What's the best way to explain HR initiatives to senior leaders?

1 Know your audience

Before you prepare your message, you need to understand who you are talking to and what they care about. Senior leaders are usually busy, strategic, and results-oriented. They want to know how your HR initiatives support the organization's vision, mission, and objectives. They also want to see evidence of impact, value, and return on investment. To tailor your message to your audience, you need to research their background, preferences, and concerns. You can use sources like their LinkedIn profile, their previous communications, or feedback from other stakeholders.

2 Define your purpose

Once you know your audience, you need to define your purpose for communicating with them. What do you want them to know, do, or feel after hearing your message? Your purpose should be specific, realistic, and measurable. For example, do you want them to approve your budget request, endorse your proposal, or participate in your survey? Your purpose should also be aligned with your audience's goals and interests. For example, do you want to show them how your initiative improves employee engagement, reduces turnover, or enhances productivity?

3 Structure your message

After you define your purpose, you need to structure your message in a logical and persuasive way. The STAR method is a simple and effective framework for this, standing for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. To illustrate, if you want to describe an HR initiative, you can say that you noticed the employee retention rate was below the industry average and many employees cited lack of career development opportunities as a reason for leaving. You decided to launch a mentoring program to provide employees with guidance, support, and feedback from experienced mentors. You designed and implemented the program based on best practices, feedback, and data; matched mentors and mentees based on skills, goals, and preferences; and provided training, resources, and evaluation tools. The impact of the program was measured on employee satisfaction, performance, and retention. It increased employee engagement, motivation, and loyalty; plus saved costs on recruitment, training, and turnover.

4 Use clear and concise language

When delivering your message, it's important to use clear and concise language that avoids jargon, acronyms, and technical terms. Utilizing active voice, simple sentences, and positive words will make your message easier to understand, remember, and act on. For instance, instead of saying "We utilized various methodologies to ascertain the efficacy of our initiative and ascertain its alignment with the organizational KPIs," you could say "We used different methods to measure the effectiveness of our initiative and how it met the organization's goals."

5 Support your message with evidence

To make your message more credible and compelling, you need to support it with evidence that shows the benefits and outcomes of your HR initiative. You can use data, facts, figures, testimonials, or case studies to back up your claims. You should also use visual aids, such as charts, graphs, or images, to illustrate your points and make them more memorable. However, you should avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information or irrelevant details. You should focus on the key points that matter to them and explain how they relate to their needs and interests.

6 Invite feedback and questions

Finally, you need to invite feedback and questions from your audience to engage them in a dialogue and address any concerns or objections they may have. You should listen actively, empathetically, and respectfully to their input and respond accordingly. You should also thank them for their time, attention, and support and follow up with them as needed. By inviting feedback and questions, you show that you value their opinion, that you are open to learning, and that you are committed to achieving mutual success.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?