Analysis of Audience Feedback In Internal Meetings Are Vital To Success of Corporate Acquisition

Marisa, an operations manager, joins her co-workers at an all-hands meeting. She connects with manufacturing supervisor Gary to discuss the company’s acquisition, the main agenda item of the day.

Their CEO, Andrew, promised each employee concern regarding the acquisition would be heard during today’s meeting. Despite assurances, Marisa and Gary agree that being heard in an audience of 300 apprehensive employees will be difficult.  Many of these employees fear job loss, company closure, or worse.

Marisa and Gary’s concerns over how their voices will stand out are quelled as they are handed IML Communicators.  They are told these communicators are loaded with both Message Manager and Question Wizard software.  Message Manager will enable each attendee to text questions directly to Andrew, even allowing them to do so anonymously.  Question Wizard software, meanwhile, will help display questions directly in Andrew’s PowerPoint so they can be seen by, and discussed with, the entire group.  

Candidly and directly, Andrew begins by asking audience members to share their biggest concerns regarding the acquisition.  Gary, Marisa and 300 other audience members nervously offer their insight courtesy of the voting system built into their IML Communicators.  Soon, Andrew’s PowerPoint fills with the results.  Over 75% of those in attendance were not confident they would be employed after the acquisition was finalized.

As CEO Andrew strives to allay the fears of the audience, his PowerPoint continues to fill with audience questions.

Being in charge of a large team of assembly line workers, Gary asks what he can say to calm the expansive staff for who he is responsible.

“The acquiring firm values a culture of honesty,” explains CEO Andrew. “Just as we do.  Based on the meetings I have had with the acquiring company, I don’t expect layoffs today, tomorrow, or 1 year from now.”

Andrew offers careful analysis prior to responding to all of the audience feedback he is provided.  Soon, the mood in the audience mood grows less fearful, more confident.

A final question from Marisa signals the end of the Q&A period and the end of the presentation.

“Five years from now, where do you see our company after this acquisition?” reads Andrew.

Five years have passed since that all-hands meeting ended and audience members turned in their IML Communicators.

Andrew’s assessment that no major layoffs or upheavals were in store proved true. Acquisition failure triggers, caused primarily by employee fear, were avoided. 

A great deal of credit for this successful acquisition goes to Andrew, who spoke to his employees with real-time analysis of audience feedback. And of course, to IML Communicators that transformed the feedback of 300 fearful employees into a positive and beneficial discussion.