The broadcast of these communications should never be a surprise. That isn’t to say that everyone will know the news in advance!

It’s about communication. It’s about honesty. It’s about treating people in the organization as deserving to know the facts. You don’t try to give them half the story. You don’t try to hide the story. You treat them as — as true equals, and you communicate and you communicate and communicate.

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.

Some common pitfalls

Oversharing

At senior levels you will be privy to information that isn’t suitable for general consumption. Best to keep that in your head and discuss behind closed doors. However, this information can give vital context to issues that might need raising. Think hard about the impact before sharing, and the potential impact of not sharing.

Under-sharing

Ok, so that might not be in the dictionary, but humour me!

Simply stating “we’ve won a new client” is totally useless to anyone. Who? How much? What type of work? Why? Don’t leave those questions unanswered.

The why is always the most important bit.

Consistency

This one is deceptively simple. Make sure everyone (and every medium) is saying the same thing. Moreover, make sure that actions and events speak to the same message. Remember — your team reads what you broadcast externally too.

Relevance

Without relevance your team will switch off, disconnect, and enjoy the break you’re giving them as you tell them about your latest overseas trip… they’re simply not bothered. This is bad.

Ensure that the news you are sharing directly impacts your team. Yes, that might include the balance sheet!

Some advice

Deliver bad news well

You’ve lost your biggest client. People need to know. They need to know why. They need to know what we’re doing about it. They need to know the impact on them, their jobs. Hopefully they’ll want to know why & how to avoid it happening again.

Don’t surround bad news with good. A shit-sandwich will devalue the positive steps that need taking and the lessons that need learning. Ideally, the first time you share bad news shouldn’t be the first time you’ve addressed your team.

If you’re going to name people…

…make sure you know who you’re not naming! People will pick up on what’s not being said, as much as what is.

Timing

Applying scrum principles, keep the broadcasts in the same place, at an agreed time and format and give them a timebox. (I’d suggest weekly for no more than 15 minutes)

Format

People don’t all take on board information in the same way. Disseminate notes afterwards. Follow up with an email or pick up with individuals one on one if necessary afterwards.

It’s highly likely that you’ll also be addressing remote workers. Make sure that your conferencing solution is up to it and don’t make getting that to work the first 10 mins of the broadcast!

Presenter

The more you present the easier it becomes, but... if you simply aren’t any good at public speaking, get someone else to do it! There’s nothing worse than listening to a bad speaker.

Make sure your nominee understands the message(s) and give them time to prepare.

Ask for questions and feedback

Giving people an open forum for challenging you is healthy. Answer honestly. Raise the question at the next regular communication if you cannot answer immediately.

So what?

Done well, regularly sharing information makes everyone feel like part of a team. They will pull for a common purpose — the correct purpose that you’ve been able to set. They see that their actions are delivering results.

You’ll avoid the coffee machine gossip and control the message. You’ll avoid Chinese whispers. (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDo7R-9EYfk if you’re not sure what I mean here!)

You’ll have a chance to course-correct before it’s too late.

So, what do you do to make sure everyone is on the same page? Let me know.

Thank you for reading.

(First published on Medium, 26th March 2019 pre-ai revolution)

https://medium.com/@adrenalinehit/getting-the-message-469d0565d2b8