Employee Communication Strategy and Planning

No corporate initiative can be effective, no corporate benefit can be fully appreciated, and no staff member can be connected to and fully engaged with the organization without a robust employee communications function. Through her partnership with Patrick Welch, MLP Coaching brings experienced organizational communications professionals to the table to develop the plans and strategies to help you meet your corporate objectives. We will help you articulate and craft key messages and work with you to determine the most effective media to deliver those messages.

Experience with Established Corporations and Startups

Pat has more than 25 years of experience in corporate America including lead communications positions at Fortune 200 companies in the utility and airline industries plus experience in the nonprofit sector. He brings senior-level corporate and marketing communications experience to the table with both strategic and tactical expertise. He has had complete responsibility for all phases of communications initiatives, from planning through production and fulfillment in print and electronic media as well as face-to-face.

Among other roles, Pat has been responsible for oversight of corporate identity, assuring a consistent look and feel in both internal and external communications. Recently, he led the effort to create the employment brand for a start-up organization. Its advertising/recruiting campaign targeted highly seasoned, highly credentialed professionals, initiating contact with candidates in what was the first step in defining for them the organization’s value proposition. Pat has built internal communications media and messages from scratch in a startup environment, creating newsletters to serve as the voice of the organization, consulting on intranet development, guiding production of video, designing the structure of orientation programs, and facilitating town hall meetings.

Creating an Informed, Engaged Workforce

MLP’s overarching employee communications goal is to create an informed and dedicated workforce in an environment where staff members are most likely to be successful. We will help you nurture a culture marked by openness, teamwork and inclusiveness. With a successful communications strategy properly executed, your business can realize higher productivity, higher staff engagement levels, and reduced turnover. Your programs will help to build ambassadors for your company in formal as well as informal settings to reinforce your brand and reputation in the community.

Blend of Media

Effective communication is never merely one way, but is an ongoing dialogue and exchange of information. MLP will help you develop effective dialogue through one-on-one, face-to-face communications guided by talking points for managers; cascading messages; traditional print and electronic communications; group meetings and town halls – live and by videoconference.

Total Rewards Communications and Internal Branding

In addition to his broad-based corporate and marketing communications background, including change management and crisis communications, Pat has particular expertise in human resources communications. For more than 12 years, he has served as internal consultant to key Human Resources stakeholders, led HR communications initiatives and marketed total rewards. He is equally at home in union and nonunion environments or consulting with C-level executives. His focus is on building consensus and creating an informed and dedicated workforce where staff are engaged and have a clear line of sight to their mission.

Pat led internal communications for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB, an accounting oversight board founded in 2002 with passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act). He also managed human resources communications at US Airways, and he played a lead communications role at Florida Power and Light Company, the largest public electric utility in Florida. Pat earned his BA and MA in English from Ball State University in Indiana and is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators.