What do people want to know?

Communication is of course a two-way process involving listening as much as telling. The word comes from the Latin communicare – to share. The information shared falls into three main categories:

• corporate (builds pride and belonging, e.g. ‘I am proud to work for and feel good about my company’);

• cascade (communicates objectives, e.g. ‘What do you want me to do and why?’);

• personal (day-to-day motivation, e.g. ‘How do you persuade me to achieve what you want me to do?’).

An effective communication process will address the needs of all three. It will also encourage people to say what they think about the information they have been given and, more importantly, show that what they say makes a difference. When people see management taking action on their feedback the whole communication process gains trust and credibility. And when that happens the communication process become a genuine tool for improving the bottom line.