Spaeth clients know that we will travel anywhere and everywhere to work with them. I have been a member of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce for two years now, but I am based in Columbus, Georgia—a three to five hour drive—depending on the cooperation of traffic in Atlanta. Chattanooga is an amazing city, coming into its own and offering more to its residents each and every day. When I attend Chamber events and introduce myself, I typically get a quizzical (albeit always polite) look when I say I live in Columbus. However, it has been a stellar investment and I have been able to spread the Spaeth methodology through a series of speeches and trainings.
Just the other week I was invited to speak at the Lookout Chapter’s PRSA monthly luncheon. The topic was “Empowering Employees as Ambassadors.” It is a subject both near and dear to my heart—and conveniently—it is also in high demand. Sharing case studies about some our most successful Ambassador initiatives is a way to inspire other communication professionals to adopt the approach.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that several members of the Chattanooga American Institute of Architects attended the speech as well. AIA National is a Spaeth client and I personally worked with them to create a Message Book last year. In this instance, the word “collide” was a good one. Both groups had a shared interest in the subject matter and it was an opportunity to further the discussion regarding the importance of giving employees the permission and know-how to tell their stories.
However, believe it or not, the best part of the session came after I stopped talking. Two employees from the Tennessee Valley Authority approached me with a look of pride in their eyes. The TVA had launched an Ambassador initiative and corresponding ad campaign of its own. Check it out here for some inspiration. As the largest energy supplier in the state of Tennessee, the TVA realized its employees tended to describe their role in a certain department, as opposed to being a part of the overarching organization. Through the clever tagline “TVA is Powered by the People You Know,” the stories and accompanying videos humanize the employees and have the added bonus of connecting them to the organization itself. These are Ambassadors in action and I was personally grateful for the fabulous new examples.
If your company is looking to empower employees please give us a call! As we’ve said, we’ll travel anywhere to work with our clients, so if anyone is reading this in the Bahamas…we promise we’re available.
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