Persuade Your Managers There’s all the time time to speak
I often hear from executives: "I don't have time to communicate." It seems that this statement comes from the perception that either there is not enough time to create a plan or that more could be done in the time saved by creating or sharing a plan. As a communicator, you probably hear that too.
If your leader thinks there is no time to communicate, you can hear him or her say things like:
- "I am too busy."
- "I'd rather focus on my business priorities and leave communication to the communications team."
- "There are more important activities than communication."
- "Our stakeholders don't really need to know and / or already know (fill in the blank)."
These "no time" expressions should act as a guide to set off the alarm for the need for communication. Work on building your leader's understanding that leadership and communication really cannot be separated.
You might be thinking where do I start? Your solution should include discussions with your manager as well as some action on your part, which we provide tips on below.
Here is a starting point to talk to your leader. Pick the one that you think is the best stepping stone:
- "You can't communicate. Everything you do communicates something – who you recognize and reward, what you focus on, how you spend your time – really everything."
- "To be effective in communication, you have to be focused, and that requires planning."
- "You can't afford NOT to take the time. If you don't have time to communicate, you don't have time to lead."
- "By planning your communications in advance, you can avoid cluttering up later." This is a natural place, to give an example of not planning what was not so good for the leader.
- "You can't assume that everyone shares your point of view and understanding on important issues. Either you are helping people know what you are thinking or they are filling in the gaps themselves."
- “Every opportunity to communicate is a chance to bring more of you to your team. to help them get to know you and what is important to you. "
- "I can help you maximize your communications to meet your business goals, which will save you time in the end."
Show your leader the importance of taking time to communicate:
- Model what you want to see – Plan your communication with your leader, and you can also provide assistance by helping plan communication for them.
- Look for "high visibility, high impact, low resilience" for your leader – This can be as simple as walking around the halls and engaging with staff at a safe distance, dropping by for a team zoom lunch, checking in with them on the phone, or proactively bringing up a discussed topic in an upcoming town hall.
- Share industry / competition-related best practices or research related to communication – Bring evidence to your supervisor, e.g. B. the latest communication data to support your recommendations.
- Measure the impact of communication with executives – This can be done in a number of ways, from the simple question of how your manager asks coworkers and co-workers how they think they are communicating and reading the body language of those your manager is speaking to, to a more formal process such as Survey of your leader's communication effectiveness.
- Have your own mini business case ready for the role of communication – Your elevator speech, evidence points (employee data) and stories (including success stories from other business areas) so your manager can see the benefits.
If you're wondering how to have this conversation with your leader, we have a tool that can help. Try This Free 5 Step Planning Tool – Take 5 to Communicate Well – to make your communication more planned and targeted. As I said, it all starts with being a role model, what you want to see.
How will you show your leader the importance of taking time to communicate?
– –David Grossman
To map your communication, be it for a person (i.e. your leader), a group, or an organization. A more focused communication can only take five minutes.
Click below to download your free copy of the tool – Take 5 ™ Planning Template – today!
