Communicate to be Understood

Communicate to be understood: Communicate in the least complicated way, so that your audience understands you.  This applies to all communication: Spoken, written, illustrated, etc. We are accountable for what people take from our communication.

As a leader, you have the opportunity to work with your teams and communicate the intention for 2019.

Whether it is a company-wide email, annual meeting, executive team meetings or even one-to-one interactions, it is important that you begin with the context in mind. Once you are clear about the context (or purpose) of your message the content will naturally flow.

If you have a commitment for people to take away the true meaning of your communication, we at Momentum Consulting offer the following, inspired by the pioneering work of Dr. Fernando Flores, to help you create a context in your messaging throughout the year. Every high performing team is built on a foundation of TRUST. In order to build and grow trust within your teams, it is essential to pay attention to the types of conversations you and the rest of your company are having.

Here are a few to consider:

• conversations for relationship

• conversations for possibility

• conversations for opportunity

• conversations for action.

A conversation for relationship addresses the type of working relationship needed to get things done.  It answers the following questions:

• How are we are going to work together?

• What are the aligned BEHAVIORS we are committed to for our culture?

A conversation for possibility allows each team member to contribute from their own unique and individual perspectives. There are no “wrong” questions or answers.  It helps to answer the questions:

• What is the purpose of this project, initiative, our business and WHY are we doing it?

• What does this project, initiative, our business make possible in the world?

A conversation for opportunity focuses on the strategy and answers the questions:

• HOW are we going to get this done?

• What is the roadmap, focus, direction needed to get there?

A conversation for action is what is required in order to execute on the strategy. It is the simplest, and yet, often the most difficult for teams to stay on point to address WHO, WHAT, BY-WHEN. It involves two things:

1. Requests

   • Specific

   • Measurable

   • In-time

2. Promises (commitments)

   • Accept

   • Decline

   • Counter-offer

When you are communicating within and throughout your organization, what type of conversations are you having? Can people hear themselves inside of your message?Is it relevant to their needs and does it address what is important to them? Most importantly, are you being clear and are you paying attention to what people take away from your communication? 

When trust has been established relationships get stronger.

When relationships are strong, possibility is present and people want to come to work and contribute.When possibility is alive, the opportunity and strategy becomes crystal clear. And when you are aligned behind the opportunity, conversations for action grow into the everyday fabric of interactions within your culture. 

Here’s to a wonderful 2019 for each of us!