Whether or not you’ve spent some quality-time with a child as of late, you’re likely familiar with the “why” game. No matter the topic at hand, the adult shares information and the child responds with “why?”—it can be a never-ending and sometimes maddening exchange. Still, it does serve an important purpose in development for both children and in the workplace as well.
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It’s never easy to communicate difficult information to a group of employees. With today’s distributed workforce, those challenging moments can feel even harder. Though difficult, it’s these messages that sometimes stand out the most in employees minds and can impact morale moving forward. That’s why it’s important to prepare for tough conversations rather than shooting from the hip.
You can start by knowing and applying these six essential steps:
Read MoreTags: Internal Communication, Communication Skills, Feedback/Trust
Strategic planning can be an intense process and it makes sense to celebrate when the plan is complete, but that doesn’t mean all the work is done. In fact, having a strategy is really just the first step. What you do with that strategy is what makes or breaks a business.
Of course, implementation is key, but there’s a step in between that is all too often overlooked and under-appreciated: communicating the strategy. This means making sure everyone is literally on the same page in understanding the components of the strategy and how to implement it.
All too often, strategies contain words or concepts that take on as many meanings and interpretations as the number of people who read them.
This is the time of year I like to reflect on what’s worked well over the past several months, so I can take what has forward as I plan for the year ahead. If you find yourself with a few extra minutes, take a look here at some of our recent most-read content. There’s a great variety of posts with quick tips and strategies to help you lead and communicate in engaging ways.
Top content ranges from how to create an internal communications plan and when and when not to use email, to advice from leaders I’ve interviewed on showing their human side and building a more inclusive and diverse workplaces. There’s also guidance on how to answer difficult questions from your team, retain employees, communicate in a crisis, and more.
Tags: Communication Skills, Leadership Effectiveness & Planning
Sending along a message or announcement from your boss to your team with no context surely won’t resonate with employees, especially on the important matters that mean so much to driving the business forward.
Don’t be a copy-cat communicator. Your job is to take information and make it relevant for your employees. Think about how to make it:
Read MoreTags: Communication Skills
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.
Read MoreTags: Leadership Communication, Communication Skills, Authenticity
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.
Tags: Communication Skills
Employee to manager: “I’m starving!” Some food for thought on the difference between information and communication: employees are bombarded with information but starved for meaning.
Communication only occurs when an exchange results in shared meaning. Communication is all about facilitating dialogue. To build a successful team, you need to create a culture where it’s safe to dialogue about issues to ensure the smartest decisions possible.
What comes to your mind when you think about the world’s great leaders? Often, it’s how they inspired people or organizations to achieve greatness. Or a stirring speech that delivered a compelling message. The fact is, most great leaders are also great communicators.
In organizations, the best leadercommunicators bring their vision to life in a way that connects employee needs to company priorities and business goals. They not only plan how they’ll communicate, but also ensure they are delivering a strategic message that will inspire employees to positive action.
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.
Tags: Communication Skills
