With the rapid evolvement of technology and communication tools the opportunity exists to raise communication levels to a totally new level. Unfortunately the reality for many businesses however is that communication remains largely ineffective. Although there are many reasons for this, often it is a fundamental lack of discipline that is the key contributor. It is this discipline that drives behavior and allows communication to become a deliberate and timely strategy of informing, updating and listening. Here are a few communication tips for leaders:
1. Plan, plan, plan. Too often, the excuse for not planning a communication strategy is that ‘I am always talking to my team’. Maybe so, but at best this delivers an inconsistent and irregular message. A communication strategy should be an integral part of the annual business plan.
2. Use variety. Most businesses will benefit from a variety of media and frequencies to deliver the message. The traditional meeting still has its place, and implemented alongside newsletters, forums and social networking platforms, there is no excuse for the message not to be clearly understood.
3. Solicit feedback. An annual culture survey will give some great feedback on the culture of the business from your team’s perspective. Their perception is their reality, so look for the trends that emerge and implement a few key strategies to address these. Remember that a few strategies implemented well will always be better received than several strategies implemented poorly.
4. Encourage participation. Communication strategies which include input from your team members often enhance the experience. In particular, meetings traditionally consist of senior management dominating the time available with little input from others in the room. Try reversing this so that participants present their areas of responsibility and accountability to the team, highlighting the successes and identifying areas of support required. This allows the senior managers to provide a more strategic perspective which cannot be provided by others. Newsletters and social networking forums also provide opportunities for wider involvement.
5. Understanding self and others. A tool to assist with understanding communication styles can be enormously beneficial in improving communication within a workplace. There are several instruments available – I recommend and use DISC. DISC behavior profiling is cost-effective, simple to administer and importantly does not require interpretation as the reports are written in plain language. Communication should not be difficult. It is certainly as much art as science and what works well for one business may not work for others. However, it starts with discipline and focus.
