The hierarchy of communication at the corporate level is a professional game of Telephone. As a manager, I find myself receiving updates about new processes, new projects or new ideas, and relaying the same to my team. The difference is in my delivery: I usually try to consider the new information before I pass it on so that I might use my own words in my explanation. This also helps me prepare for any questions or concerns that may arise.
Sometimes, when the matter is urgent, I deliver the news in the same way that I received it, without taking the time to review. In this case, my words are not my own, uneasy and often confused, and I leave my team with more unanswered questions than they had at the start. Because I did not take the time to translate my manager's words into my own, I did not fully understand them. My lack of understanding transferred to my team; a game of corporate telephone.
As a manager, you must be careful about the way you describe the "wisdom from above." It is vital that you develop, refine, and constantly use your own voice to deliver information. Your team will respect you since you can tailor your delivery to ensure that everyone understands as well as you do, and answer any questions on the fly. Likewise, you will find that you are able to use that voice when speaking with your own superiors and peers. Your voice will carry above others who simply relay their managers' messages without another thought. You will have the chance to ask questions yourself and perhaps influence the new idea before it hits the newsstands. Your superiors will know you for your voice, and your eagerness to understand. It shows that you are confident enough in the information to reword it for the masses. Rather than a game of telephone, you are opening the lines of communication, and your coworkers will thank you for that.
So, test your vocal chords, and stop using that telephone.
-Kate
Sometimes, when the matter is urgent, I deliver the news in the same way that I received it, without taking the time to review. In this case, my words are not my own, uneasy and often confused, and I leave my team with more unanswered questions than they had at the start. Because I did not take the time to translate my manager's words into my own, I did not fully understand them. My lack of understanding transferred to my team; a game of corporate telephone.
As a manager, you must be careful about the way you describe the "wisdom from above." It is vital that you develop, refine, and constantly use your own voice to deliver information. Your team will respect you since you can tailor your delivery to ensure that everyone understands as well as you do, and answer any questions on the fly. Likewise, you will find that you are able to use that voice when speaking with your own superiors and peers. Your voice will carry above others who simply relay their managers' messages without another thought. You will have the chance to ask questions yourself and perhaps influence the new idea before it hits the newsstands. Your superiors will know you for your voice, and your eagerness to understand. It shows that you are confident enough in the information to reword it for the masses. Rather than a game of telephone, you are opening the lines of communication, and your coworkers will thank you for that.
So, test your vocal chords, and stop using that telephone.
-Kate
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