Strategy 1: Build a trusted relationship with your leaders and managers

Great communicators are not born; it’s a skill that can be learnt and perfected, and you can help them do that.

Get your managers and leaders as excited and passionate about communications as you are by sharing what good communications looks like. Communication is one of the most important skills a leader can have. If a leader is incapable of communicating with his or her team, company’s overall strategy, mission and goals may never be achieved.

You can’t give skills and knowledge to someone who doesn’t want them. There has to be desire before the motivation to learn. As Simon Sinek says, it needs to start with ‘why’, rather than ‘how’ or ‘what’.

1. Spell out what’s in it for them, their people and the organisation as a whole if they invest in communication excellence.
2. Like T-shirts, there’s no one-size-fits all approach. The key is to establish an open relationship where you can discuss the leader’s strengths and weaknesses, and agree upon a custom plan.
3. Give feedback to increase their confidence.
4. Provide them with the frameworks and toolkit to package and personalise messages into stories which they can communicate themselves.
5. Be supportive with their communications planning when they need help.