Effective communication is key to driving change in South Africa

31 August 2011

Reana Rossouw

Terry Volkwyn

A successful business communication forum which focused on the importance of personal responsibility in the communication mix, was hosted by the Monash Africa Centre and the Monash Business Communication Initiative, on 30 August 2011.

The Monash Business Communication Initiative is a partnership initiative beween Monash South Africa and Stone.

Terry Volkwyn, CEO of Primedia and Reana Rossouw, CEO of Next Generation Consultants engaged the audience on the effective use of communication as a key driver for successful corporate social investment. The success of the forum was evident through the enthusiastic audience participation.

Terry Volkwyn shared the very effective communication approach for social change as used by the Lead SA initiative. Volkwyn said: “Lead SA promotes the idea that each individual can, by making even a small personal contribution, make a positive change to the circumstances of others and can in this way stand tall and be proud to be South African. Lead SA is a personal call to every citizen to make a difference. It emphasises that each act, from smiling at a stranger to fighting to further the rights entrenched in our Constitution, can make a difference”.

Reana Rossouw, CEO of Next Generation, focussed on effective communication in CSI implementation.  According to Rossouw, rewarding outcomes of CSI investment and implementation depend largely on the communication channels employed at the outset of the project and on creating sustainable relationships throughout the process.  She stressed that: “Communication is an engagement process, not just a push.”

The common message relayed to the audience was that all South Africans, whether individually or in a business environment, have the capacity and responsibility to drive change in South Africa.  However, the way we communicate before, during and after the initiative will influence its outcome. Strategic and effective communication unlocks the value that CSI initiatives aim to achieve.

“The attendees gained insights into the importance of communicating correctly to drive change in South Africa, whether it is through formal or informal channels on a social, personal or business level. The response from the audience made the session very interesting and provoked some healthy conversations,” said Willem Eksteen, Stone founder and partner in the Monash Business Communication Initiative.

The delegates agreed that building relationships and communicating with specific relevant audiences during the implementation of a CSI project is critical to delivering real value, otherwise it is reduced to being only a reputation management tool.  

The Lead SA programme had an overwhelming response from the audience, with everyone agreeing that individual South Africans can make a difference.

The Monash Business Communication Forum was hosted as one of the activities of the Monash Africa Centre, a joint initiative between the Vice-Chancellor of Monash University (Australia), Prof Ed Byrne and the Pro Vice-Chancellor and President of Monash South Africa, Prof Tyrone Pretorius. The Centre is located within the research portfolio at Monash South Africa.