survey results show the program increased employee comprehension of why changes were made and nearly doubled confidence levels in company management, which had been lagging.

Like word-of-mouth, cascading communications takes time to develop. But once it does, it becomes a catalyst for reliable, speedy communications that can be the difference between good performance and outstanding performance.

Next time you need an icebreaker for a meeting, try this little mind-reading exercise. Just to prove it works, we'll read your mind virtually. Do the following 12 steps and then scroll down to the bottom of the screen for your answer.

1. Pick a number between 1 and 9
2. Subtract 5
3. Multiply by 3
4. Square the number (multiply the number by itself)
5. Add the digits until you get a single digit (for example, say your number was 64: 64 = 6 + 4 = 10 then 1 + 0 = 1)
6. If the number is less than 5, add 5; otherwise subtract 4
7. Multiply by 2
8. Subtract 6
9. Relate the number you now have with a letter in the alphabet where 1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C and so on
10. Pick the name of a country that begins with that letter
11. Use the second letter of the country and think of an animal that begins with that letter
12. Think of the color of the animal

Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the e-mail for your answer.

At least 60 percent of an organization's reputation is driven by its CEO's reputation. Like it or not, the CEO is the face and voice of the company; the steward of its vision and value; and the personification of its brand.

In times of crisis, the CEO becomes the star witness in the court of public opinion. What the CEO does and says in a crisis may, in fact, decide the company's fate. Two quick examples:

• Former Exxon CEO Lee R. Raymond was slow to acknowledge and visit the site of the Exxon Valdez crash. The public and the investment community never forgave him, and the company never regained its market position.
• Martha Stewart has ducked, dodged, and delayed since an insider-trading investigation against her started in June. And her company's stock price? It's down more than 50 percent.

Crises do not have to threaten a company's existence. The following five cardinal rules provide a foundation that CEOs can use to communicate effectively when crises do strike:

1. Empathy - Always begin by saying you are sorry and concerned. Credibility is determined in the first 30 seconds of contact. Showing concern is half the battle.
2. Candor - A "spin" mindset and approach is a mistake. Be candid and forthright -- stick to the facts.
3. Speed - Respond immediately with what you know and update those reports frequently as more facts come in.
4. Involvement - Don't play ostrich like Exxon -- be visible to your associates, the media, and other key stakeholders. Demonstrate that you are deeply involved in addressing the root cause of the problem.
5. Balance - Work to get balance between the advice from lawyers in the court of legal opinion and advice from public relations counselors in the court of public opinion.

www.leadershipnow.com

We like quite a bit about this site, but two things caught our eye. First, the website features an extensive library of leadership quotes divided into more than 30 categories, such as courage, integrity, and risk-taking. It is a great resource when you need the right quotes for speeches, presentations, letters, etc. Second, the "LeaderShop" section contains a reading room where you can read excerpts and first chapters from many well-known leadership books.

Unlock Behavior, Unleash Profits by Dr. Leslie Wilk Braksick

Why do most corporate change efforts fail? The common answers are not enough money, poor communications, or the wrong people involved. Ask Dr. Leslie Braksick, and she'll probably sum it up in two words: wrong behaviors.

Unlock Behavior, Unleash Profits explains how organizations can reap enormous benefits from the "discretionary effort" of associates whose behaviors are aligned to corporate goals. Braksick calls it the difference between "want-to-do performance" and "have-to-do performance." According to her, the ultimate result of this discretionary effort is greater profitability.

Braksick's model centers around effectively identifying, planning, and reinforcing desired behaviors. Two of her insights stand out:

1. Desired behavior is 80 percent consequence. The greatest visions, strategies, and plans will not work if there are not enough positive and/or negative consequences for achieving them.
2. Managers should use positive reinforcement four times (4x) as much as they use punishment to create desired behaviors.

Thoroughly researched, Braksick provides a step-by-step plan that all managers can use to achieve higher levels of performance from the associates and teams they manage.

ICEBREAKER ANSWER:

The majority of people who do this exercise think of a...

gray elephant from Denmark.

© Copyright 2002 Atkinson Public Relations