Effective top-down communication? – 7 steps to conduct it right
Research shows that as many as 97% of employees believe that communication is important in their daily work.
How to communicate with the employees to simultaneously support the achievement of the organization’s strategic goals and strengthen employee engagement? This, among other things, is one of the tasks of effective top-down communication.
What is top-down communication?
The ability to exchange information and build consensus is the foundation of modern leadership which determines the success of business initiatives. Thanks to communication, employees know how to do their jobs and what is expected of them. Communication is also the basis for building relationships, engagement, and a good atmosphere that supports the achievement of business goals. Traditionally understood, though not always effective, top-down communication was based on cascading information.
Why is top-down communication sometimes ineffective?
What most often fails in such an approach? Lack of alignment with the needs of all employees in the organization and the assumption that we all communicate in the same language. All too often, the messages coming “from above” are underdeveloped, complicated, imprecise, and do not address the problems of the recipients. This gives employees the perception that top management is disrespectful, so they ignore their subsequent attempts to communicate. Therefore, modern effective top-down communication cannot be devoid of both sides, i.e., elements of bottom-up communication. How to manage it so that it plays its role properly and at the same time supports relationship building and mutual trust?
How to conduct effective top-down communication?
It’s hard to imagine an organization without an effective top-down communication. To increase its effectiveness, implement our plan.
- Develop a strategy and plan activities
Don’t communicate at the last minute. A well-developed internal communications strategy includes key moments in the life of the organization that rarely happen overnight. Plan what, how, and when you want to communicate so that messages are consistent and reach all audiences at the same time. At the most sensitive moments (e.g., mergers, restructurings), analyze the effectiveness of your communications on a test group.
- Know your audience
Make sure you know who the audience for your messages is. The bottom line in effective top-down communication is to match the type of message to the education level, knowledge, and even emotional state and interests of the audience. Investigate on an ongoing basis, such as with short pulse-checks, what the mood of the organization is and what employees expect.
- Use the reliable data
Specific, factual, and REAL. All calculations and data should be presented, e.g., with the help of charts or summaries, but spare the employees very insightful details.
- Give the right tone to the messages
In top-down communication, the intention is very important. Every message contains some emotional charge. Even simple messages can be set in a specific context or presented using an analogy. This will make it easier for employees to relate the information to themselves and their situation. It is also up to the sender to decide what emotions he will evoke: excitement, boredom, fear, or joy. This is where storytelling will be useful.
- Be honest
Employees know a lot about the organizations in which they work and catch any inaccuracies or misstatements with great precision. It’s not just about purely business information on the condition of the company. A boss driving a car with huge engine power will not be credible when communicating the need for the company to carry out environmental activities.
- Conduct two-way communication
Create opportunities for employees to speak out on topics that are important to them, and make sure the company has an atmosphere for free expression. Be open to questions and have time to answer them.
- Introduce a multi-channel approach
Effective top-down communication uses every possible way to reach your audience. At a time when employees’ email inboxes are flooded with messages of varying degrees of importance, you can’t count on one email from management to do the job. Thus, direct communication (including via video conferencing or townhalls) is important, as well as this indirect communication, via employee platforms, internal social media, or video messaging.
Effective top-down communication helps give all activities in the organization the right direction while supporting employees in their daily tasks. A top-down approach, properly planned and used by leaders, will provide the company with a rapid flow of information and allow it to communicate with many employees simultaneously. However, to be effective, it should be based on the principles of reciprocity and maximum sincerity.