Good Communication Helps Southwest Airlines Fly High

Looking for a great place to work? Some companies stand out above others. If you ask people who happy with where they work, you’ll find they all value certain characteristics. Sometimes it is more than just being paid well, receiving good benefits and being treated fairly by their bosses.

There is one word that comes up often in employee surveys at happy companies: communication. Good communication starts at the top. Do the CEO and top managers communicate effectively with their employees? Is the entire organization on the same page? Does management value input from employees?

The career website Glassdoor.com put out a list of the Best Places to Work in America in 2010. They call the top 50 the “Employees’ Choice Awards” because the winners are based on voluntary employee surveys filled out on Glassdoor.com.

Southwest Airlines was ranked number one in employee satisfaction. While the results of the survey may not be totally scientific, a sampling of the anonymous comments from Southwest employees shows how they value strong communication from the company.

• “Southwest is upfront in its communications to the employees and will tell it like it is either good or bad”
• “Communication from upper management is great”
• “ Besides all the perks, Southwest really tries to take care of their employees with good communication materials, open discussions between upper management and junior employees”
• “Good two way communication must remain a must to keeping the culture strong”

The airline industry has been hit especially hard by the current economic downturn. Southwest Airlines knows that keeping the communication lines open and flowing with its employees is key to weathering the storm.

Know Your Audience: How to Get a Standing Ovation

Several years ago while I was working at KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas, I received a special invitation. I was asked to give the commencement address for a small southern Kansas high school. I accepted knowing it was a big responsibility. After all, it is the commencement speaker who passes along the last words of wisdom graduates hear before they go out into the real world. At least that’s the idea.

So I showed up at the school on graduation day all ready to give the speech of my life. I took my seat on the stage in the gymnasium and looked out at the crowd filled with proud moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters. And they all had one thing in common: they were waving their graduation programs like crazy. Only it wasn’t like the celebration wave at a football game. People were using the fans to try to stay cool. There was no air conditioning and it must have been over 100 degrees inside the gym that afternoon.

By the time it was my turn to speak, the crowd was melting. In football language, I knew I had to call an audible…a change of plan. Goodbye long speech, hello short and sweet remarks. I thought back to my own high school graduation ceremony. We had our state’s US Senator give the commencement address. I don’t remember a word he said, but I will never forget how this distinguished politician spoke forever. He must have thought he was in Washington, DC. The senator went on and on and on when all we wanted was to get our diplomas and go hang out with our friends.

I shared that story with the audience. Only I included the words “I’m not going to do that to you” at the end. The crowd laughed and cheered loudly. I finished by telling the graduates this is a special time for them because now the door is open for them to be anything they want to be, do anything they want to do. That was it. I had spoken for about 2 minutes.

Then a funny thing happened. I got a standing ovation. Not because of the words I said, but because I had gotten to know the audience. I could tell what they wanted and I gave it to them.

Too many businesses fail to know their audience when it comes to creating their marketing messages. Instead they try to develop something for the masses. Many of our clients tell us up front they would like a video that will go “viral” and get millions of hits on YouTube. That works for some companies, but it doesn’t take long to figure out most are better served by having a targeted video message that can influence the right people…their potential customers.

Google Makes Stories Out of Search

“Every search is a quest. Every quest is a story.”

From the “About Me” description on Google’s YouTube Search Stories Channel

For the past eight months, Google has used a unique marketing campaign to show the power of their search engine. They created a series of videos centered around the idea that Google searches can be told as stories. The videos are less than one minute and seem simple, but they are very effective.





The Search Stories videos work because they make us feel something. Some of the videos are funny, some are emotional. They use music and natural sound to help us visualize the story. The one thing they all have in common is the element of surprise. You don’t necessarily know where they story is going to end.

You have to give the folks at Google credit. They know how to capitalize on a good thing. The first Search Stories video has been viewed 5.2 million times on YouTube. So Google created a way for people to make and upload their own search stories videos, which keeps the power of the story moving forward.

The Sweet Story of Doughnuts

The latest issue of Fortune Magazine mentions Top Pot Doughnuts, a small Seattle company going up against Krispy Kreme in the doughnut business. Top Pot has a great story about the origin of their name. It comes from a vintage neon sign that used to hang over a Chinese restaurant called “Topspot.” While they were restoring the old sign, the “s” in spot fell off and the name “Top Pot” was born.

But most importantly, the old fashioned sign tied right into Top Pot’s plan to make old fashioned doughnuts and serve them in an old fashioned setting.

This unique story is part of what separates Top Pot from competitors like Krispy Kreme. The story also helps make Top Pot memorable, which may pay off the next time you crave an old fashioned doughnut.


The Top Pot-Krispy Kreme battle is part of a Fortune column called “David vs. Goliath.” The column features short stories about small companies taking on an established leader in their industry. It reminded me how much business can benefit from a well-told story. If you’re unsure about your story, ask yourself 4 questions.

1. What do you tell potential customers, investors or your friends when they ask about your business?

2. Why are you in business?

3. What makes you different from the competition?

4. How did you get started?

Pretend for a minute that USA Today calls and asks you to write a front page story about your company. What would you include that might be interesting enough to make someone read the whole story?

Boeing's Storytelling Moment

“Farnborough is going to be a good opportunity to tell our story.”

Jim Albaugh, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive to the Seattle Times, July 18, 2010

Boeing is presenting its new 787 Dreamliner airplane at the world’s largest air show in Farnborough, England this week. This is a unique chance for Boeing to shift focus away from all of the 787’s production problems.



You may not have a 180 million dollar airplane to sell like Boeing, but you do have a story. Maybe it’s one you tell to your customers face to face. Maybe it’s one you share internally with your employees. Good storytelling inspires people and leads them to action.

It is important to think about the story you tell when you are not in the room. If your website is filled with stock pictures and text, you are missing a golden opportunity to engage visitors by telling your story through video. When we create video for our clients, we pay special attention to the lasting impression someone has after they watch the video.

Boeing flew the 787 to England for the same reasons: to tell their story and leave a memorable impression. Boeing is out to show us all how good storytelling is good business.

Video Testimonials: The Power of Real People

At the beginning of my TV news career, I was sent to cover a Monday night city council meeting in Joplin, Missouri. Council meetings in Joplin were short and sweet. The mayor was a huge Monday Night Football fan. Most of the real work was done behind closed doors before the meeting. The only point of interest at this meeting was a formal vote to buy some homes in order to expand a busy road. No one spoke against it. I did a short interview with the mayor and figured I had the standard city council story.

After the meeting ended, I decided to get reaction from the homeowners. I knocked on the door of one house and this nice older woman answered the door. She was sad to be losing her longtime home. I’ll never forget her words, “Come out back, I want to show you something.” In her backyard she grew the only Concord grapes for miles around. She pointed out the stakes the city put down to mark the new road, which would run right through her award winning grapes. I had literally stumbled onto a special story with a real person.

When it comes to creating a video, many companies struggle with what to include in their story. Instead of putting all of the focus on your company, sometimes it is better to think about the people you help. The best stories often come from your best customers. And you never know when they will tell you about the grapes growing in their backyard.

Off and Running

We decided to start this blog as a way to pass along our insights into the world of visual communication. We spend most of our time helping businesses tell their unique stories through video. Many of things we've learned in our years of working in television news can help companies and individuals become more effective at promoting their brands.

We plan to use this forum to share examples of communication success stories and communication failures. Most of all, we want to hear from you. Please feel free to tell us what you think. Everyone gains when we all add to the conversation.