Why Your Team is Not Hearing You

Domain: Relationships - Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

If you aren't tired of saying it, you probably haven't said it enough.

Almost all leaders have felt frustration at one point over their messages not sinking-in with their team. I've certainly been there myself.

You've taken the time to communicate important strategy information only to have people continue their normal behaviors as if they didn't hear or understand the message.

More often than not, the problem is not with the recipient. It's because we as leaders have under-communicated the message. There is an overwhelming amount of information constantly coming at us both at work and at home. If you want your team to truly hear important messages, you need to find a way to cut through the noise.

By being a little more intentional about both the frequency and method of your communications, you can help influence retention and understanding.

Here are a few tips to do just that…

Early

You want to communicate important information early, even if all the details aren't ironed out.

Actually, especially when the details aren't ironed out.

This is a chance to have your team involved in sorting out those details. A chance for them be part of the solution. This will not only enhance their understanding of the matter, but it increases their engagement as well.

In these early communications, share what you know and be clear that you would like their help in finding additional clarity to the situation.

Often

Oftentimes, we've been so involved in the subject matter that we're communicating that we assume people will share our familiarity with it. That's not the case.

By the time you are announcing a strategy shift, you've been thinking about it for weeks, probably months. For your team, this is their first exposure.

Aim to communicate important information 5-7 times through a variety of channels (more on that below) to help the message stick.

This doesn't mean you have to use the exact same language every single time. It just means you need to reinforce the core message through repetition. This repetition establishes clarity and consistency which also goes a long way to developing trust.

Varied

To ensure that people hear your follow-up communications, make sure that you're delivering it through different channels. Discuss it in emails, meetings, one-on-ones, etc. The communications should cover verbal and written channels, in-person and digital.

Context

Finally, you are going to reinforce the message through the work your team does. This means including the information in discussions around process design, performance standards, behavioral expectations, feedback, etc.

This is often a missing component in new strategy communications. It's addressed theoretically but few can explain what it looks like day to day. Your team should understand how the information your sharing impacts the actual work. This is what makes it feel real. Find ways to reinforce your communications through these real-world applications.

Thank you for reading. My hope is always that you've found something helpful and easy to implement. If you have feedback, suggestions or questions, please reply to this email.

If you are interested in exploring one-on-one coaching to transform your leadership, email me at [email protected] and we’ll coordinate a free, one-hour discovery session.

This week’s action items:

1. Identify an important message that you need to communicate and get it out this week, even if the details are still unfolding.

2. Continue to communicate the core message 5-7 times over the next couple weeks to create the necessary repetition.

3. Make sure those instances are done through a variety of channels.

4. Reinforce the communication by weaving it into process and performance discussions.