The CEO takes the podium and begins to speak. It’s a polished presentation and he looks impressive. As he talks, people nod their heads in apparent agreement, but after the applause dies down the painful truth is revealed. His message didn’t get across. It was all just so much babble. What went wrong?

In Beyond the Babble, Bob Matha and Macy Boehm offer a strategic plan for addressing one of the most difficult challenges any business leader can face—engaging employees to take action. Written for all those who lead groups—including supervisors, managers, HR and Communications professionals, executives, and CEOs—this practical resource describes how to put in place proven communication principles that do just that. Matha and Boehm’s On Strategy communication plan focuses on one critical employee question: What do you want me to do?  And it gives leaders the tools they need to mobilize a team of ten, or an organization of thousands. 

Designed to get business results by improving communications, Matha and Boehm’s three-step On Strategy approach shows:

•How to clarify direction to the organization and make it relevant to employees.

•How to prepare leadership—from top to bottom— to deliver direction and engage employees.

•How to communicate to the larger organization about strategy through an ongoing “conversation” with and among employees

Filled with real-life examples from such well known organizations as Ford Motor Company, BP, General Motors, Home Depot, NASA, and many others, Beyond the Babble explores the critical role communication plays in driving performance, how to leverage it, and how best to measure results.

Praise for Beyond the Babble

“Beyond the Babble is a significant contribution to the practice of employee communications . . . very pragmatic and useful in crafting a communication program that really works.”  —Harlan Teller, Chief Knowledge Officer, Financial Dynamics

“Explains in practical terms how to leverage and rally an entire organization, from the Board Room to the shop floor, around a common set of goals.  Beyond the Babble is an important book for leaders looking to drive real change.”  —J. Steven Keate, consultant and former president, International Truck Group

“Bob Matha and Macy Boehm have created a very readable book (without the puffery and exaggerations) that gives managers a logical and original framework for organizing their company's strategic communications and actions. The model also smartly integrates the power of measurement into several steps in the model.”  —Clarke L. Caywood, professor, Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University

“Matha and Boehm show CEOs, managers and communications professionals how to engage employees through effective internal communications to produce real business results. Their approach benefits employers, employees, and yes, even customers.”  —Gary Ross, general manager, Corporate Communications, CDW Corporation

“Today's leaders increasingly find themselves working at a pace that is some combination of a sprint and a marathon just to get things done. Organizations of all kinds, not-for-profits and Fortune 500 companies alike, have experienced an incredible increase in both the velocity and number of issues that must be managed and that trend is only going to accelerate in the future.  Effective leaders find ways to help their organizations be successful in this challenging environment and Beyond the Babble is clearly one of those ways.”  —Edward A. West, senior vice president, Corporate Communications, WellPoint (Retired)

“A must read for business leaders and their Communication and HR advisors.  The approach in Beyond the Babble makes strategy tangible and actionable for employees up and down the organization -- and it gets results.”  —Greg Elliott, senior vice president, Human Resources, Navistar International