Ever have the feeling things are moving so fast you don’t have time to even make a proper introduction?
That has certainly been the case with the new Communications Leadership Community. Carol Kinsey Goman, who has been a leader on the community since it was formed, has now been joined by three new leaders, each coming to the topic from different vantage points, and with a wealth of career experience.
The distinguished leaders of Communication Leadership are:
- Carol Kinsey Goman, President, Kinsey Consulting Services
- Liz Guthridge, founder and managing consultant of Connect Consulting Group LLC
- Sharon Wamble-King, VP, Corporate Communication, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida
- Tom Lee, founder and president of Arceil Leadership Ltd
The four leaders will serve as the eyes and ears for the topic of communication leadership, and will be blogging on trends and issues they see as critical to success. They are also willing to answer any questions you might have, so post your comments or questions on the blog.
As one more way of getting to know each, we’ve asked them to answer this timely question:
What advice do you have for corporate communicators charged with helping their upper management stay on the same sheet when conveying difficult financial outlook to stakeholders?
Here are their answers. Can you add to their thoughts?
Liz Guthridge, founder and managing consultant of Connect Consulting Group LLC:
Follow the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDMA) cycle by W. Edwards Deming. Although the model’s origins are in fixing problems, especially process improvements, it’s well suited for this situation. Why? The leaders—and you as their guide—need to be disciplined in deciding what to say and do, and then being consistent as individuals and as a group. Also, how you say and do things is almost as important as the what.
Without this disciplined approach, you could contribute to the chaos. Keep in mind that you’ve got multiple leaders who have their own point-of-views, varied experiences, and different levels of financial expertise. You’re working in unchartered territory in terms of the volatile world economy. And add to the mix: you’ve got anxious, fearful and hesitant stakeholders.
Your leaders must be on the same page working in concert. They also must collaborate to help restore the confidence of employees, customers, investors, and other key stakeholders. Even if the financial news continues to be bad, they have to keep our hopes alive. Everyone’s hard—and smart work—will turn things around in the future. We all need to be looking up at the stars and dreaming realistically while we’re feeling down in the dumps.
Carol Kinsey Goman, President, Kinsey Consulting Services
Make sure that leaders communicate with their audiences face-go-face. Here’s why . . .In face-to-face meetings, our brains process the continual cascade of nonverbal cues that we use as the basis for building trust and professional intimacy. We interpret what people say to us only partially from the words they use. We get most of the message (and all of the emotional nuance behind the words) from vocal tone, pacing, facial expressions and body language.We may have spent years learning to read and write with various levels of mastery, but no one had to teach us to send and respond to nonverbal signals. In fact our brains need and expect these more primitive and significant channels of information. According to Dr. Thomas Lewis, an expert on the psychobiology of emotions, when we are denied these interpersonal cues and are forced to rely on the printed word alone, the brain struggles and real communication suffers.
Think of it this way: Technology may be a great facilitator for factual information, but when your communication has any emotional charge, a face-to-face meeting is still your best choice. It’s the only way that others can note the alignment of your verbal and nonverbal messages and be convinced that your motives match your rhetoric.
Comment:
Liz and Carol make solid points. Because I deal with CEOs and CFOs of public companies who more often are faced with the issue of sharing bad financial news, here are three strategies that have worked with them: 1. Limit the number of spokespeople. While you can create talking points and Q&As and distribute them to everyone, you still can’t control what an executive says when an equity analyst or reporter calls out of the blue. It helps to have a policy in place for people to send the caller back to Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, or the CEO’s of CFO’s office. And if possible–when the spokesperson isn’t you–ensure that the information shared on those calls also is shared with you, so you know what’s now in the public domain (and if you need to take any action as a result). 2. Rehearse your spokespeople. We all know the perils of “winging it.” Unfortunately, some executives are very facile and don’t think they need to practice–or say they don’t have the time to do this. Be persistent–or insistent. And know when you can’t carry the message yourself (because a CEO doesn’t want to be critiqued by someone who reports to him, for example). Suggest speaker training or a consultant who can help, so he doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Do whatever works. 3. Share the results. When executives see that the coverage the company is receiving is fair and the messages that appear are consistent, they will support the approach you’re advocating. On the flip side, if your organization has a scattered approach now, use the less than stellar results as a lever to change behavior. There’s no motivator like a falling stock price or a bad article or TV interview to get people to take a new (better!) tack.
Lynn Franklin
