“We don’t communicate enough” is a common mantra echoing in the halls of too many organizations. The usual response from management is to send more memos, hold more death-by-PowerPoint meetings, speak to the masses ad nauseam in Zoom calls, send emails, print coffee mugs, and T-shirts so we can declare victory, and go home. John Cotter, the change management guru from Harvard, says that, “When we are in change, we under-communicate our vision by a factor of a thousand.” This should scare the bejesus out of us because who feels the world around them is stable and consistent? We are always in change, which means we are always under-communicating.
Instead of communicating, think about “socializing” the message. This is broader than communicating because it requires others to share what the messages mean to them. When you are talking AT them, chances are they are checking out mentally. When they are talking, they are engaged. So stop communicating and start socializing the messages. Share the messages and then stop and listen to what you hear back.