Page 13 - Inquisitive Employee Engagement Guide v22

The Communication Challenge

The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion it has taken place.
George Bernard Shaw
The Internal Communication Challenge

Communication is the glue that holds the organisation together
and yet it keeps coming unstuck.
It has a major influence on the organisations effectiveness
and yet it is often a tactical afterthought.
It needs a lot more effort, skill and sensitivity than is often shown
and yet it is frequently just seen as a process.
It is based upon assumptions and individuals perspective/ views of the world
and yet this is not often acknowledged.
It cannot be perfected
and yet this is OK as peoples expectations constantly change.
EFFECTIVE = DELIVERED, UNDERSTOOD, VALUED AND ACTED UPON.

In our ‘attention economy’ world where colleagues are overwhelmed with the constant bombardment of communication, getting heard
is the new challenge; as is being trusted. Good communication establishes trust and legitimacy.

Advances in technology means much of the emphasis on communication often goes on delivery mechanisms - however at the end of the
day, quality content is still king – it is the best way to get heard. Before you engage people, you must get them listening to you and show
you are listening to them.
Getting through so that the message is heard, understood as you intended, has meaning
for the audience and gets acted upon – is a highly prized skill in this attention economy.
Focus on delivering messages well on a few mediums tailored to your audience. Know your audiences well, write the narrative for them
and deliver it in an appropriate and creative way. The impact of social media on communication and reduction in attention spans – means be
brief, clear and concise – get more visual, more mobile, more chat, more video and more podcasts! The way we communicate is changing too
with more stories, more focus, less send all, more peer to peer, less top down, more listening and dialogue plus less formality.

There is also a move away from synchronous (meetings led) communication to a-synchronous methods that value colleagues time,
work preferences and time zones. With this comes the need for more quality long form content that is still valuable, clear and concise. What
might you need to refresh or reinvent?

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