Communication for HR
Written By Matthew Solon
Received and understood
We live in a noisy world. Countless voices clamour for our attention. Marketing activity and brand promotion invade every last corner of public space. There are millions of messages. Every moment of our waking lives someone, somewhere has something to say to us. And there you are, the HR professional, trying to communicate in a world saturated with information. Here are five things you can do to make yourself heard and understood.
Get real
It is important to review your systemised management capability as your parallel organisational contingency may become compromised without attention being given to your optimal workflow and process programming.
The seductive danger of this kind of language is that it sounds as though it means something. We recognise the words, they seem to flow together. But they are empty abstractions. They pass through the brain and leave nothing behind.
To get your message across, move from general to the specific, from the abstract to the concrete. If someone is not performing, tell them so. ‘You will need to review your performance objectives and achieve a measurable improvement in performance outcomes’ doesn’t cut it. Tell them they need to do better. Words that come from the Anglo Saxon origins of our language retain their power. ‘You have let me down’ has greater impact than ‘You have underperformed in meeting expectations.’
Use the language of the people
Every profession creates its own speak – a language understood within the confines of the professional community. Danger comes from words we use so often we have forgotten that they are jargon - and that people beyond the confines of the village have no idea what we are talking about. It is important to reduce health inequalities in the primary care environment . I am not a health professional but I think this means that everyone should have equal access to their doctor.
The further our language moves away from plain English, the greater the danger of misunderstanding. And the more we seem distant, detached and out of touch. Tony Blair spoke to the Women’s Institute about ‘the third way’ and ‘the stakeholder economy’. They gave him a slow handclap.
How is your HR department perceived in your organisation? Every time you say simple things clearly and with conviction you will build your reputation and win the respect of your people. Send them a mail about ‘HR’s new initiative to review organisational deliverables in the context of a values-based, mission-focused culture’ and they will press delete.
Show empathy
One Housing Association in the North of England offers different types of accommodation. The name they have given to one type is ‘Cluster Units’. So, you’re in the pub, you meet someone you like. How would you feel about asking them back for a coffee in your cluster unit?
Empathy is about putting yourself in their shoes. It means understanding what they will think and feel about the language you use. Tell someone who has worked late, given up weekends and carried a huge workload to meet a brutal deadline that ‘we all need to work smarter’ and he may well explode.
Get the tone right
Our message is what we say – and how we say it. At the rear entrance to the Army and Navy Stores in Victoria there used to be a sign: DON’T EVEN THINK OF PARKING HERE. Well, actually, I wasn’t. But I have a very clear idea about how you see your customers. Whatever happened to that deeply English heading ‘Polite Notice’?
I used to treasure letters from HM Customs and Excise which always began with ‘To the registered person named above.’ You know where you stand with a letter like that. Your reference number precedes your name at the head of the page. You are a cog in the mighty engine that generates revenue for the state.
One end of the scale is bossy, directive, aggressive and impersonal. The other end is creepy and over-deferential. Try this:
Dear Mr Solon,
The benefits of the American Express card are more than sufficient for most cardholders. But in your time with us, we’ve found ourselves having to treat you a little differently.
You can just imagine them can’t you? Those concerned finance professionals sitting around the boardroom table carefully reflecting on how they can meet the truly exceptional needs of Matthew Solon.
Speak truth
Integrity and excellence. These are two entirely admirable corporate values. Enron was so proud of them, they appeared on the bottom of every letter and email.
If there is a gap between what we say and what we do our message will be ignored. We may have a clear message, but if they don’t believe a word we say, if we are not seen as a credible and trustworthy source of information, we are whistling in the wind.
We live in a transparent universe. We can say what we like about our organisation. We can make claims about how customer-focused we are and how we are committed to responsiveness and quality. Our customers will make their own judgement. Communication is viral and immediate. Word spreads with awesome speed across the internet. The people who use your services and buy your products will say exactly what they think – and what they say can be seen and heard on an infinite variety of websites.
Know who you are. Get real and speak the truth. Say simple things in plain English with clarity and conviction. It’s as simple, and as difficult as that.
Matthew Solon is Director of Learning and Development at JSB. He has more than fifteen years’ experience in delivering training and consultancy in all major aspects of business and professional communication skills.
