Communication Wins
by
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Implementation is where Great Ideas go to Die
A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.
- Sir Barnett Cocks
Leaders hire consultants to study an issue and develop new strategies that become the next three-year plan. And that’s when the trouble begins, when the debate stops and implementation starts.
The output of these meetings is often a memo to the employees, as well as a few meetings designed to spread the new marching orders throughout the land (organization). In effect, management dumps a bucket of water into a rushing river, and then is shocked when there’s no visible impact or improvement.
Dilution, white-noise, information overload, whatever you call it, there’s a lot going on in every company. If you, as a leader, have spent months and countless dollars developing a long-term strategy, spend the time and money to communicate that strategy and your reasoning over several months following. Don’t be afraid of the debate, a certain amount of debate is healthy.
Develop a campaign to ensure your workforce not only understands the new strategy, but also understands the benefits driving the change, the consequences of not changing, and a good glimpse of what everyone needs to do.
This isn’t about crafting the perfect message. This is about giving the organization the time and information it needs to catch up with the leadership’s thinking. It is about the frequency with which you deliver the message. Many people have to hear a message 5, 6 or 7 times before they can internalize what’s being said. Years ago following a message from our CEO, a Southern colleague said to me, “He sure does talk pretty. What the heck did he say?”
He wasn’t being cynical. He had listened intently to a presentation about enormous change in the organization. It was over an hour long and included at least 50 slides. It was a lot to digest. My friend needed to hear it multiple times, and he was not alone.
You can have a grand title, excellent communication skills, with slides and props that would make George Lucas envious, but unless you repeat your message multiple (multiple) times, you may create a communication disaster.
Final note about strategy: the keys to implementing a good strategy is not just clarity, communication, and measurement, it is also letting the company know what it is no longer required to
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About the Book
Our ability to communicate drives our ability to succeed. Whether it’s a job interview, an important presentation, a request for funding, a performance review, email or communicating to friends and family, effective communication improves results and, therefore, your life. That is why it is important to read Communication Wins. Based on extensive research and years of real world experiences, Communication Wins is packed with easy to understand strategies, tactics and tools.
Written in a concise and easy to read format you will learn how to:
§ Discover some of the tools that made Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln effective communicators.
§ Turn negative situations into positive situations through better conflict and confrontation management.
§ Gain the enormous power of brevity, silence, and optimism.
§ Communicate big ideas and move an audience to act.
§ Understand the different types of messages and when to use each one.
§ Leverage different communication styles, such as direct and indirect, for best results.
§ Connect intellectually and emotionally with your target audience.
§ Know when it is best to write, when it is best to speak, and how to be more effective at both.
About the Author
After completing a successful career as a sales and marketing executive, Steve Hartkopf decided to share his 25 years of corporate experience and extensive research into communication through his speaking, writing and consulting.
The author of numerous articles, Communication Wins is his first book and is the culmination of a lifelong search to better understand how to motivate people through words and imagery.
Steve is a partner with Aligned Marketing, LLC. Aligned Marketing leverages global talent to create offline and online communication that changes behavior.