Tips to Better Communicate with Senior Management (Part Two)

Last week, The Inside Voice interviewed Roberta Fiore-Kittell, an Executive Coach and Partner at OptimaHR. Roberta provides insight and tips to help HR managers better communicate with senior management. Today’s blog is the second of two parts.

Speak Up! Tips to Better Communicate with Senior Management (Part Two)

Interview with Roberta Fiore-Kittell, Partner, OptimaHR

What are some tips on how to get senior managers to pay attention to what we need to  tell them?

I always go into a senior manager meeting with a one-pager that we discuss and it also serves as a leave-behind. I may have the background information behind it, but everything can be condensed to one page.

It is critical that you spend the same amount of thought on the preparation as the meeting. Very senior managers prepare for conversations, just as they do for presentations. For every hour of a meeting, you need 30 to 60 minutes minimum to prepare so you can be very clear on what you want to communicate, what questions you want to ask, what questions you are going to be asked, what are the most important takeaways that need to happen in a meeting. A sports analogy comes to mind: Your preparation is the amount of “practice” you are willing to do to get ready for the big game (the meeting).  And, just like in sports, you don’t get a do-over if you blow the game (the meeting). The book It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It by Joan Detz is a great book that explains this.

How do you determine the best vehicle to use to communicate with senior management?

Start by asking yourself a few questions. Know your purpose: Is it to inform? To get buy in? Is it just an FYI? For complex issues, the only time you want to put anything in writing is to prepare them in advance so you use your time efficiently. You should think about how you can most succinctly communicate. Is that in an email or another type of communication?

Then work through understanding the background. What’s the outcome I want to have happen as a result of what I’m telling you? And what are the steps I am asking to take? And then what’s next? What are the key takeaways that I want as a result of this meeting?

That’s a lot of information you’ll have to present. So write what you want to say, then put your communications on a diet. The number one complaint senior leaders have is that people who come to them are too much in the weeds giving them too many details. Senior managers don’t want to know that much detail.

What are the biggest considerations that HR managers should keep in mind as they communicate and interact with the senior managers?

The top tips I’d recommend for HR managers:

1.      Be prepared and be clear. Have a framework for your communication, whether it is written, a presentation or a conversation. Most people should have a set way of preparing.

2.      Know your audience. Ask what information they’re looking for and how they want to receive the information in advance. Know the “secret handshake” – how they communicate, what they value and what they don’t value.

3.      Good presentations are good conversations. Don’t be one-sided. Engage your audience. Listen to them. Make it interesting and make it a dialogue to get engaged.

What has worked for you in communicating with senior management? Do you have tips that have proven to be successful for you? Click on the comment box below and add your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you.