I recently had a conversation with someone that I’ve known for quite some time. I was flattered when she opened the dialogue by saying that she’d been enjoying the content I’d been putting out on social media and in my newsletter. We had a wonderful chat, at the end of which we began talking about the work I was doing with teams. She seemed surprised to learn about this facet of my work and I was equally surprised because I felt like I’d been singing it from the rooftops. Sound familiar?
Whether you are a leader working to implement change, a manager trying to position yourself for a promotion, or an employee looking to change your career, you’ve likely experienced the confounding moment. You feel that something you’ve frequently repeated is met with a blank stare — as though everyone else is hearing it for the very first time.
Both can be true. You can have said it a number of times and they can honestly feel as though they are hearing it for the first time. The reality is that we can only store so much information in our short-term or working memory. So what can we do?
There are two primary ways to increase awareness of your message:
First, vary the mode of communication. Use all of the communication modes at your disposal. Perhaps you shared the message at an all-hands meeting. Follow this up with an email. Invite folks to send questions, comments, and concerns to you via your messaging app. Host small group Q&A’s. Post a video in the break room. Some sources say that it can take 7 or more times of someone hearing something before it registers in their memory. The greater the variety of types of communication are used, the more rapidly the message is absorbed.
Secondly, make sure the recipient understands why the message is important to them. Will it change what they are focusing on? Will it change how they do their work? Will it affect their compensation? The old adage WIIFM (what’s in it for me) is always a good one to keep in mind. People are bombarded with information all day, every day. In order for them to navigate through the day, they’ve got to filter out the unimportant. If you’ve not made it clear to them why they should be listening to you, they probably aren’t.
When you feel as though you have been whispering in the wind, think about whether you have been persistent (sharing your message multiple times), varied (using different communication methods to engage), and customer focused (delivering the message in a way that underscores the value to them).
