By Priscilla Luzader Pipho

Communicating Success Stories

How will they know if we don’t tell them?

It’s no mystery that people want to stay informed. In the absence of information, people make up their own story. Since the grapevine is alive and well, why not give them what they want? Here’s a winning strategy to use this to your advantage so you can get your message across with little effort and big impact.

Share the good news

With any initiative you take on, whether strategic planning or culture transformation, be purposeful in how and what you communicate. Success is more certain when everyone understands where you are headed and can lend their support.  Include strategic communication in your planning so that the good news of what the organization is doing doesn’t just stay in the boardroom or the meeting room. 

Lift up your voice

The first step is to focus your leaders so they can convey a unified and consistent message. At the end of a strategy session ask the question “what will we convey?” so that everyone is on the same page. An aligned leadership team telling the same success story is a powerful force that removes ambiguity and creates credibility.  Since leaders interact with all groups of stakeholders – employees and customers alike – the weight of a well-timed message is amplified by the voices of your leaders.

Hungry for Information

In every employee engagement survey we have implemented, communication is an area staff want to see improved – second only to pay.  People want to be informed and understand the context of their work. When leaders aren’t forthcoming with information, speculation steals productivity and efficiency evaporates. The more stressful or uncertain the environment, the bigger the tax you pay in lost time to water-cooler chatter. But if you step in with a message before the fog of fear appears, you will find you can keep the focus on mission-critical tasks.

Just Ask Them

Your customers and employees want to be heard – so ask them what they think. Use an online tool like SurveyMonkey or Typeform that provides data analysis to help tell the story. Keep the survey short and throw in some questions that allow open-ended responses to  get a bead on issues you might otherwise miss. 

You can also  create a dialogue in a town hall – virtual or in person – where questions are asked and answered. You’ll want to avoid letting the meeting get derailed, so lay down ground rules of time and share  specific topics for employees to respond to rather than ask them what’s on their mind. You’ll get less grumbling and more constructive feedback. 

Show You Listened

Demonstrate that you are listening through follow-up. Let customers know you have heard a concern in an online blog or a newsletter. Address the issues you’ve been hearing and take the opportunity to frame or reframe the narrative. Be transparent and honest about action being taken whenever possible , and remember that staying silent will force a narrative outside of your control. People want to feel heard and known. When you listen and take action, you’ll be rewarded with customer and employee loyalty. 

Never Quit

As a leader, your job is to direct the communication cadence from the top – getting messages out in front of the grapevine and telling the story you want understood. If you are purposeful and consistent in delivering regular internal and external communication, you’ll be able to influence outcomes in ways you hadn’t even imagined. 

At Balanced Culture Consulting, we help you tell your story and get your culture back in balance. Reach out for a free culture assessment by emailing us at info@balancedcultureconsulting.com