Our Purpose & Principles

Start here to get on the right path forward

When people feel valued they are committed, productive, and conscientious. Good communication is an important part of helping people feel appreciated and valued. In general people prefer to:

• Hear important news first
• Be consulted regularly
• Have their feedback heard
• See their suggestions acted upon

When that type of communication takes place it helps to:

• Build relationships
• Promote mutual understanding
• Enable contributions to organizational success

Our Purpose

We deliver the right information to the right people at the right time to empower business excellence.

Our communications principles

The VPFO has embraced a few ideas about what good communication looks like and how it can help us all succeed:

1. Accurate, consistent, and timely information shared by the people closest to the work is most effective.

• Faculty and staff are more inclined to listen to and accept information from their supervisor/colleagues when it is communicated authentically. Whenever possible, subject matter experts (SMEs) or the people closest to the work should create the content for their communications.
• Communicators can provide managers with guidance, advice, and coaching. However, communicating with individuals, the team, and groups remain a personal responsibility.
• We need to show that we understand our people are the ones driving and developing communications. This means including:
  • Employee names wherever possible
  • Quotes from real participants
  • Images of our faculty and staff
  • Stakeholders’ real experiences

2. The closer we are to faculty and staff, the more effective our communications will be.

• Our largest influence on UBC is though our staff and their interactions with our campus community.
• Change in perception happens mostly through these interactions. Relying only on the quality of our work is not enough.
• Communicate to the frontline as directly as possible. This will help our communications come from trusted sources and be based in operational reality and what is actually possible.

3. Good communication is always two-way communication.

• People at all levels have important information that can help us be more successful. Feedback helps us decide if communication has been received and understood.
  • While leadership is guiding our initiatives, the real transformational work will be done by people across the portfolio.
  • We need to create feedback loops that are constantly asking for input and show we do something with it.
  • We need to highlight where we have taken feedback and where we have used it to further refine our work and communications.

4. Communication never stops.

• Good communications is not tied to specific projects or campaigns. It is a transparent, continuous, and interactive process.

5. Communication helps inform decision-making.

• The right information communicated at the right time has the potential to inform decision-making and influence behaviour in ways that benefit everyone.