four elements to creating positive leaders talk and do effectively
A senior executive once commented on the repetition of her messages. "I'm tired of sharing the same messages and stories," she complained after the umpteenth message on a crucial topic.
My answer: “I hear you. That is progress. Because that means you are consistent for a wide variety of audiences. "
In a multi-message culture Information overloadand changing priorities often, I knew we were going somewhere. We had a number of key messages that we repeated frequently and in an adapted manner for multiple audiences. Sure, it was a reasonable strategy, but it wasn't common practice (and often more difficult than you might think).
A more focused communication can only take five minutes. Download this popular (and free) tool, Take 5 ™ Planning Template, to get you started. Use this template to map your communication to a person, group or organization. Click here to get started.
Consistency of the message creates trust and gets people to act
How do employees know what is important and what they should pay attention to? Ideally, they'll hear it from the CEO. It is made relevant by your manager. It is reinforced by executives. You could read it online. And just as important is that they notice that actions within the company reflect the words.
In order to build trust and credibility and to get people to act, it is about the consistency of messages across points of contact, which are secured operationally. Words and actions are coordinated and there is a deliberate repetition.
4 essential components
To ensure that supervisors and managers do their part in building trust and improving performance, Four components are critical to success::
- You have been told it is your responsibility
- You are trained
- They get the tools they need and
- They are regularly measured by how well they communicate.
Skip one and your results will be less effective. You need all four components for maximum results.
By the way, these are the reasons why many managers are not great communicators. They are not held accountable and have never been trained. Both have to go hand in hand.
How well do your words match your actions? It's incredibly hard work, but nothing generates the buy-in you want faster. And that also means the results you want.
What messages do you have to repeat until you get tired of saying them?
– David Grossman
Plan your communication – whether to a colleague, your team or company-wide – in just 5 minutes. Click the image below to download your copy of this free tool – Take 5 ™ Planning Template.
