Like rock and the symphony: The multi-dimensional, multi-layered beauty of good communication
I went to a show recently. The artist, Amos Lee, is, according to Wikipedia, “an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock, and soul.” Accompanying the headlining performer was…the Chicago Philharmonic. I like Amos Lee. I like the symphony. I went to the show so obviously I expected to like the combination. And it did not disappoint. In short, by combining to seemingly disparate entities (rock and symphony), the multi-dimensional, multi-layered results were extraordinary.
And in the moment—thought no one ever until then—I thought, “This is how good communication works.”
It’s not enough to know your audience, you have to meet them where there are
Most of us have heard the maxim know your audience. And it is true we make better connections with our audience—be they business stakeholders, a target consumer audience or employees—when we understand who they are. Less talked about is the concept of meeting your audience members where they are. It’s a subtle but important difference. If their starting point to your narrative is different than yours, it is easy to lose them quickly. To know them means to understand who they are. To meet them where they are is about recognizing there may need to be some education or context-setting before you can even begin your narrative.
No approvals or budget required: You already have the power to tangibly improve your organizational and team culture
There is a lot of thought going into organizational and team culture right now. This is good news and will ultimately create a better experience for employees, regardless of generation, priorities or career paths. But amidst all the thinking, studies and surveys, a simple strategy is being overlooked; one that’s available to anyone at no cost—from the C-suite to the youngest intern on the team: appreciation.
Strategy, purpose and culture: Is your triangle broken?
I can’t stop thinking about this article I shared on LinkedIn recently from HBR: Does Your Company’s Culture Reinforce Its Strategy and Purpose? It positions purpose (the north star and inspiration for talent), strategy (the plan to achieve success) and culture (what talent experiences) as a triangle. If one side of the triangle changes, the other two sides must also change or the triangle collapses. It even states the obvious: a communication plan can’t fix a broken triangle.
Creating dialogue: Omni-channel is the only channel
Let me start with the shortest version of my favorite internal communications soapbox speech: It is shocking to realize how many communication strategies are still nearly wholly reliant on email in 2022, as email simply enables talking at rather than talking with. It doesn’t matter if you’re a large multi-national company or small nimble company with a few dozen employees. The technology exists—so many kinds of technology. The audience has spoken: Email is overused, overwhelming and old-fashioned. So why do so many communication strategies still only look as far as the Sent folder?
The importance of the red thread narrative
The challenge lately for professional communicators (communicators with a capital C, as I like to say) is that communications is currently a hot topic, a business priority and a leadership quality. This is good for capital C communicators, of course. But because everyone must communicate all day, every day, too many people (communicators with a lower case c) think they know what good communication looks like. This is not as good for you if you’re a communicator with a capital C, as—in my experience—what most people really know is what bad communication looks like.
In today’s digitally-driven, ever-changing world, it takes more than a style guide to build a successful communication strategy
Although it seems obvious, I’m going to say it anyway: Executives are the foundation on which their company’s culture is built. Executives identify the vision as well as the goals and organizational structure that will advance the company. They’re accountable for company achievements and failures (or opportunities, as we like to say in corporate culture). Their approach sets the tone for every employee working toward the company’s success. It’s simple. Or is it?