Common communication mistakes

- Have you ever received a communication that created more questions than it answered? Maybe you thought, was this meant for me, or is there something I'm supposed to do immediately? Or have you ever sent a communication and received an avalanche of follow-up questions via reply all emails, drop-ins at your desk, phone calls, and escalations from supervisors? Trust me, we have all been there. No one intends to cause confusion in their communication, but it happens. Let's focus on three of the most common communication mistakes and their potential impacts. Mistake number one, communicating the same message to everyone. Let's say a manufacturing firm is changing how they pay employees. Currently, they operate on a positive pay system, meaning they assume employees work their required hours unless time off is recorded. They're now moving to paying employees for their hours recorded on their timesheet. This change is not a big deal to salaried employees, who receive the same pay despite the number of hours worked. But for hourly employees, it's a significant change that requires building habits around recording time. The communications manager is tasked with informing employees of this change, and drafts a generic company-wide announcement. Both salaried and hourly employees were unclear on how the change impacted them specifically, making the communication ineffective. Mistake number two, communicating too early. Let's take an organization that specializes in early childhood education. The devices they use to take attendance is outdated and requires an upgrade. Leadership considers communicating this in the employee newsletter as a heads-up that change is coming. But communicating this information without knowing what they'll use instead or a timeline when the change will occur will result in confusion and chaos. There's no reason to create a teaser campaign. "Change is coming" sounds ominous and cryptic, and people will try to fill in the gaps with false information. Once this happens, it's hard to correct. Mistake number three, over-communicating. Let's look at an organization that's changing its procurement process. The communications team sent an announcement to authorized buyers. The announcement included reasons for changing the process, the new process with instructions for buyers and approvers, sentiments of confidence in the new process, and a list of people to contact for additional questions. This announcement has too many details, especially for end-users who are hearing about the change for the first time. It's important to understand the difference between communication and training. Often, different modes are required for each. An email with too much detail is easy to ignore, particularly if procuring items is only a small part of someone's job description. Communication is an art, but it doesn't have to be a mystery. Think about how you will focus attention to adopt change without burnout. To be successful, understand who you're communicating to, what the message is, and how you will convey this message in the most effective way.