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Beyond the Babble: Leadership Communication That Drives Results

Beyond the Babble: Leadership Communication That Drives Results

by Marcia Silverman, Macy Boehm, Bob Matha
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Release Date: July 2008
ISBN: 9780470200483
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Book Description

Discover how to connect with and inspire employees throughout an organization.

Improve your leadership skills -- even if you aren't a "natural" communicator -- with a specific communication strategy that anyone can use. Authors Matha and Boehm present research showing that all managers can improve performance by using the principles outlined in Beyond the Babble. They explore why communication is crucial, how and when to do it, how to embed it in an organization's culture, and how to measure results. They also show how internal communications professionals can improve an organization's communication to the outside world.

Bob Matha (Chicago, IL) has 30 years of experience in business communications as a consultant and executive. Macy Boehm (Chicago, IL) has spent 15 years in business communications. Matha and Boehm are principals of Basics 3, a leadership communications consulting firm, and also serve as senior internal communications advisors to clients of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.

Table of Contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Foreword
  3. The Authors
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction
  6. 1. The Power of Communication
    1. 1.1. ON STRATEGY COMMUNICATION CUTS THROUGH BABBLE
    2. 1.2. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION GETS RESULTS
    3. 1.3. WHY COMMUNICATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE
    4. 1.4. SUMMARY
  7. 2. On Strategy Communication: An Overview
    1. 2.1. THE ACTION EQUATION
      1. 2.1.1. Communication on Strategy Begins with Do
      2. 2.1.2. Know Creates Understanding
      3. 2.1.3. Feel Drives Action
    2. 2.2. THE PEOPLE CHANNEL
      1. 2.2.1. Package the Action Equation into a Conversation
      2. 2.2.2. Align Leaders Up and Down the Organization
      3. 2.2.3. Equip Leaders to Have Conversations On Strategy
      4. 2.2.4. Drive Communication and Conversations
      5. 2.2.5. Expect a Lot
    3. 2.3. SUMMARY
  8. 3. Do: What Do You Need Employees to Do?
    1. 3.1. THE ELEMENTS OF ON STRATEGY DIRECTION
      1. 3.1.1. Simplicity Drives Clarity
      2. 3.1.2. The What and the How
      3. 3.1.3. Remember the Nonnegotiables
      4. 3.1.4. Make the Courageous Choices
      5. 3.1.5. Match Words and Actions
    2. 3.2. SETTING A CLEAR PATH FOR THE LAND OF OZ
      1. 3.2.1. What Are the "Critical Few" Goals We Need to Achieve?
      2. 3.2.2. What Are the Long-Term Nonnegotiables We Need to Protect?
      3. 3.2.3. How Will We as an Organization Achieve These Goals?
      4. 3.2.4. Do Specific Activities Support the Strategic Actions, or Not?
    3. 3.3. SUMMARY
  9. 4. Know: What Do Employees Need to Know to Take Action?
    1. 4.1. THEY NEED TO KNOW WHY
      1. 4.1.1. Knowing Goes Both Ways
      2. 4.1.2. Questions Go Beyond Goals and Strategy
      3. 4.1.3. Answering the "Why" Questions
    2. 4.2. WHO NEEDS TO KNOW?
    3. 4.3. THE LAND OF OZ KNOWS
    4. 4.4. SUMMARY
  10. 5. Feel: What Do Employees Need to Feel to Take Action?
    1. 5.1. BE AN ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST
    2. 5.2. GETTING THE INSIGHTS YOU NEED
    3. 5.3. THE LAND OF OZ GETS EMOTIONAL
    4. 5.4. SUMMARY
  11. 6. The "Why Nots": What's Getting in the Way?
    1. 6.1. THE BEHAVIOR CHAIN
    2. 6.2. ADDRESSING A "WHY NOT"
    3. 6.3. BE AN ORGANIZATIONAL ARCHEOLOGIST
    4. 6.4. THE LAND OF OZ CONFRONTS ITS DEMONS
    5. 6.5. SUMMARY
  12. 7. Package: Turn the Action Equation into a Conversation
    1. 7.1. CONVERSATIONS ARE "IN THE MOMENT"
    2. 7.2. THE MEMORY ISSUE
    3. 7.3. THE CONVERSATION PLATFORM
    4. 7.4. THE LAND OF OZ GETS READY TO ROLL
    5. 7.5. WHEN ISSUES ARE THE ISSUE
    6. 7.6. SUMMARY
  13. 8. Align: Make Sure All Leaders Are On Strategy
    1. 8.1. DON'T BE FOOLED
    2. 8.2. START AT THE TOP AND WORK TO THE FRONT LINE
    3. 8.3. PROMOTE OPEN DISCUSSION AT MULTIPLE LEVELS
    4. 8.4. INCLUDE INFORMAL LEADERS IN THE PEOPLE CHANNEL
    5. 8.5. SUMMARY
  14. 9. Equip: Give Leaders the Tools They Need to Communicate On Strategy
    1. 9.1. TRAIN LEADERS AS IF STRATEGY DEPENDED ON IT
    2. 9.2. SUPPORT LOCAL LEADERS AND THE PEOPLE CHANNEL
      1. 9.2.1. Keep Leaders Updated
      2. 9.2.2. Promote an Ongoing Leadership Conversation
    3. 9.3. RECOGNIZE AND STRENGTHEN THE WEAK LINKS
    4. 9.4. COMPLEMENTARY LEADER ASSIGNMENTS
    5. 9.5. SUMMARY
  15. 10. Drive and Support: Orchestrate and Sustain On Strategy Conversation
    1. 10.1. CREATE A DRUMBEAT
      1. 10.1.1. Maximize All the Vehicles Available
      2. 10.1.2. The Conversation Platform as a Filter and Focus
      3. 10.1.3. Use Vehicles to Spark People Channel Conversations on Strategy
      4. 10.1.4. Calendarize Communication Events
    2. 10.2. TO RAISE THE VOLUME, RUN A CAMPAIGN
    3. 10.3. HOW COMMUNICATION (THE FUNCTION) CAN HELP
      1. 10.3.1. Staff the Function to Drive Results
      2. 10.3.2. Set Expectations Related to Company Goals, Not Communication Goals
      3. 10.3.3. Involve Them Early
      4. 10.3.4. Involve Them Deeply—and Prioritize
    4. 10.4. SUMMARY
  16. 11. You: The Top Leader's Role
    1. 11.1. EXPECT A LOT
      1. 11.1.1. Never Assume and Always Monitor
      2. 11.1.2. Orchestrate Communication Delivery
    2. 11.2. MEASUREMENT
      1. 11.2.1. Relate Communication to Performance Metrics
      2. 11.2.2. Measure Information Flow
    3. 11.3. REWARD, RECOGNIZE, AND HOLD ACCOUNTABLE
    4. 11.4. PRIORITIZE
    5. 11.5. LEAD BY EXAMPLE
  17. 12. "How to" Resource Guide
    1. 12.1. CONDUCTING DISCUSSION GROUPS
      1. 12.1.1. Use a Facilitator, if at All Possible
      2. 12.1.2. Designing Discussion Groups
      3. 12.1.3. Executing Discussion Groups
      4. 12.1.4. Discussion Groups to Identify Motivational Connections
      5. 12.1.5. Discussion Groups to Inform the Behavior Chain
    2. 12.2. THE MEMORY GAME
    3. 12.3. ALIGNMENT INTERVIEWS AND SNAPSHOT
    4. 12.4. THE CONSIDER-DIALOGUE-SOLVE PROCESS
    5. 12.5. CONDUCTING A "RED FACE" TEST
    6. 12.6. IDENTIFYING INFORMAL LEADERS
    7. 12.7. SELECTING VEHICLES: OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND
      1. 12.7.1. Large and Small Office Settings
      2. 12.7.2. Remote Locations
      3. 12.7.3. Industrial Plant Locations
      4. 12.7.4. Specific Vehicles to Leverage
      5. 12.7.5. Generating On Strategy Conversations
  18. Glossary of Terms
  19. Notes