9 best strategies for communicating important news/information to your team
Nine leaders of companies give advice that includes embracing brevity and staying ahead of rumours
Question: What is one tip for communicating important news (key hires, funding, etc.) to the entire company?
1. Embrace brevity — Alfredo Atanacio of Uassist.ME
“Keep the message simple. You probably have a lot to say about the important news, but you want to deliver clear and concise information to your employees so everyone understands. Don’t leave any room for speculation.”
2. Stagger staff meetings — Lindsay Tanne of LogicPrep
“It can be difficult to maintain culture and communication when you have many part-time employees or employees who come into the office on different days. For this reason, hold staff meetings on two distinct days to capture the greatest number of attendees overall. Then, be sure to send a summary of meeting notes to the whole team to account for any individuals who aren’t able to attend.”
3.Maintain an ‘open door policy’ — Miles Jennings of Recruiter.com
“Although you may share all important updates in a company-wide email, you want to also make it clear that your “door is always open.”
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“Company-wide emails are the most efficient way of sharing widespread information, but it is also extremely impersonal and may leave employees feeling that their voice is not heard. Let them know they can always come and chat with you regarding any announcements.”
4. Communicate early and often — Bhavin Parikh of Magoosh Inc
“Rather than sending out a monthly newsletter, we try to communicate news as it happens. This helps employees stay updated on company events and prevents some people from knowing information that others don’t. By keeping information accessible, you can create a stronger sense of community and ownership among the team.”
5. Use video — Charlie Gilkey of Productive Flourishing
“If you have a message that matters — good or bad — use video. Seeing someone’s face and non-verbal communication activates mirror neurons and enhances emotional contagion. Whatever emotion you’re wanting to spread and amplify (excitement, a sense of urgency, sadness) will be best spread by video. It’s what our teams feel about our messages that will most determine how they respond to them.”
6. Stay ahead of rumors — Christopher Kelly of Convene
“Control the message ahead of the rumor mill. Regardless of whether you’re communicating good news or bad news, word travels fast and you want to proactively control key communications. Otherwise, you will come across as being reactive and will have to fight against misinformation.”
7. Articulate why it’s important — Andrew Thomas of SkyBell Doorbell
“Do your best to frame the announcement in terms of how it fits with the company’s mission. By doing so, you’ll continue to galvanize your team around the mission, which will reinforce your company culture. Also, be honest and excited. Be transparent about how a key hire or funding will make the company better and help achieve the shared goals of the company.”
8. Be detailed and thorough — Jayna Cooke of EVENTup
“Make sure the news is direct but at the same time clear and thorough. You should use weekly meetings to make these announcements so they are not abrupt and out of the blue. Also, have your answers ready for questions your employees are most likely going to ask.”
9. Email for good news, face-to-face for bad news — Dave Nevogt of Hubstaff.com
“Email is an increasingly acceptable format for delivering good news like funding announcements, new hires, and key product improvements. But bad news should be delivered in person; if that’s impossible, then at least over video.
“In the context of giving bad news, showing your face to the other person is common courtesy. Give people the opportunity to ask questions and react in a private medium.”
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The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organisation comprising the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship programme that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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