Energy Transferred

Today I take a slightly different approach to the word power.  Instead of selecting a synonym, I take part of the equation of power…energy transferred. Many say I have loads of energy. I can tell you from experience my children have endless energy. But the energy that has been transferred as I spent the last three days at FPL is both inspiring and exhilarating.

For the past several years (since 2007) I have been teaching courses in social media. I have also been asked to speak at numerous conferences, workshops and organizations across the country. I’ve spoken about the importance of having a social media policy at least a half dozen times. (I’ve pulled two slides from a presentation to the Northwest PRSA group for you view.)

Additionally, over the past several months I have begun collecting social media policies from a variety of different entities. My goal is to eventually do a content analysis of each and compile research outlining best practices.

I have flipped through literally hundreds of pages of social media policy.  (Check out Coke-Cola’s, Walmart’s, and Cleveland Clinic’s) As you can imagine, then I was eager to learn about FPL’s Social Media Policy – and was very excited to be part of a training workshop. I didn’t attend with a grading rubric, but I did have some basic expectations in mind. Not only was I impressed with the presentation, I was in awe of the level of participation from those in attendance.  The energy transferred from the presenter (Diane, Director of Social Media and Digital Experience) to the attendees was palpable. 

FPL’s social media policy purpose was outlined first. And similar to others, it recognizes the value of social media as a communication and marketing tool for the business. It reads:

“As a result, the Company participates in various social media communities through authorized corporate channels, which require that certain employees use social media as a part of their regularly assigned duties. The Company also recognizes the value and enjoyment that employees may derive from their personal use of social media to share their personal life and opinion with family, friends and co-workers.”

Throughout the workshop key messages such as: identify yourself, protect the company, use common sense, and know what your role is at any given time, were emphasized. The point was clear - a great deal of consideration and revisions had been made to the final document before it was shared.  The sharing of the document could have gone a multitude of ways, but I believe energy was transferred because of the positive and welcoming vibe that attendees exuded.

This energy in the room seemed to stem from the diligent work of the presenters who spent countless hours developing a solid, substantial social media policy.  In no way did the policy come off as policing or a barrier to communication. Instead the enthusiasm of the employees, of whom this policy will directly effect, was transferred through an interactive workshop that provided examples and guidance for better social media use.