Effective communication: 5 questions to ask yourself first

When it comes to managers’ and supervisors’ job descriptions, the importance of “soft skills” is often minimized.

But effective communication – the result of superior soft skills – is essential to good management.

To make sure your message is crafted the right way, ask yourself the following five questions before delivering any news or announcements to employees, courtesy of PBP Executive Reports:

1. Who is my audience?

If you’re speaking to upper management, for example, your tone will be different than it would be for a wellness presentation to rank-and-file staffers.

2. What are their concerns?

It’s important to remember that generally people tend to fear any change to the status quo. So if your message involves any type of change (e.g., new social media policy, major budget cuts, etc.), then you should prepare ways to put people’s fears at ease.

3. Why does it matter to them?

This is the most important part of your message. Employees want to know how things affect them directly. Example: If you’re introducing a wellness plan, let workers know lower claims costs for the company will directly lead to lower healthcare costs for them.

4. What is the desired outcome?

Are you trying to get employee buy-in? Delivering bad news? Tailoring the message to the situation will help you achieve the intended result.

5. How (exactly) should I say it?

Take a moment to go over exactly what you plan on communicating and be sure you’re saying it exactly how you should.