Leadership Communications in the Social World

Leadership communications: How a communicator in the social media world can support and maximize the impact when an executive communicates
Mark Schumann (@dmarkschumann), past Chair, ABC
http://re-communicate.com

This is the first half of this discussion, as this excellent talk covered a long list of advice for corporate communications and speechwriters.  The role is not just to help executives communicate effectively, but also to educate them on effective communications.  One of the most important things it to help them understand that people react to the context, as well as the content of the message.

Why executive speechwriting is a tough job:

• Preparing the leader so they reach a comfort and confidence in the message, tone, and approach.
• Tone, not necessarily the message, is what people will react to the most.
• Wearing a smile when the leader gets it wrong.
• Accepting all of the blame and none of the credit.
• Leading leaders isn’t easy or expected

Some communicators continue to fall into the trap of the traditional formality of corporate communications:

• Formality of message capture and delivery – Communications are now faster than ever, can be delivered in multiple formats, and captured with something as simple as a cell phone camera.
• Formality of the setting – Communications used to be in person, in a big room.  Even if it’s a big room, speakers need to make the room smaller.  Take the opportunity to work the room and introduce themselves to people in advance to make it more intimate.
• Formality of the responses – Feedback has often been limited, often because many people, in general, don’t like feedback.
• Formality of the process – Preparation meetings often become formal events.  They don’t have to be.  Try more meetings with your speakers in 15 minute blocks.  You’ll often get more done, you’ll be efficient with your time, and the leader is more willing to give you 15 minutes than an hour.

5 Rules corporate communicators must live by:

1. People memorize the tone – People remember the humanity of the voice and how it made them feel.  Be sure to organize content that contributes to the tone.  For example, begin with a story to set tone.  Even if it’s financial info… tell a story to help them remember it’s about accomplishing the goals of the company.
2. People retell the stories – Stories help to humanize the situation, or make the message simpler. The only way to do this is to encircle the facts with something that’s appealing to the audience.
3. People want humanity and humility – Ultimately, we’re helping leaders reveal their souls and using how they communicate to reveal who they really are. Step back from clinical messages to think about what the audience will remember.  Tip – have the leader talk about something they learned – from an employee, from their area, from the situation, etc.
4. People ignore the facts – People will remember the things they want to remember, often what’s most relevant to them. What we can do is set the tone, create the voice, frame the content, manage the ego.
5. Help people believe in how they are led – Perhaps the most important role of the corporate communicator.

Dangers signs of leaders who may be difficult to work with, when they say:

1. I was on the high school debate team – It typically means they like to argue.
2. I like to wing it – It means they don’t listen, want feedback, or prepare for what they want to accomlish with a speech.
3. I don’t need to rehearse – Everyone needs to prepare and rehearse. Spontaneous is too spontaneous to be prepared for.
4. My spouse or partner coaches me – They aren’t ready to listen to you.
5. I really like Power Point – They rely too much on it as a crutch, and often repeat what’s on the screen.
6. I have a great sense of humor – Trying to be funny tends to get in the way of being genuine or caring.

One of the biggest challenges is to make leader feel like they’ve been a part of the process regarding their own communication. Find a way for them to help. Get them to write the first draft – you then get to see what is most important, and then you craft it.

Leadership in a Socially Calibrated Business

Presenter: Lee Bryant, Headshift

Social media is a new world, especially for corporate executives.  Bryant started by dispelling a few myths about leadership as it applies to social media within the business world.

Myth 1. Flat structures don’t need leaders
In fact, social business opens up new opportunities for traditional leadership strengths.  Those who have strengths in communication, strategy, planning, engaging people will naturally rise to the top.

Myth 2. Distributed leadership is based on distributing process, not passion
Passion works better than process control, such as Zappos – if they don’t see a connected purpose, they’re not going to do well.  Common purpose is more important than strategic planning.  He used an example of a military exercise in which the defense had no plan, but was able to pull off a victory repeatedly.  A famous quote – “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders… instead teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

The question is how can we actually do this and make it repeatable.  And what to do if you don’t have exceptional leaders?  What does social business have to offer?

Connected systems and social networks allow for intimacy & presence at scale.  In the past, good leaders “walked the floor” and had a physical presence with their employees.  Social networks now allow you to virtually walk the floor as a leader.  Social media also encourages personal quests and re-invention on the edges of the organization.  Essentially it helps like-minded folks organize, encourage each other, and share information.  Leaders should open the taps on internal social media to create feeds and flows of data.  Sharing of information internally improves performance and reduces friction.

Smart leaders don’t limit employees access to, or ability to hold conversations.  Real leaders thrive in open culture with feedback.  Typically they thrive on being challenged to solve problems and improve situations.  It takes moving beyond carrot and stick thinking to connect with peoples’ intrinsic motivation and sense of purpose – and then enabling them network.  You must provide them with the tools to do so.

Harness the power of open data to evolve.  Data gives you feedback, and you can use to adjust what you’re doing based on the needs of the customer (or employees).  A social business strategy and infrastructure create the conditions for buisnesses to evolve and succeed.

Ecosystems + passion + active listening = transformation