Relevant, Clear and Empathetic Communication Creates a High-Performance Culture

(Written by Hugo Simpson - CCO Planet Once)

The question I ask myself is why large organisations put a great deal of effort into making sure that their external comms are relevant, clear, and empathetic, yet when it comes to internal comms, they often fall short.

There is often an assumption that internal comms is something we learn on the job; a nice to have if you like. But, if you think the average manager at work spends 45 minutes of every hour either writing or talking, is it? Not only can it waste an enormous amount of time; emails and reports that never get read, endless online meetings where people have their cameras off and are simultaneously doing other work, presentations that are so complex and dry that people switch off almost instantaneously – death by PowerPoint, we know it’s a problem, but we still abuse it.

And that waste of time equates to up to £15,000 per person per annum in loss of productivity. So, when I hear people describe internal comms as something we just learn on the job, I am always left frustrated and confused.

One of my clients called me up and asked if I could spend a day with John (not real name). John was part of the Exec, an ex-Cambridge graduate from Newcastle, a world expert on logistics but a terrified and ineffective presenter – a definite 3 out of 10.

The company had just been bought out by a much larger American company, and they had been asked to speak at a large international conference. Unfortunately, the only person with the knowledge to fill that spot was John.

The first hour with John was fascinating. Despite being extraordinarily charismatic and likeable, the version of John I witnessed during his first run through was nervous, monotone, under energised and dull. There were 30 uninspiring slides, full of content which forced John into reading. It was little surprise that John had a fear of public speaking; everything that was charismatic about John was being lost through this impenetrable content.

As the day went on, I started to get my head around his world and started to realise that sat beneath all the uninspiring data was a compelling story - between us we created a relevant and interesting narrative. It started with a hook – John describing a conversation he had with some mates of his at university with John determinedly arguing that nobody would ever buy anything online – oh the irony!

We blended hard-hitting data with lots of stories and examples and surprise surprise, John‘s personality started to resurface.

The night before the big event I did a run through with John and I can honestly say John was utterly unrecognisable – confident, emotionally invested and charming - coming across as an authoritative and compelling leader. John had transitioned from a doer into a communicator within three days.

30 minutes after the event had finished my buddy, the CEO, phoned me up and said “what the bloody hell have you done with John? He has just stood on the stage and blown everyone out the park!”

So, what benefit to John and the business did his newfound speaking confidence have?

Firstly, the business was inundated with LinkedIn requests, Teams call requests, and the event generated a large volume of revenue and new business. The company’s reputation increased.

So, what did this mean for John? Well, his confidence has grown exponentially. He is now one of the go-to presenters within the Exec, which has significantly increased his credibility within the wider US business. He has improved the way he communicates both within his team but also how his function communicates internally and externally. He suffers from less imposter syndrome and has become a really valued member of the Exec. He’s not just considered a technical expert. he is also now considered a great leader.

So, what does this mean for me? Well, it reinforces just why internal comms is not just a nice to have but it’s so intrinsic in everything leaders do within organisations. A relatively small amount of training can take someone from a 3 out of 10 to an 8 out of 10 which has a measurable impact on their own performance, their team’s performance and in John’s case, the organisation’s performance. The downside of working with John is he is now responsible for all the US conference speaker training which has resulted in significant lost revenue for me, but John and I are in regular contact, and he is a huge advocate for the need for written and verbal communication training.

Public speaking is often cited as peoples number one biggest fear. It impacts organisations, teams and individuals. It helps to foster collegiate teams, long lasting relationships with clients, critical visibility from senior leaders to their wider teams and significantly increases productivity and performance.

At Planet Once, we have designed our High Performance section to tackle exactly this, providing clear, practical resources and training that help leaders and teams communicate with relevance, clarity and empathy. By giving people the tools to master everyday communication, we help build a culture where high performance is not left to chance but supported at every level.

A nice to have? You decide!