Part Three in a Five-Part Series on Communication and Cultures of Trust
For the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring the relationship between trust and communication. This is one of the central themes of The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust, the new book Dr. Katherine A. Meese and I coauthored. Good communication builds trust between leaders and employees, which is why it is so important for leaders to be well-trained in this area.
In last week’s column, we talked about what keeps leaders from communicating well. This week, we’ll talk about another part of the equation: making sure. Even if you think you’ve communicated something—even if you have said it more than once and via more than one method—that doesn’t necessarily mean that employees heard and understood.
Both parties have a responsibility here. First, let’s discuss what leaders can do to create the best odds for being heard. Then, we’ll share some tips for how better to engage employees in communication.
“Best-Odds” Tips For Leaders:
Make messages simple and clear. Use simple words and short sentences. Think carefully about the message structure. Figure out the main takeaway you want to convey and work backward from there—don’t lead with the details.
Keep messaging consistent. A big challenge of communicating with groups is that not everyone hears what we say the same way. When sharing information that’s meant to be cascaded, standardize the talking points. Consistency is everything.
Watch the timing of your messages. Be sensitive to how employees might be feeling. Celebratory messages that come when employees are feeling overwhelmed, burned out, and exhausted can have the potential to damage trust or create a perception that leaders don’t care.
These tactics help move communication from sporadic and random to consistent and unified. The more people hear the same messages at the same time, the better they will understand what they need to do, the less anxious they will be, and the more effective your organization will become.
Get employee input. What does good communication look like? Take time to meet with those you lead. Share that communication is important, for you want to make sure they always feel informed and can provide input. Then, go around the room and ask each person to weigh in on these questions. Drill down and ask people to clarify until you get specific answers (and capture those answers). The idea is to get everyone on the same page.
Share a time when communication was excellent. What made it excellent?
Share a time when communication could have been better. Why?
What information is most important to you?
How do you like to receive information?
Talk about their responsibility in the process. Reiterate that communication is a two-way street. Just as leaders have the responsibility to share important information, employees have the responsibility to open and read emails and view videos.
Ask for their suggestions. What should be done to ensure that you and your coworkers open, read, or view the communication that is sent out? My experience is that they will quickly come up with ways to assure that their peers are in the loop.
Hold one-on-one meetings with employees. As leaders, we tend to feel that the receiver of our communication is interpreting it the way we assume they are. Maybe not. We want to create a safe way to learn more. Hold a one-on-one meeting with each person you lead. Share that you are working to be a better communicator and would like their help. After the meeting, ask them what their takeaways are. This lets people know you are working on your communication and helps you improve your communication skills.
Remember, all of this is intended to increase trust levels in the organization. Next week, please check back in for some questions to ask that spark trust-building conversations.
