PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSORS

---

Talent Management Perspectives

Published January 2009

Communication in a Crisis

  Agatha Gilmore

When times get tough, C-level executives and frontline employees alike can hunker down and keep quiet for fear of rocking the boat. But that's exactly when communication needs to be put front and center, said Tony Jeary, author of the book Strategic Acceleration: Succeed at the Speed of Life, due out in March.

"Whether you're at the very top of the organization or you run a department of six people, clarity of vision is important," Jeary said. "Being able to have people understand where they're spending their time and how it relates to that vision is just so important."

While effective corporate communication is always a significant issue, in times of crisis it's critical for success because it can unite the workforce, increase engagement and boost productivity.

"What you want people to do is relate their high-leverage activities — what they're doing — to the execution of the vision of your department, of your organization, of your group," Jeary said.

There are several ways talent managers can help facilitate effective communication during these uncertain times. First, they should make sure the messages being conveyed are consistent across all levels of the organization, within all departments. Oftentimes, executives will deliver a message to five or 10 direct reports, each of whom will take their own notes — and the result is five or 10 different interpretations, Jeary said.

"We encourage people to look for tools [they] can use that would really help cascade [the message] down more consistently," he said. "That could be a one-page summary sheet, it could be a PowerPoint deck that you hand out, it could be a creative document that you use — such as a vision document — so that people have that same [message]."

Enterprise- or department-wide meetings also come in handy. Jeary said one of his clients — the city manager of Irving, Texas, who oversees more than 20 other city directors — has been holding special meetings to ensure effective communication.

Further, any kind of internal communication around changes to business strategy or function always should include the reasoning behind the new plans, Jeary said.

"One of the biggest mistakes people make is not giving their people the 'whys,'" he explained. "They might give them direction, [and employees] might have clarity of where they're going, but if the clarity doesn't include the 'why,' sometimes there's a disconnect. Giving people the 'why' is a big piece; then they can have that voluntary ownership, that voluntary movement, day in and day out, to help make the execution a reality."

Finally, talent managers should recognize they also are part of the workforce, and their communication to senior leaders also must be clear and consistent. They should make sure they're in frequent contact with the C-suite and also stress the importance of enterprise-wide communication so all senior leaders feel comfortable investing time and resources to improving it.     

---

 

---