A deep dive into what good management communication really is and how you can solve this problem
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Management Communication
According to a survey by Gallup, 74% of employees have the feeling they are missing out on important information at work. That means, on average, only 1/4 people at your company are seeing your internal communication pieces being sent out. That is a staggering number.
5 Best Practices for Effective Management Communication
Whether this is truly the case or not, managers are seen as the ones responsible for communicating this important information. And let's face it, a lot of these managers are new, have not been formally trained and have had no good examples of leadership over the past few years to lean on for support. This is a real issue for all companies in 2024.
Let's take a deeper dive into what good management communication even is and how you can solve this problem.
01. Consistency, Clarity and Conciseness
We're starting with the three c's for managers. It's so important that the message being communicated is clear, concise and consistent. But as we all know, this is easier said than done. It's so easy for confusion to creep in when trying to convey important information. Too much information can lead to confusion. Keeping the message clear and concise helps everyone stay on the same page. Consistently reinforce your main messages in a concise manner. This will help eliminate any confusion and builds confidence amongst employees. Employees perform their best when they know what is expected of them from the beginning.
02. Multiple Channels
Sending out a companywide email just isn’t enough in today’s world. Everyone receives way too many emails on a daily basis, and overlooking these emails is commonplace. We’re not saying you shouldn’t or can't send an email out to communicate what you need. We're saying an email should be one of multiple ways that management communication is delivered. Other forms of employee communication that you should consider implementing are:
03. Transparency
Transparency could be its own trend for 2024. It seems like people are more skeptical of authority figures in today’s world than ever before, which makes transparency in the workplace crucial in 2024. Leading with transparency is not easy, especially when it comes to sensitive topics. However, honesty really is the best policy. It may seem scary at first, but your employees ultimately will value open and honest communication. This leads to building trust and loyalty with your employees and a strong, cohesive organization.
04. Allow for Feedback
We briefly mentioned feedback already as part of the multiple channels section, but we think it's pretty important so we're touching on it in more depth. Online surveys are the vessel described to use for feedback in that section. However, it's important to reinforce how important it is for effective and memorable management communication. Feedback also goes hand in hand with transparency. Actively seeking feedback from managers is a major key to building trust with employees and overall improving the employee experience. Listening and addressing employees' concerns creates a strong and inclusive environment in the long run.
Fun Fact!
It's Not Our First Rodeo
Here at PartnerComm, we have 25+ years of collective experience in helping companies communicate through all these different channels. And doing so is what allows an organization to function at its absolute best.
05. Adaptability
Whether its management communication or a company’s overall business strategy, the ability to adapt is nonnegotiable. Our world can change in a blink of an eye, as we saw in 2020. If something isn't working, it is critical to make a change and not waste more time and resources on something that is ineffective. Take the time to evaluate what's not working and come up with a long-lasting solution as a team. It's not the time to throw solutions blindly at the wall to see what sticks. Implementing a wide variety of communication channels and adapting those as needed to ensure your employees understand the correct messaging is a major key to managers' success.