Communication: modalities and a moratorium on reply-all's

Part 2 in a 6-part series about Communication

Part 2 // Map out your modalities

I think we can all agree that there is no skill more essential to leadership than communication. There are floods of articles and texts out there that claim to know the “right” or the “best" way to communicate.  We forget that our audiences, the very people we are communicating WITH, vary drastically.  We therefore must tailor our messages, our style, and even our modality to match the audience’s needs.  

 This is a 6 part series.  We’ll explore:

1. Define your primary and secondary audiences.  What do you specifically need from them in this message?  

2. Map out your modalities.  Which channels are best for each audience?

3. Target the call to action.  If they only take away 1 thing, what do you want it be? 

4. Be heard.  How will you sharpen your presence to command the attention you need?

5. Listen.  How will you create feedback mechanisms?  How will you manage ad-hoc questions? 

6. Follow up.  In which ways will you ensure the message was received?

Let's get to it!  >> 

There are 3 main modalities to communicate in a modern organization: Real-time instant message, email, company intranet, and of course in-person meeting or conference call.  I'll map out the plusses and minuses of each, below.  

Slack, Google Chat, or other company instant-messager

GOOD FOR: 

1. Informal company announcements  
   • "Happy work anniversary, Dave, thanks for your 3 years of service!"
   • "Extra cookies in the break room!"
2. Community news updates
   • "We were nominated Best Place To Work in Springfield quarterly!"
   • "Industry happy hour at the W Hotel at 5pm today, come join us!"
3. 1-hour (or less) countdown reminders of key events
   • Webinar starting in 45 mins!
   • Nominations for employee of the month close in an hour!

GREAT FOR (but often forgotten):

1. Polling/voting - many chat programs have this functionality available with an easy widget so the team can vote on informal matters, such as:
   • "Best place to take a client for dinner around the office?"  
2. Encouragement 
   • "Last week of the quarter - let's make it a good one!"
3. Congrats/"props" to team
   • "Congrats to team ABC for launching their new product today!"

DON'T YOU DARE:

1. Formal announcements and/or policy changes, especially related to HR, data security, or the like
2. Business-critical announcements or emergencies
3. Manager approval communications - or anything that needs formal leader approval and/or documentation

FINAL THOUGHTS:

If an employee misses a day on the company Slack due to customer obligations or vacation,  there should not be a penalty.  The employee will not - and should not- have to go back and sift through the chatter to find important info.  

“DON’T YOU DARE use Slack for formal announcements and/or policy changes, especially related to HR, data security, and the like.”

Company-wide email or company intranet

GOOD FOR: 

1. Formal organizational changes, policy changes, or official company news
   • Don't forget to proofread - - - - twice.
2. Business-stopping updates
   • "[system] will be down for 15 mins at 5:00pm on Wednesday for critical updates”
3. 24-hour notice of key events
   • "Don't forget - all-hands meeting tomorrow at 1pm"

GREAT FOR (but often forgotten):

1. Gathering feedback: try linking to surveys, idea-generation, and other feedback mechanisms
2. Philanthropic announcements
   • such as: volunteer events, donations made in company name, participation in community event

DON'T YOU DARE:

1. Ad hoc announcements like "cookies in the break room"
2. Happy Birthdays, especially if you have more than ~20 employees.
3. Any message that is reply-all-able

FINAL THOUGHTS:

• Not everyone checks their email instantaneously - expect a 48-hour turnaround 
• If a specific action is needed from every recipient - put “ACTION NEEDED” in the subject
• Do not send on Friday afternoon unless it’s related to Friday afternoon
• The message might be clear to you, but don’t assume no questions will be asked.  Put a specific point of contact for questions.
• It’s worth saying again: ensure there can be no reply-all's
• Did I mention that proofreading is essential?   

“The message might be crystal clear to you, but don’t assume no questions will be asked.”

Meetings (in-person or virtual)

Meetings - we love to hate them.  There is much to discuss about how to design a great meeting, but we'll stick to the basics for now, and focus on when to use them INSTEAD of email or Slack, and when to truly embrace them for good outcomes.

GOOD FOR: 

1. Reminders (in reference to those email or intranet messages)
2. Pre-announcements: if your team would benefit from knowledge before it is released to the larger audience
   1. For example: if you're announcing a new policy change, you will need to meet with the target team who will be primarily impacted - perhaps IT team, HR team, et al.
3. HR-matters related to hiring, promotions, attrition
   • "Extra cookies in the break room!"

GREAT FOR (but often forgotten):

1. Thank you's, Congrats, Milestones
2. Industry news and relevant risks or opportunities
3. Delivering bad company news (layoffs, team member leaving, lost account)

DON'T YOU DARE:

1. Personnel matters of a sensitive nature
2. Announcements that are so mundane they can be done via email

FINAL THOUGHTS:

• Have an agenda - don't wing it
• Request computers and phones down for the first 5 minutes
• Create pauses and "space" for questions.  Wait at least 20 seconds (it will feel like an eternity, but just stick with it and wait for questions).

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Photo courtesy of @benedettodemaio via Twenty20