One more post about communicating, the #1 key to improving employee engagement.
How much and how well a manager communicates with an employee directly determine how readily that employee engages in her work performance.
It’s easy to think, I’ll pay more attention to communicating with every one of my employees. Then it’s even easier to push that idea to the back burner.
So build a plan to communicate regularly with each individual employee. Try this:
Use a full-year calendar. Determine how many communications you want with each individual; space them out accordingly. 12 means 1 a month. One communication effort each week equals 52. You get the picture. Write them in the calendar. Keep the calendar handy. Share the schedule with the employees.
Construct a meeting format. A somewhat consistent format helps you become accustomed to specific communication tactics. It also boosts your employee’s comfort and confidence. For example, make stating the purpose of the meeting a regular start point: Let’s discuss expectations. OR I’d like to learn how you feel about the new assignments. OR Today we can talk about suggested process changes. Another example: remind yourself to include silence. Silence is a part of communication whether you’re waiting for an answer or allowing a new idea to settle in.
Evaluate and revise that format. As your meetings progress over time, consider them critically. Notice what works well; keep it; even expand it. Identify what could be done better; institute changes to improve it. Consider what’s a recurrent flop in the meetings; get rid of it.
Do not over plan or spend too much time planning. That’s likely to short-circuit your desire to institute a strong communications plan.
But do plan; that keeps communication off your back burner.
Tags: Communication, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Management, performance improvement
