Effective Communication: Beyond the Numbers by Steve Adubato, Ph.D.

The Star-Ledger recently published the results of a survey sponsored by Right Management Consultants and the International Association of Business Communicators Research Foundation.

The purpose of the survey was to examine how effectively business leaders communicate important strategic messages to employees. The results were not encouraging. Only half of the companies effectively involved their management and leadership teams in communicating with employees. Further, while 63 percent of the companies stated that aligning their employees to key business strategies was their number one communication goal, only 37 percent of those surveyed said these efforts have succeeded. Forty-two percent of companies proudly stated that “actively involving managers and company leadership in communicating with workers” was the #2 communication goal. However, nearly half of the employees surveyed said this effort was failing.

This is just the latest in a long line of studies and statistics that conclude the same thing. Business leaders don’t communicate nearly as effectively as they think they do.

Q—If company leaders say it’s so important, why is there so much poor communication going on?

A—People mean different things when they use the term “communication.” “Communication” gets thrown out there all the time as a cure all to organizational problems. But what does it really mean? One of the biggest barriers to effective communication is information overload. So do we really need more information and communication? Probably not. So the first task is defining and breaking down on a very practical level what we mean by communication and relate it to each employee in an organization so that they know what their role is in that effort.

Q—What are the biggest obstacles impeding organizational communication?

A—The study stated above listed “inconsistent messages” sent to employees as a big obstacle. I agree. Organizational leaders consistently send conflicting messages about goals that often compete with each other, which leaves employees confused, frustrated and trying to figure out what is really important. This can cause finger pointing and blaming, which is counterproductive. This produces another contributor to poor communication that the study found, which is “lack of employees’ trust in leadership.” Why would you trust someone if their first reaction is to blame you when things go wrong? The level of mistrust in most organizations is very high, yet few leaders understand the nature and extent of it, much less what to do about it.

Q—So, what should someone do after they read the results of this study?

A—First, acknowledge that there is a serious problem and then try to understand the underlying reasons for it. The easiest thing to do when poor communication takes place is to look at other people and say, “If only so and so had done…” The hard part is to look at yourself and ask how YOU may be contributing to poor communication in your organization. More specifically, if information overload is a problem, what are you doing to become more concise and streamlined in the way you communicate? Do your memos and meetings go on forever? If so, do something about it.

The study also found that many employees felt they didn’t have the tools required to be excellent communicators. Are you ensuring that your direct reports are getting the coaching they need to improve their communication skills or are you simply hoping for the best and getting frustrated in the process? Great organizations have leaders who understand how important effective communication really is, not just theoretically, but where it really counts--on the front lines dealing directly with employees.

The choice is yours. Are you going to complain about the communication problem or contribute to improving things in your organization?

Dr. Steve Adubato coaches and speaks on the subjects of communication and leadership and is the author of the book "Speak from the Heart." Write to him at The Star-Ledger, 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, NJ 07102, or click here to contact him through this web site.