December 8, 2009

Tips to Better Communicate with Senior Management (Part Two)

Last week, The Inside Voice interviewed Roberta Fiore-Kittell, an Executive Coach and Partner at OptimaHR. Roberta provides insight and tips to help HR managers better communicate with senior management. Today’s blog is the second of two parts.

Speak Up! Tips to Better Communicate with Senior Management (Part Two)

Interview with Roberta Fiore-Kittell, Partner, OptimaHR

Roberta Fiore-Kittell What are some tips on how to get senior managers to pay attention to what we need to  tell them?

I always go into a senior manager meeting with a one-pager that we discuss and it also serves as a leave-behind. I may have the background information behind it, but everything can be condensed to one page.

It is critical that you spend the same amount of thought on the preparation as the meeting. Very senior managers prepare for conversations, just as they do for presentations. For every hour of a meeting, you need 30 to 60 minutes minimum to prepare so you can be very clear on what you want to communicate, what questions you want to ask, what questions you are going to be asked, what are the most important takeaways that need to happen in a meeting. A sports analogy comes to mind: Your preparation is the amount of “practice” you are willing to do to get ready for the big game (the meeting).  And, just like in sports, you don’t get a do-over if you blow the game (the meeting). The book It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It by Joan Detz is a great book that explains this.

How do you determine the best vehicle to use to communicate with senior management?

Start by asking yourself a few questions. Know your purpose: Is it to inform? To get buy in? Is it just an FYI? For complex issues, the only time you want to put anything in writing is to prepare them in advance so you use your time efficiently. You should think about how you can most succinctly communicate. Is that in an email or another type of communication?

Then work through understanding the background. What’s the outcome I want to have happen as a result of what I’m telling you? And what are the steps I am asking to take? And then what’s next? What are the key takeaways that I want as a result of this meeting?

That’s a lot of information you’ll have to present. So write what you want to say, then put your communications on a diet. The number one complaint senior leaders have is that people who come to them are too much in the weeds giving them too many details. Senior managers don’t want to know that much detail.

What are the biggest considerations that HR managers should keep in mind as they communicate and interact with the senior managers?

The top tips I’d recommend for HR managers:

1.      Be prepared and be clear. Have a framework for your communication, whether it is written, a presentation or a conversation. Most people should have a set way of preparing.

2.      Know your audience. Ask what information they’re looking for and how they want to receive the information in advance. Know the “secret handshake” – how they communicate, what they value and what they don’t value.

3.      Good presentations are good conversations. Don’t be one-sided. Engage your audience. Listen to them. Make it interesting and make it a dialogue to get engaged.

What has worked for you in communicating with senior management? Do you have tips that have proven to be successful for you? Click on the comment box below and add your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you.

Dec 8, 2009 9:47:02 AM | Communication Tools, General, HR Marketing, Internal Communications

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Tips to Better Communicate with Senior Management Understanding your audience is critical in effective HR communications. Having a crystal clear picture of your audience: who they are, how they like to receive information and what information is important to them will help you get the response you need. You spend much of your time crafting a variety of communications that are widely sent to employees. But do you spend time understanding the best way to talk to your executive audience? This week, we share an interview Roberta Fiore-Kittell, an Executive Coach and Partner at OptimaHR. Roberta provides insight and tips to help HR managers better communicate with senior management. Today’s blog is the first of two parts. SPEAK UP! Tips to Better Communicate with Senior Management (Part One) Interview with Roberta Fiore-Kittell, Executive Coach and Partner at OptimaHR. How is communicating to the senior management different than communicating to the rest of the company? Effective communication starts with knowing what’s important to the senior manager and knowing the lens they look through. A senior manager’s lens is driving and running the business and what’s going to help it be more effective. What this means is that you need to have a much broader focus when communicating with senior management than you would when communicating to employees globally. Time is at a premium, so focus on the most critical things you need to tell a senior manager. If you only have three minutes, what would you really say? Someone communicating to senior management should focus on the three most important things they want to get across. You should know: Am I informing them of something? Trying to get buy in? Trying to persuade them? Know your purpose in coming to the table. How do you know what are the most important things to a senior manager? A senior manager is more likely to pay attention to the things that are more important to him or her. That’s a question to ask the most senior leaders: “What are the most important things I need to tell you?” Ask what they want to know. If HR could approach communicating with the senior manager more as a consultant would approach this, it would be helpful. Of the senior management team, what is your critical customer base? Many people overcommunicate, so many senior managers discard the information if it’s too much. Ask the senior managers “over the past year, of everything I’ve communicated, what has been the most valuable?” And is there a means of communication that you liked the best? Many times, HR managers work with senior management teams rather than individually. What should they do to ensure a successful meeting with a senior management team? Make sure you do your homework beforehand. If your purpose is to meet with them collectively, you want to have the “meeting before you have the meeting.” Get as much information and opinions together before you walk into the room. The information you gather will help you understand your audience and tailor your message appropriately....
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Jane Vanderhorst

Vanderhorst Consulting works with organizations to develop and deliver on-target, results driven communications that engage employees, build sales and retain customers.

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