Communication is important in organizations, regardless of the level at which it needs to occur. But leaders and employees typically rate communication low on engagement and satisfaction surveys. So, what gives? People think about effective communicators as having a great delivery style – confidence, eye contact, 3-key points, and pausing. But style is only one aspect of effective communication. If one thinks of communication as a process, then other necessary attributes come to mind.
All processes should follow the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle. Processes also have customers. If a process is to meet the needs of its customers, then it needs to address who, why, when, what, and how.
- Who is the customer? Is the customer segmented with varying requirements?
- Why do they need my product, or message?
- When do they need the product, or information?
- What are their requirements at this moment?
- How will I deliver the product, service, or message so that it meets their requirements?
If you consider the above five questions for each phase of the PDCA cycle, you’ll have the essentials for becoming an effective communicator. Let’s review an example, using communication relative to product development to my senior leaders as an example.
Plan – I need to communicate to my senior leadership team regarding revenue, cost, and profitability projections, workforce capacity and capability, and my ability to meet schedules.
Do – I need to communicate how development and production are going and our success in meeting requirements.
Check – I need to share development and production findings, issues, and adjustments made to stay on track and meet my commitments.
Act – I need to share final results relative to projections, lessons learned, and how we can improve the next product iteration.
The above phases apply to any process, unless you have no plans to improve it (and that should never be the case). Each phase will have more than one customer, so you’ll need to think about what message and how it will be delivered to each.
The Key is to always know what phase of the PDCA cycle you’re in and who needs the message. Using data to show progress and how well requirements are being met will instill confidence in your audience regarding your success. When problems do arise, quantify those as well so you can speak with facts when presenting recovery plans and projected timelines.
Summary
We have all seen great orators with little to say. But a great orator with content is something to behold. But considering PDCA and your customers, you can create the right content. Reality does not always follow the plan. And no matter how good your plans are, there will always be something to blind-side you. But you can still maintain the confidence of your team and your leaders by communicating in a transparent and factual way.