From the course: Certification Prep: SHRM-CP

Developing and delivering the message

From the course: Certification Prep: SHRM-CP

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Developing and delivering the message

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- Today, communication is easy. You can fire off a company wide email at the drop of a hat but effective communication, a well-crafted message that has an impact takes time. It requires careful thought and planning. As HR professionals, we're in the business of understanding and communicating effectively with people. It's our job to help organizations develop and deliver messages to employees and to do that well we have to first know the audience. To know your audience is to understand who they are, what they expect to hear, what they want to hear and what they're afraid of. Understanding your audience also includes knowing their demographics. The more information you can gather about your audience, the better because it will help you develop the message. Developing the content of the message involves determining the desired response, developing the key points, understanding the benefit to the audience and collecting supporting evidence. Once you're confident with the content, the message needs to be framed appropriately. Framing the message is putting a particular spin on the facts. For example, if a company recently downsized, leadership will need to speak to the survivors of the layoff. This message should be one that leaves the team motivated and inspired to refocus on the work. Leadership may want to consider acknowledging the situation that the remaining staff are concerned about, their coworkers and that they're uneasy about the future then move to language that conveys the company's current financial state and hopeful outlook for the future. Finally, you must master the delivery of the message. Clarify what mediums should they use and think about the best platform to ensure audience engagement and understanding. Do you use phone, email or text alerts? Is it best to communicate face to face or will Skype work just as well? Whatever message delivery choice you make, there are pluses and minuses. Take a look at the Exercise File to explore the pros and cons of different communication channels and just as important as the message and how it's delivered is who the message comes from. To have a real impact, the message needs to come from someone with credibility. Credibility comes from a track record of expertise in a given area or from education and credentials that signify that the sender is an expert. They should have a reputation for acting with integrity and being trustworthy. When the message comes from someone with credibility, people err on the side of support rather than opposition. Now, keep in mind that communication is fluid and involves both sending and receiving information. This is especially important when it comes to communicating in person whether it's one on one or to a group which is why impactful communicators are also active listeners. Active listening means you're listening with all of your senses. It means giving full attention to whoever's speaking and responding with a combination of verbal and nonverbal cues like maintaining eye contact or smiling. Impactful communicators know how to create an effective presence. Creating presence involves everything from your posture, gestures, eye contact and vocal inflections. You use your whole being and all of your senses. It's about how you present yourself. As a SHRM-CP candidate and HR professional, you will often guide leadership through developing and delivering communications to staff. Demonstrate your value by ensuring that leaders know the potential emotional impact on their audience and how to leverage that knowledge to get their desired results.

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