A couple days ago, I talked about the importance of showing kindness when communicating downward to those who report to you.
But how do you show kindness and trustworthiness when the news you have to share is bad and you can’t share all of the details? I know how stressful it can feel to worry that you’ll deliver it wrong, erode confidence, and damage relationships.
Three key principles to help with this communication are pacing, transparency, and follow-through.
When it comes to pacing, kindness includes creating a time buffer to separate difficult conversations from other hard topics such as performance problems or changes to policies or processes. It can also mean giving an early hint or “heads-up” especially when advanced warning may offer a chance to improve the situation. It’s also about exercising the empathy to know when to ease people into an emotionally heavy topic over time, and when it’s better to rip the proverbial bandage off quickly so that healing can begin right away.
The other two principles – transparency and follow-through – are crucial in both the planning and execution of the pacing of your communication.
Regarding transparency in each point of communication, be clear about what you know to be true, what remains uncertain or unknown, and what you’re not at liberty to share. Explaining ahead of time why certain kinds of information must remain confidential can help avoid the impression that you’re hiding something simply for your own comfort or protection.
Regarding follow-through, your early conversations will often include commitments for future conversations or other conversations. You may commit to share more when you know more. You may commit to take action to reduce the size or the likelihood of impact for your team. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, because maintaining trust depends on following through with those commitments.
If you’d like to develop your own skill with empathetic pacing, transparency, and follow-through with your communication, let’s talk. Visit stevedwire.com/talk to start the conversation.
Leave a Reply