Six steps for effective communication
Edition 2 - Managing risk as teams go back to work
As business regroups and enters the next stage of the C19 environment there is a heightened responsibility to manage the many risks involved – not least the people management risks. We are working with clients to help them identify some key issues and equip their managers with tools and techniques to address them.
Our aim is to approach this from the perspective of the line manager and help build a tool kit for them to reach into, no matter how busy their day-to-day activity seems to be, and give them knowledge and confidence to manage their teams well as we head into the uncertainties of 2021 and teams return to work in some way, shape or form.
Over the next few weeks our articles will be focussed on some common issues, with an opportunity to download a few short, practical guides or key steps from our well-established Management Development Program (MDP) which may be of value to you or your teams.
In this edition we are drawing on the Communications Module of our MDP.
Possibly one of the good things that has emerged from our various lockdown experiences during C-19 is that we were forced to re-examine our communication methods – and then develop our communication skills. As well as needing to ask effective questions and listen actively, many of us learned that we had to take responsibility for the quality of our own communication and our experiences reminded us that not only do we need to be clear on what we want to communicate but we need to select the right time, place and method – and this might be quite different with different people with whom we interact.
After persevering with our various screen time methods in the past year, a risk we now face is that we may have a new default to any one form of electronic and/or distance communication. Let’s not. Let’s use this time to re-set.
There are many elements to good communication but applying some basic principles can make a big difference.
Using a Six Step Model is a good start:
6 Steps for effective communication
Context or Background – Why am I communicating? What is the reason for the communication; what is my objective/what do I want to achieve? How will I know I’ve achieved it?
The Message – What exactly is to be communicated
The Audience – Who am I aiming this message at? How well do I know them? What will be the impact of the objective on them? Do I need their authority or assistance? How do they best receive information? Do they prefer to hear from me or see me? Do they best assimilate lengthy text or short bullet points or charts/images? Do they typically interact promptly or are most effective when they’ve had time to consider? Do I know their Team Role type to help me know their preferences better?
The Method – How do I send this message most effectively? What can I use from Step 3 to help me select the most appropriate method for this person (or group) in this circumstance? NOT – how do I prefer to send a message!
Feedback required – What response or action do I need? What should specifically happen to indicate the message has been received correctly? What measures did I build in to my Objective in Step 1? Have they been demonstrated?
Any further action – What needs to happen next? What was the conclusion from Step 5? Any further action or can I be satisfied with an effective communication completed?
A risk for busy managers is that we start and stop at Step 2 only. Investing the time for practising the discipline of using all six steps is worthwhile and will nearly always save time in the long run.
As some of us return to the workplace, and some don’t or perhaps they return to different jobs, some new people join, and clients/customers and suppliers readjust, as managers we have a responsibility to manage communication within our team, and beyond, as part of the Co-ordinating part of our role.
A practical way managers can do this is by asking themselves three key questions:
In order to do my job well, who do I have a relationship with?
How effective is each relationship? How may this have changed during recent months?
What do I need to do to improve or maintain each relationship?
Time invested in communicating and relationship building in this early part of the year will set the scene to be better equipped to “get things done through others”. That doesn’t mean the manager can slack off later with nothing to do themselves – it does mean the manager and team, colleagues, customers and suppliers will enjoy better performance and satisfaction as the new challenges kick in!
Click here to download a Relationships Role Map template from our MDP to identify key relationships, assess their quality and plan any needed improvements.
In our next update we’ll explore some other ways of supporting managers to deal with the challenges they are likely to face as business rebuilds in 2021.