Change for Good > Meaningful Communication
Meaningful Communication
Meaningful connections can steer the energy of an organization to ride the wave of change instead of being swept by it.
Earlier in this series we covered productivity during times of change, this time we dive deeper into the topic of communication. Communication is a much recited mantra in management manuals often resulting in more meetings, emails, chats, texts and videoconference calls. In a recent article in Mindful, Dr. Steve Hickman describes Zoom Exhaustion as a real phenomenon. As much as we crave connecting with others on a Zoom call, if we are with several people online at the same time, we are simultaneously processing visual cues from all of those people in a way we never have to do around a conference table. As the means of communicating multiplies and crosses a certain threshold, the chatter of the latest organizational initiative can devolve into noise. In this time of change, we can’t afford noise.
While we suggest that you gather less, we are advocates of gathering better. As you host meetings, define your time together by declaring the purpose and the desired outcome at the beginning. Make it obvious. Otherwise, people tend to think, “The purpose of the meeting is to catch up.” Priya Parker, author of the Art of Gathering suggests catching up offline and making decisions in person or at least face to face. Meeting face to face means you have important things to do. By no means is this a rigid prescription to your meetings, but a rhythm you can apply to keep your meetings productive.
Improve Video Communication
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In pursuing better meetings, what if active listening became a part of your change initiative? Meaningful connections between people, talking and listening can marshall the energy of the whole organization to ride the wave of change instead of being swept by it. Listening to others is by no means relinquishing leadership. Listening and inviting feedback can create a catalyst for change and move the organization forward in significant ways. Let’s raise the bar of communication to be of better quality.
“Great leaders can cut through the clutter of conflicting data and opinions, identifying the areas that need attention and allocating resources accordingly. They quickly develop and communicate a point of view on the best path forward, providing a welcome sense of direction to an organisation that might otherwise be paralyzed by indecision.”
– Leadership Through Uncertainty, Russell Reynolds Associates
Communication Tips
Focus on Phrases
There are some phrases that can be helpful to keep in mind when communicating with your team through change. Some examples could be: “We're all going through this change. It's important that we stick together” or “Let’s all be here for each other. It’s better to over-communicate than under- communicate.” Using clear, encouraging, and reassuring language is significant in times of uncertainty.
Encourage Friendship Amongst the Team
Research shows that work relationships play a significant role in employee engagement, so it is beneficial for team leaders and team members to communicate and encourage a friendly virtual workspace, where amiable conversation is welcome.
Prioritize Communication Tools
Prioritize communication tools and clearly define what type of conversations should go in each one. For Example, emails are for conversations with those outside the organization: clients, vendors, public. It leaves a clear thread of communication that can be referenced.
My User Manual
Download My User Manual, from our Better Teams workshops.
When you’re just forming as a team, or when a new member joins, it’s worth taking the time to share your personal work style. Do you prefer chat or email? What time of day do you do your best heads-down deep work? Are you cool with impromptu video calls?
Download the slide template and have each team member fill it out. You can set up a meeting to discuss them in real-time, or share the decks around so people can review them asynchronously. Either way, collect the decks in a central repository where future team members can access them.
Adapted from WorkLife. Atlassian. The Best Virtual Team Building Activities, According to Real Remote Workers.
Fill out the form below to download this free template!
Resources
We have bookmarked, tagged and saved hundreds of resources from our favorite sources. Here are a few that are resonating and inspiring us right now:
Articles:
Ways to Transition Staff Smoothly During Periods of Change
Michigan Medical School
A key component for managing both change and transition is 'communication'. Everything needs to be communicated about a change: what is changing, what is not changing, who will be impacted, how we will be impacted, what we will have to give up.
Phrases That Help:
1. "I'm giving you today's truth. It may change tomorrow."
2. "This is what I know is changing. This is what is not changing."
3. "I'm giving you all the information I have. I don't know anything else."
4. "We're all going through the same change. It's important that we stick together."
5. "Keep communicating."
5 Research backed Ways to Effectively Manage Remote Teams
Prialto
Managing remote teams requires leaders to “double down on the fundamentals of good management, including establishing clear goals, running great meetings, communicating clearly, and leveraging team members' individual and collective strengths.” Instead, leaders must be highly intentional about providing the information, structures, and resources their remote teams need to execute a single vision from all around the world.
Here are five actions that everyone leading a remote team must take:
1) Create Structures For Transparency And Accountability
2) Systematically Keep Everyone in the Loop
3) Have a Robust Resource Library
4) Schedule Biweekly Brainstorming Meetings
5) Encourage Employees to Develop Friendships
Can You Manage Employees You Rarely See?
Gallup
According to Gallup's State of the American Workplace report, many organizations are realizing that creating flexible work arrangements is attractive to both the employee and the organization. Employees who work remotely some of the time show greater levels of engagement, and 35% of employees say they would change jobs to have flexible working locations where they can choose to work off-site full time.
Tactics the best managers use:
1. Be intentional.
2. Know the needs of your followers.
3. Create a virtual community.
4. Meet in person.
Collaboration In The Time of Coronavirus
Forbes
If done well, virtual has some unique qualities that can actually make it better than being there. In this scary and uncertain time, there is one no-regrets move that you as a leader can make today: take your team’s virtual collaboration game to the next level with these proven strategies:
First, Put The Basics In Place:
1. Invest In The Supporting Technology
2. Make Video The Norm
Then Make Virtual Even Better Than Being There:
1. Make Meetings More Engaging And Inclusive
Keep Everyone Connected And In The Loop
1. Using your group messaging platform, establish channels that enable the transparent, relevant, frequent, and on-demand flow of information.
Keep Teamwork Alive Working From Home During Coronavirus
Wirecutter
1. Encourage virtual water cooler talk: Shooting the breeze with co-workers doesn’t necessarily come at the expense of focused work; there’s some evidence that small breaks boost productivity. To keep camaraderie alive online, it’s helpful to designate a place for casual conversation; in a group-chat application like Slack, it can be as simple as setting up a chat room called #random or #watercooler. Be ready with some icebreakers to set the tone; experience tells us that “Is a hot dog a sandwich?” is an especially juicy topic for debate.
2. Host a mini conference.
3. Play games.
4. Have lunch together.
5. Share some culture.
-Are you into books? Or maybe The Masked Singer? Chances are, some of your co-workers are as well. Start a chat channel where you agree to read the same book or watch the same episode and then discuss it the next week.
4 Exercises That Prove Listening Matters
IDEO
Listening and being heard is transformative.
Book and TED Talk:
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters Priya Parker Purchase
TED Talk: How to Create Meaningful Connections While Apart Priya Parker Watch
If we can understand what makes these gatherings effective and memorable, then we can reframe and redirect them to benefit everyone, host and guest alike. Parker defines a gathering as three or more people who come together for a specific purpose. When we understand why we gather, she says -- to acknowledge, to learn, to challenge, to change -- we learn how to organize gatherings that are relevant and memorable: from an effective business meeting to a thought-provoking conference; from a joyful wedding to a unifying family dinner. Drawing on her experience as a strategic facilitator who's worked with such organizations as the World Economic Forum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the retail company Fresh, Parker explains how ordinary people can create remarkable occasions, large and small. In dozens of fascinating examples, she breaks down the alchemy of these experiences to show what goes into the good ones and demonstrates how we can learn to incorporate those elements into all of our gatherings.