Delivering difficult messages is at the very core of dealing with the tough situations many leaders face.

I was working with a leader who was preparing to make some significant changes in his organization’s structure, including people changes. As we talked more, and his eyes welled up with tears, I realized how tough these decisions were for him. In the end, it was the right thing to do—his customers’ needs had changed; the market had changed, and his organization wasn’t set up for success. 

As I often say, “You can’t NOT communicate,” but leaders often figure they can avoid communicating with their teams and just focus on the “important work.” Here’s what leaders don’t realize: They are already communicating whether or not they intend to. It is human nature for others to read into our actions based on their perceptions. And as we know, actions speak louder than words.

Plan Ahead to Prevent Cleaning Up a Mess Later

A client recently realized that she wants to smile more. Having seen herself on a number of corporate videos and in virtual meetings, she’s made a note that when she smiles in her delivery, she conveys her excitement more naturally, is more motivating, and overall, comes off as more like herself. 

Smiling naturally is a powerful way to connect with others and can positively impact how we feel as well.

Here are some suggestions to help you smile more:

When you don’t have position power in a situation, or don’t want to use your position power, which is almost always the wise choice, you need to use your influence.

What is Influence?

Influence is the ability to impact or change how a person thinks, feels, or acts. Since communication at its finest is about moving others to action, to change how people behave, first you need to change how they think.

Ask any journalist and they can tell you about the 5 Ws and an H. Any solid news story covers those six basic ingredients. The same is true for communicating inside an organization, especially as it relates to sharing a compelling vision or guiding decisions about the future.

Want to ensure you don’t forget a critical detail in your communications? Think 5 Ws and an H to ensure you're capturing important perspective, sharing the all-important context, and making it relevant for your audience.