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October 30, 2008
Communicating during uncertain times: Q&A, part 1
Yesterday I facilitated a webcast for Thomson Reuters on “Engaging Employees During Uncertain Times,” which was very well attended: More than 400 people participated.
Although we allocated 30 minutes for Q&A, participants had so many questions that I couldn’t address them all. So I committed to answering them in my web log over the next couple of days. Here are the first seven:
Q: Senior leaders tend to rely on scripts when talking about tough subjects. What are some ways to help leaders feel more comfortable talking more freely, so they are more authentic and genuine?
A: Achieving authenticity doesn’t mean throwing out scripts (or, more appropriately, talking points)—leaders understandably find it helpful to have guidelines. But what happens in uncertain times is that leaders can’t expect to have everything figured out. They simply won’t have all the answers. So leaders need to be persuaded to communicate even when they don’t know everything, and to say: “We don’t know yet.” “We’re working on that.” “We’ll get back to you by (date).” By doing so, leaders will seem genuine, because they’re speaking the unvarnished truth.
Q: Can you talk more about the idea of communicating when you have nothing to communicate? I’m intrigued!
A: Even if we weren’t in a financial crisis, the fact is that the nature of communication is changing: from the dissemination of finished, polished content to a free exchange of user-created, work-in-progress stuff. It’s like the difference between a prime-time television show and You Tube: one is created by pros in Hollywood for us to watch, the other is open to all to create, watch, rate, share, etc. So the current uncertainty just punctuates this phenomenon—employees need communication right now before senior leaders are “ready” to “send” a finished message. The opportunity is for the organization to engage employees in communication that is a lot closer to open dialogue than finished production.
Q: How do we find out what best practices are for employee communication and which companies are considered to be doing it well?
A: There are lots of places to go to learn about best practices. Here are just a few:
- Davis & Company’s web site and our electronic newsletter, Smart tips
- The International Association of Business Communicators
- PRSA (Public Relations Society of America)’s Employe Communications Section
- Melcrum
- Ragan Communications
Q: In your presentation, you provided stats on how employees are feeling. Can you share those?
A: Weber Shandwick conducted a national survey on how leaders aren’t communicating with employees about the financial crisis. Key results:
- 54% have not heard from company leaders at all on the impact on their company
- 70% expect the situation will have a negative impact on their company
- 71% feel their company’s leadership should be communicating more
Q: What is the best way to address pending layoffs as a way to make the company more nimble and agile?
A: I have to ask: Is “making the company more nimble and agile” really the reason for layoffs, or is doing layoffs simply a cost-cutting move? Because if “more nimble and agile” is spin, employees will see it from a mile away. If, however, senior leaders really believe that layoffs will help create a leaner, faster-moving organization, than play it straight. Explain how it’s going to work. Prepare to answer a lot of tough questions from smart employees, trying to poke holes in the assumption. The more leaders answer those questions, the more convinced employees will be that it’s true.
Q: How should a communications director communicate to a communications team that is about to be downsized through integration of branches? So far all questions are answered with “I don’t know” and “I don’t know when.”
A: This is a tough one, because I don’t have enough information to determine whether the communications director is telling the truth (because he/she really doesn’t know) or is obfuscating. If he/she is telling the truth, it would be great if he/she could give some indication about when he/she will be able to communicate. (If he/she is not telling the truth, shame on him/her!)
Q: Are there any tips for disassociating plans that have been in progress for a long time (e.g., a reorganization) from the current economic climate?
A:This is similar to the layoff question above. The simplest answer is: Tell the truth. Explain why. Be prepared to give details about how and when the reorganization plan was conceived, and also to answer lots of tough questions as employees try to poke holes in the story.
Posted by Alison Davis at October 30, 2008 03:04 PM