Creating an Effective Executive Communication Strategy

Leadership skills are not always innate to leaders. In fact, effective leadership roots in inspiring and motivating action toward achieving a team or organization’s goals. To do that, leaders must have communication skills to connect with their audience. Company leaders or executives are the de facto “face” of the team or the company. They are the ones who face the internal and external stakeholders. Apart from researching and strategizing to increase revenue while boosting employee morale, executive leadership also covers ensconcing clear communication among stakeholders to foster trust and long-term relationships.

Inspiring the organization towards a shared vision to navigate organizational change can be fulfilled through executive communication. However, in this digital era, executives may not be able to cut through their messages among the communication clutter without an executive communication strategy.

Why is executive communication important?

Executive communication is a form of organizational communication that comes from the top management — CEOs, CFOs, presidents, directors, and top leadership positions — that requires managing two audiences at all times. Internally oriented executive communication is directed at the workforce that demands empathy, transparency, motivation, and direction. Alternately, externally oriented executive communication is aimed at external parties, such as clients, partners, and the public.

Communication at the executive level is essential in the performance and actions of the organization. An effective communication strategy improves team agility and boosts employee morale, which allows them to stay engaged even in times of crisis. Likewise, practicing communication provides transparency and accountability, which helps build the trust of employees in the executive team.

The benefits of effective executive communication not only bring value to the employees but also extend to business continuity. In times of predicaments, communication plays a vital role in navigating the storm by mitigating conflicts and aligning expectations with the employees and stakeholders. Furthermore, building and nurturing the brand can be achieved through executive communication — exhibiting a unified voice based on the values of the organization.

Best Practices to Improve Executive Communication

Communication failures can cost the team and the company time, effort, trust, and credibility. Your leadership communication may make or break the business. We have compiled the following tips to bring your executive communication to success.

1. CSR and ESG: Key Distinctions

Executives need to be effective communicators to accurately convey plans, actions, and performance to both the internal and external audience. To do that, executives must possess the following soft skills.

• Active Listening — It is critical to listen first before speaking. This involves understanding the plights of your audience, asking for their feedback, and crafting your message suitable for the situation.
• Empathy — This skill helps you understand how your audience feels to respond to their needs. Practicing empathy can help you communicate genuinely.
• Transparency— Transparent communication upholds trust and engagement from the employees and external parties.
• Narrative skills— Delivering a message that connects, empowers, and inspires action is a skill you and your executive team must have.
• Adaptability — Being flexible to adjust to different communication styles and situations allows you to better understand your audience and communicate with them effectively.

2. Understand your audience

The core of executive communication is what your audience — internal and external — feels and wants. Communicating is not only about what you want to convey but to whom you want to convey it. One of the most common mistakes in executive communication is not fitting the message to the specific audience. At times, leaders listen just enough to confirm and defend only their stands.

Your executive team must start connecting with the audience to convey your message and influence action. In understanding your audience, consider their perspectives, emotions, values, and what matters to them. For instance, be aware of the concerns of your employees on their workload, pay, and benefits. From there, you’ll clearly understand their sentiments to shift your message accordingly.

Similarly, listen to your partners and the public. Most stakeholders are now putting greater value on companies’ ESG impact and efforts. Understand their demands and communicate suitably your next steps.

3. Develop clear messages suited for the communication situation

Once you have determined what matters to your internal and collateral audiences, effective communicators must be able to craft compelling messages that can reach your intended audience. One mistake most communicators commit is putting too much information, assuming that everybody cares about it.

Executives must develop key messages that can connect and persuade them to the desired action. Frame the messages around the company goals and values, with no fluff. Relevant and effective messaging can be honed by collaborating during executive meetings.

Together with relevance, clarity should be a factor in your messaging formula. Unclear messages can lead to confusion, misunderstanding, and worst, rumors. Executive communication should always embody clarity to prevent critical situations and impeded actions. Consider also the timing of executive communications so the audience is prepared to receive and respond to you.

To convey clear and relevant messages, select a variety of delivery methods depending on what works best for each of your audiences. Your employees may prefer a virtual meeting where they can voice concerns about your recent announcement. On the other hand, your partners may want to do a hybrid conference so remote attendees can also join the meeting.

4. Initiate exchange of messaging

Effective executive communication not only focuses on how you present plans and actions. It also zeroes in the engagement of the other end. Executives must support interpersonal communication by establishing deliberate feedback processes. By doing this, they can collect diverse perspectives to resolve conflicts and adopt different management styles.

People, especially your workforce, may feel hesitant when communicating with executives. It is important to make them feel their parts in the conversation. Allow them to give feedback safely and constructively. For example, dedicating a Q&A session during team meetings may promote engagement from the employees. Surveys is also one way to get their feedback on the company policies and executive team’s performance.

For externally-oriented communication, expect your clients and the public to have a say — positive or negative — on your message. Understand when and how to respond to the external parties. Craft a strategy that will address their concerns while being consistent with your stance and company values.

5. Prepare to deliver the message

The best way to ensure a fool-proof message is to collaborate on what, when, to whom, and how to convey it. Executives must rely on streamlined methods of communication to dispatch information and get feedback faster. Several platforms, such as a Teams portal, are now available that executives can use to meet regularly.

Moreover, applying your interpersonal communication skills and practicing your presentation can make your delivery stronger and well-established. No matter how defined and refined your message is, make sure to communicate it with clarity and connectedness.

Lead a Successful Executive Communication Strategy with CiT

Effective executive communication can be achieved when executives themselves are effective communicators by themselves. Enhance leadership and communication with the board management software built into Teams.

Convene in Teams (CiT) is a Microsoft meeting management solution that unifies collaborative tools in Teams with Microsoft apps. Executives can communicate and collaborate on internal and external messages in real-time through Video Conferencing and Live Meeting Tools. Moreover, with its powerful features, you and your executive team can streamline workflows to achieve board effectiveness and better governance.

CiT allows best-practice executive meetings to maximize your Microsoft investment. Discover more about CiT’s features today!