What Communicators Can Learn from the Occupy Wall Street Movement

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, the Occupy Wall Street movement is a fascinating case study on how we connect and communicate in today's world. Over the past three months, this expanding movement has made headlines domestically and abroad — with its "We are the 99%!" rallying cry, savvy use of social media tools, and the ability to attract participants across all walks of life.

Personal ideologies aside, there are some key communications lessons we can learn from this socio-political phenomenon:

1. Transparency is key. Corporations are under greater scrutiny to be authentic, transparent and accountable. Employee communications will play a pivotal role in building and maintaining employee trust and loyalty.
2. Franchising is the new engagement. Communications today is not about building belief; it's about creating a franchise mentality. Is your initiative compelling enough to inspire ownership? If not, you have more thinking and planning to do.
3. Make friends with social media. If your company still hasn't embraced social media, perhaps it's time to rethink that position – and to find ways to leverage these tools in the workplace.
4. Encourage bottom-up messaging. Top-down, command-and-control messaging has gone by the wayside. If you want employees to have a stake in your initiative, give them an opportunity to weigh in on, and shape, key messages.
5. Be inclusive, yet discerning. While allowing for diverse voices and different perspectives will enrich your communications process, keep your agenda and messaging focused and concise.
6. Have an end-state in mind. Protest movements, like OWS, are given license to be messy, unfocused and meandering at times. Not so with corporate initiatives. Define your strategic objectives up front so your audience has a firm idea of where you're going and what's at stake, for you and for them.

Although it's not yet clear what version 2.0 of the OWS movement will look like, one thing is certain — our discourse, outside and inside the workplace, will never be quite the same.