The original topic I had planned for this issue was how to communicate the negative message. With all of the economic turmoil and bad news bombarding us the last few months, it can feel like there is no good news to tell. So instead I have adjusted the topic to address the challenge of communicating with staff (and this goes for donors and volunteers as well) in less than ideal circumstances.

All the best in your ventures and adventures,
Sherri Garrity

• Forget thinking you can control the message. There is no control. Your goal is two-way communication.
• Remember that your organization is made up of individuals each with different motivations, emotions, home situations, interests, aspirations and frustrations.
• Thinking of staff communications as a series of top-down edicts and feel good talks is old school. If it ever worked, it won’t now.
• Recognize there are social networks at play that are the true engines of the organization, regardless of organizational structure.
• Remember that communicating with your staff isn’t something you “do" only when you need to.
• Recognize that all of us want clarity and purpose. Your best gift as a leader is to provide others with direction and connection. You don’t want to be the reason someone doesn’t want to get up in the morning!
• Look for opportunities to share the big picture and to show that you are human. Think of your relationship with staff and team members as a bank account. Every time you act in a way that generates their trust, confidence and empathy, your bank balance grows. The trust money will be there when you need it. The common impulse is to only communicate when needed. This will put you in overdraft very quickly. The other high interest lenders will swoop in and take your place. The trust of others is built through time, energy and proactive dialogue.
• Don’t make promises you can’t keep. You can’t guarantee someone’s job, raise or promotion at any time, and especially in these times. What you can do is guarantee your honesty and integrity.
• Be a supporter, not an enabler. There is a difference between listening, sympathizing and sharing while gently nudging someone forward, and becoming a shoulder to cry on. Remember you still have a job to do. Doing the job is the best way to prevent losing it.

• Drop the formality. Now is the time to connect at a personal level and have more face-to-face discussions.
• Rely less on “corporate" vehicles like newsletters, speeches, mass emails and more on talking to people. Your most important role, and the one you should spend most of your time doing, is listening to and supporting others.
• Don’t forget about others who may be on leave, or work at other locations – they likely feel even more anxious.
• Connect what’s happening at the broader level to your organization and your department, and bring it back to the individual level. Show the relationship between good customer service, for example, and the economic importance of keeping customers. Be specific to the person you are talking to.
• Take the opportunity to share successes.
• Don’t skimp on social gatherings and chances to boost morale and have fun. Some of the strongest relationships are built in tough times.
• If the situation is more serious then general anxiety, e.g. you are expecting massive layoffs or restructuring, you should be laying the groundwork now by not only following these tips, but preparing a more comprehensive strategy. If you need professional assistance, find a consultant who specializes in internal communications and change management.

• ThinkRich! Entrepreneurial Thinking for Nonprofit Executives

In the Ready, Aim, Inspire! blog I write often about opportunities for organizations and how they can achieve greater results through improved communications from the inside out.

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Here's a sampling of recent articles:

What you need to forget

If you have never read Deborah Tannen’s works on language and how we communicate, I recommend you pick up her classics You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, and Talking from 9-5: Women and Men at Work.

Here’s a great quote that we can all keep in mind when we think of communicating in an organizational setting:

"When people realize that in the long run you may be turning off the audiences more, even though they will look temporarily--in the end they turn away, we really need to develop other metaphors and not talk about two sides, but talk about all sides." Deborah Tannen

Welcome new subscribers who have joined the exclusive list of communicators, professionals and those with a quest to improve communications in their organizations. The list is growing and contains readers from across Canada and the United States. If you know someone who would also find this information useful, feel free to forward using the box at the end of this email. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to spend with me and to invest in continuous learning and improvement. I hope your communications with staff, volunteers, donors and the community are the better for it!

Sincerely,
Sherri Garrity Make It Count Communications for Success
w: www.makeitcountcommunications.com
e: makeitcount@shaw.ca
t: (204) 955-6391