Transcript Manager Communications Workshop 3/3/03

Effective
Communications
for ITSS Managers
ITSS Managers Meeting
March 3, 2003
1
Why Communication Matters
Good two-way communication is the
foundation of:
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Understanding
Trust
Community
Efficiency
Progress
2
Managers are the Key
Managers at all levels
need to make a strong
personal commitment
to being effective
communicators
3
How Do We Know This?
That’s what staff say. The message is
consistent across
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ITSS Communications Survey
ITSS Employee Survey
Results from surveys done at other
companies and research firms
Communications and organizational
effectiveness theory
4
Our Communications
Responsibilities
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Listen
Initiate
Filter (the “right” amount)
Interpret & Relate
Add Context & Global Perspective
Connect
Deliver
…in a timely manner, to the right people
5
You’ve Told Us That
Effective Communication IS...
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Having regular one-on-one meetings
Having regular staff meetings
Sharing information quickly about
updates, staff/org changes, decisions
Making the tacit explicit
Closing the communication loop with a
response or acknowledgement
Leading & participating in effective
meetings
6
And Effective Communication
is NOT...
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Letting a request for response go
unaddressed
Sharing information with only some who
need to know
Passing information to staff without the
proper context for them to relate to it
Getting input and doing nothing with it
Meeting with no point, purpose, focus or
result
7
Commitment to Communicate
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Accountability starts at the top
Communicating is everyone’s job
Recognize that all of us, as managers, are
the vital link in ensuring two-way
communication
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You cannot delegate communication
Be a channel, not a dam
Quality over quantity
8
Call to Action
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Be a champion for communication
Ask for information when you need it
Ask yourself, “Who needs to know this?
How quickly? How can I tell them?”
Work in coordination with your
manager and staff to plan actions based
on Employee Survey results
Use itss-managers@lists for broad
communication across ITSS
9
Using itss-managers@lists
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Like itss-service-alerts, but for
organizational (not operational) news
Official grapevine for: new initiatives,
project milestones, service changes, new
policies or procedures, client info, etc.
Managers should:
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send information to the list
sift and pass on relevant information to
their staffs
Not everything will be relevant to
everyone—that’s OK
10