Communications Plan for Success
There is an ancient proverb that states, the power of the tongue is life and death— those who love to talk will eat what it produces.
As a leader, we have an obligation to watch what we say knowing that the weight of our words brings inspiration or defeat. We can lift the workforce with encouragement or be callous or careless in our dialog that deflates and discourages the team we are leading. I know for a fact that when I was careless there were consequences in my work with others when I was not purposeful in my verbal communication.
I also know that a leader must become adept at knowing the team, reading the room, and have the ability to gauge what to say to the team and when. This is not about withholding anything; this is all about sharing the information in a manner that considers the individual or the audience to secure the best outcome. A leader has no control over how the information is received; they do have total control over how it is delivered. That delivery is something that should be considered prior and not squandered as times with your team are precious and not to be wasted.
When a leader is purposeful in their speech, they are elevating the needs of others in their care and concern in their leadership. In that mindset, it is important to balance encouragement, candor, and fact-based information. Sharing too much can lead to unnecessary concern or worry within the workforce. Sharing too little, or candy-coating details, damages trust. I found that keeping people informed regularly in sharing information was the best way for me to make connections while avoiding gaps in my leadership.
As you review or develop a personal leadership communications plan, I would suggest three things that were effective for me.
Be Intentional – Make communication a part of what you do daily as a leader in your meetings with individuals or groups of employees. Also in your written communications, remember that emails should not be books of information. Save those larger information dumps for those times when you are face-to-face with others. You cannot guarantee someone is reading a book that you have sent, yet you can expect that someone was listening and interacting in a meeting you shared together.
Be Open – Make room for opinions on the team to be expressed. Some of the best ideas in the room are not yours as the leader. Give your team the freedom to express in their communication their thoughts and opinions and give credit when a great idea is shared that will benefit others and the organization.
Be Consistent – Make sure that your communication plan is grounded in consistency. If you like sending an inspirational or informational communication to the team, do it on the same day each week to set expectation while avoid sending random and numerous other communications. When the team is bombarded with leadership emails, be assured they are not all being read. In some cases, avoided altogether.
What’s true with any art, practice and frequent execution are essential for a leader to grow in their communication skills. Remember, gauge the balance between what should be shared in person and what should be sent in writing. My rule is to value the opportunities to speak and be consistent to share in writing what I want the team to know.
If you would like help in developing your communications plan, send me an email and let’s have a conversation.
