Page 65 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING
CHAPTER 4
ACTIVE VERSUS PASSIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Communications does not occur in a vacuum; it is part of the culture of an
organization. As such, communications absorbs the character of the organiza-
tion’s culture. It is essential that those who actively create leadership messages
be cognizant of those who passively receive those messages. Communications
professionals need to be aware of what people are saying about products, peo-
ple, and performance, both inside and outside the organization.
Active communications (what goes out) must reflect the reality of the
world in which passive communications (what comes in) exists. Discordance
between active and passive communications leads to an undermining of cred-
ibility; accordance ensures organizational alignment. Sensitivity to what’s on
people’s minds is always important, but never more so than when communi-
cating an initiative involving transformation. For this reason, leaders may need
to prepare employees or customers for coming changes rather than springing
the entire change initiative on them overnight with a single message. Leaders
can introduce change with teaser messages prior to a major announcement,
which may be given at an employee gathering or rally. Likewise, leaders need
to follow up the message with a series of follow-on messages noting progress
and keeping people up to date on what is happening. 1
ASSESSING THE ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS CLIMATE

How do you find out what’s going on within an organization? You ask people
what’s on their minds. As a leadership communicator, you need to discover the
climate for communications. Climate refers to how open people feel about
voicing their opinions or making suggestions. In places where the culture is
repressive, many people are afraid to voice concerns even to coworkers, let
alone to their boss. They also become distrustful of management because they
feel that whatever anyone in management tells them is either untrue or bad
news. By contrast, in nurturing cultures, people not only are open to one
another, but feel free to make suggestions to their boss. Messages from the
leaders are received with much more credence because people have learned to
trust management.
Borrowing an approach from the social sciences, the best way to find out
about the culture is to conduct a three-pronged study that uses interviews,
focus groups, and surveys. Before embarking on any such study, you need to
ensure the confidentiality of participants. Here’s a sample disclaimer:
We are doing this interview (focus group, survey) to get your opinion
about the climate of communications. We value your opinions and your
ideas. We will also keep all comments confidential. Your comments and
ideas will not be linked to your name.