How can business leaders adapt the way they communicate with their remote working teams to have more impact?
We asked Annie Slowgrove, founder and CEO of executive coaching consultancy Fearless Engagement, about how to effectively lead and motivate employees when everyone is working remotely.
For business leaders, communication with their teams is more important now that it has ever been. Staying in touch with your employees, direct reports and colleagues is allowing us to keep our businesses operating, while reminding us all that we’re not alone – we’re in this together.
Be empathetic to the human cost of this crisis. First and foremost, our economy will recover, but our people may not! As leaders, they’re going to need our support and understanding. Communicate the challenge with transparency and optimism, conveying empathy for how people may feel.
Remember that in any kind of crisis, let alone one like this, change disrupts people’s expectations of their future. It unsettles their dreams and plans, reducing their sense of control. On average, the mental noise we each experience reduces our ability to process information by 80%, meaning that, under stress, people have difficulty hearing, understanding and recalling information. So, be empathetic and supportive.
Dos and don'ts for high-impact management communications
Dos
Keep messages concise and clear. Despite 30-minute virtual town hall meetings, or the email updates explaining all the ins-and-outs of your company’s response to the virus, maybe you aren’t breaking through the noise. So, keep the messages clear and concise, and think about using graphics, visual aids, analogies and personal anecdotes, which can improve processing by more than 50%.
Don'ts
As you look to the future, begin adapting communications towards offering an optimistic and realistic outlook. This can have a powerful effect on employees, inspiring them to support the organization’s recovery.
The critical things your overall communication style need during any crisis are transparency, purposeful calmness, overt optimism with an ear on reality, and positive message of unity: “we will get through this; together.”
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