An effective communication strategy is built on these five steps:
HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL
“Communications is not our core business, but a strategy to help us achieve our goals. It underlies everything we
do, and is a skill that all leaders need for success.”
—CEO, major oil and gas companyLeaders often need to communicate with large and geographically dispersed groups of employ-
ees. Here is an example of effective leadership communication that will help you think
through how you might manage communications within your organization. The General
Manager of a production facility announced a new health and safety program, with the objec-
tive of getting buy-in and active cooperation from all plant employees. The problem was that
employees operated in round-the-clock shifts and were not available at one time, or in one
place, to receive the information. The communication process the General Manager used
proved to be successful. It demonstrates the effective use of multiple methods of communica-
tion, repeated over time.
➠ The General Manager introduced the new health and safety program at an employee
“town hall meeting,” articulating the vision, context, and goals for the program.
➠ The Health and Safety Manager reinforced this message, providing further information
at many workgroup and team meetings.
➠ The program was discussed at the monthly health and safety meeting of team leaders.
➠ All employees received a memo about the new program, distributed through individu-
al mail slots.
➠ A notice was circulated to all shift supervisors, asking them to bring the new program
to the attention of employees at the start of their shifts.
➠ A supporting e-mail was distributed, and the same information was posted on bulletin
boards.
➠ The original information was reinforced with supporting messages for the next several
months, to ensure that the new program was well understood.240 SECTION 8 TOOLS FORCOMMUNICATION
Be clear on what is to be achieved.Put statements in easily understood language.Information is made relevant by connecting it
to current organizational situations or goals.
Information is communicated more than once
and in more than one way.Get input from employees on the outcome and
the process of the communication.What do we want employees to do as a result of
their receiving this information?
What key information do employees need?Why is it important for employees to understand
and act on this information?
What other methods should we use to ensure that
employees understand essential information?How was the information received and what
impact did it have?OutcomeMessagesContextReinforcementFeedbackStep What is needed Key questions for leaders