Why you can never over-communicate

When Walt and Roy Disney founded their Hollywood film-making company 101 years ago, they ensured every employee was reminded of their fundamental duty as soon as they walked through the door: “Our purpose is to make people happy.” That small but meaningful phrase became the mantra that drove the company to excel.
In the same way, I was always struck by how the American home services business Dwyer Group (now Neighborly) insisted on reciting the company values, read from a small card, in every meeting of more than three people, including the one I was in many years ago.
Regardless of how large or small your firm, communicating internally is one of those secrets of success that too many relegate. Leaders just assume that people know what’s expected of them, without taking the trouble to find out if they do. That’s especially true in smaller companies where everyone is busily carrying out day-to-day tasks without stepping back to ponder their ultimate goal and purpose. Whether you’re the CEO or the leader of a team, you need to ensure that people are crystal-clear about why you’re doing something rather than just what you’re doing.
I recently met the CEO of Greggs, Roisin Currie, who told me “you can never do enough” as a leader to communicate your message. Which is why she’s an expert at short, punchy messages internally and on social media with 60-second soundbites and sub-three minute videos. With 30,000 staff, they’re trialling digital communications boards in their supply chain so that timely and relevant messaging means everyone feels included in the company’s decision-making.
That kind of leadership has become even more paramount in today’s hybrid working environment, where the danger is that people gradually become disconnected to the core business, customers and colleagues no matter how many online calls they attend.
You need to remind everyone — over and again, digitally, verbally and on paper (think omnichannel) — what the business strategy and plans are, and the results. But don’t sugar-coat messages. Staff need to hear about what is not going to plan and any course corrections, along with what is going well. So, don’t worry about delivering bad news. Communication is about honesty and transparency. If things aren’t going well, say so but with a focus on future opportunities rather than past disappointments. When you’re going through tough, uncertain times — as all businesses do — the more effectively we communicate, the more trust people will have in leadership finding the right solutions.
Don’t be afraid you are communicating the same messages over and again. Think about the power of TV advertising and how many times those ads go out to consumers before they absorb the message and take action.
Just as brands invest in inspiring consumers, so companies should be investing in inspiring their own staff too. But don’t keep chopping and changing the message: the more you do, the greater the confusion and the more doubt people will have in your strategy. Keep things simple, to the point, telling a great story that people can identify with.
I’ve just had some media and presentation skills training from Gavin Scovell, who trains Premier League football managers on how to perform in front of the camera. My biggest learning was the importance of soundbites rather than long sentences. Think news headlines and pulling out the really important messages and getting them across, deliberately reiterating those key points without fearing that I’m repeating myself. Be clear, concise and engaging.
When HomeServe first started, this kind of communication wasn’t high on my agenda. I was walking the floor and spending so much time with colleagues that I didn’t see the need to formalise a communications strategy. However, once we created a more structured plan, it drew everyone together. It was the first moment that I felt we were a HomeServe family. Everyone felt integral to every decision, they were truly working for each other, understood why we existed and felt confident articulating that to their teams, customers and new prospects.
Over the years, we’ve pioneered our Big Red Sofa video broadcasts where staff can hear about progress from their colleagues and have the opportunity to ask questions. Leadership teams frequently attend Engineer Roadshows where they meet and talk with our plumbers and heating engineers who are face-to-face with customers every day, and in their vans. Our purpose statement, strategy and values are printed on laminated cards so that everyone has them on their desks. We called this our plan on a page.
At Business Leader, we have a 30-minute all-staff video call once a month which enables senior leaders to explain what’s happening in their departments and listen to what others are up to. We’re talking about progress but also bonding people ever-closer to each other and our purpose. Large face-to-face gatherings are called All-Hands Meetings in the US and I’ve always felt that my American colleagues in HomeServe were experts at running them and creating hype and excitement. Maybe it’s because in the UK we call them “town halls” which makes me think of a local council meeting.
Whatever the name, they are an essential part of any communications plan.
One word of warning is to make sure you don’t keep cancelling these communication sessions. Have a schedule and stick to it. If you’re not doing much of this today, then do more but not so much that you end up cutting back later.
How do you know whether your staff communications are working? You need to have a staff engagement survey. In HomeServe UK we use surveys provided by Great Place To Work, which includes questions that directly relate to our communications, such as how easy it is to engage senior management and get a straight answer, how well leadership keep colleagues informed about vital issues, and the effectiveness of performance feedback.
If you asked me which of all communications is most important, I would say individual managers getting their teams together and talking. Bottom-up comms is even more important than top-down.
Many businesses have invested in software and technology that improve internal comms, with newsletter, collaboration and search platforms such as Happeo, Slack and Google Workspace. Email is fine but some of these apps enable you to tailor your message more effectively so that you’re not just posting one-size-fits-all communications. Customise content and allow people to feed back.
It’s lovely to have perks such as free meals, health plans and table tennis tables in the office but, in my experience, people perform best, collaborate more effectively and are empowered to take better decisions when leadership also invests in communications.
Richard Harpin is founder and chairman of HomeServe and Growth Partner, and owner of Business Leader.