There is an art to working with the Big Picture.

There is no prescribed way to do it. However, there are several things you can do to prepare yourself and build the uncommon and highly valuable skill for reinforcing broad, secondary messages without hitting people over the head.

The information contained in any content is what it is.  It’s the way you position it and put it in context that shapes the reader’s/viewer’s experience — positively or negatively.

How Understanding the Big Picture Makes a Difference

Effective employee communication isn’t transactional.  It’s experiential.  It’s not about telling in a linear way.  It’s about relating to your audience so they are motivated to read, absorb and act.

Let’s use the roll-out of a new attendance management system as an example.  On the surface, that seems to be a pretty straightforward topic.  All you need to do is let people know when it goes into effect and how to use it, yes?  Not quite. What if last month there were large-scale staff changes?  Think about how that changes the big picture in which you’re sharing info about a new attendance management system.  Best that you be mindful of that and how people may still be feeling before you establish your communications objectives, key messages and determine your tactics.

Another example is asking people to complete an engagement survey while most employees are grappling with quarter-end responsibilities along with a budget reduction.  You still need to do a survey.  But when and how you communicate about it should take that big picture into account.

Defining “Big Picture”

In relation to employee communication, the Big Picture is made up of recent, current and upcoming events and changes, engagement levels, major issues, recent successes, company-wide strategic initiatives, leadership style and goals, industry happenings and customer confidence — all within the formal and informal structures of your company. If you look at that collection of factors from the organization’s perspective (that is, as senior leadership see it), you’ll get one picture. Look at it from your employees’ perspective and it will likely look different.  It’s this second view that is valuable to have when creating employee communication.

Structure

The formal structure of your company is the most basic component of the big picture.  It seldom changes quickly, if at all, and understanding it will serve you well time and time again.

Ask yourself:

  • Is your organizational structure functional, divisional or matrix?
  • Do you have a hierarchical or flat organization?
  • Are there multiple locations?

The informal structure of your company has more to do with politics, habit, and legacy leadership issues.  In many ways, it’s more powerful than the official org chart so the sooner you have a grasp of it, the better.

The most effective way to answer the following questions is to note your own observations and talk to key area leaders and influencers.

  • Are there any major points of conflicts between leaders/areas/functions?  If so, what’s the primary source of the conflict?
  • Are they significant silos that get in the way of cross-function collaboration and communication?

Tip  Remain neutral and objective.  You need to know what’s what, not get caught in the middle.

Staying on top of upcoming changes and strategic initiatives

When you know what is on the horizon, you can use even the most ordinary B2E communication to pave the way for better acceptance of the change.  At the very least, you won’t reinforce something that will be changing soon.

If you’re not already included in early planning for changes that significantly impact the organization, find a way to do so.  You may need to have a quarterly standing meeting with your director or senior leadership during which you can ask questions and learn about upcoming changes across the organization.  This knowledge helps you create employee communication that will ring true for employees and strengthen the organization’s credibility.

Getting a pulse on engagement levels

Engagement may be a current buzzword but it is also an important part of the Big Picture.   Get a sense of the general engagement of your employee base as well as that each major department, division and location and you can make effective decisions about employee communication objectives and tactics.

Imagine not knowing that more than fifty percent of employees believe they have no opportunity for advancement.  How would that affect a communication about a decision to outsource?  Or an article introducing a batch of new hires?  Or an announcement about the promotion of a long-tenured employee to a senior position?

There are many ways to get a pulse on engagement levels:

  • Engagement survey results.  Study the overall scores to understand which employee groups have high engagement (you want to leverage those groups) and which have low scores.  Pay particular attention to questions related to communication.  (Note:  If your company doesn’t already conduct engagement surveys, you may want to spearhead the effort, working in collaboration with Human Resources, Learning and Training and Organizational Development.)
  • Attending team meetings as a presenter.  Ask team leaders if you can have 10-15 minutes at their next team meeting.  Let them know the topic is “input on B2E communication”.  You can introduce yourself to the team and say you want to know what’s of interest to them so you continue to provide relevant communication to all employees.  Two questions you can ask to get the ball rolling are: “Is there anything you’re worried about?”  “What are you most proud of?”
  • Attending team meetings as an observer.  Ask team leaders if you can sit in on one of their staff meetings.  Let them know you’re interested in learning more about what they do, the issues they face and the successes they’ve had.  Be a fly on the wall and you’ll see by how staff interact and participate how engaged they are.
  • Chatting with employees in the elevator, hallways, cafeteria and other common spaces.  Asking people how they are and what’s new or talking about local news and weather on a regular basis will quickly give you a sense of the overall mood in company.  Just be sure to talk to everyone, not just the usual suspects.  Making a connection with the shy person from Billing might give you valuable insight.

Leadership style and goals

If you don’t already know your CEO, CFO and other executive leaders in terms of their communication and leadership style, make a point of doing so.  That will give you useful insights that will help the development of employee communication content and context.  You’ll also get a sense of what employees in the areas under their leadership experience on a regular basis.

What to listen and look for:

  • Pet phrases
  • Verbal tics
  • Listening style
  • Their favourite business topics
  • Their favourite outside-of-work topics
  • How often they meet with their teams
  • The kinds of meetings they hold (Ten-minute stand up meetings?  Hour-long presentations with the audience in theatre-style seating?  Casual meetings that involve food?)

Issues and successes

Staying on top of the organization’s business goals is imperative for effective employee communication. With that foundation, you can better understand what it means to successfully reach those goals and the risk that obstacles and setbacks present.  In turn, that will give you insight into some of the pressures or constraints that employees are facing.

The best source of that understanding is the executive leadership.  They’ll give you the strategic perspective and the longer-term impact which enables you to position current and future employee communication in ways that strategically prepare employees for future information.  Think of it as foreshadowing to benefit employees’ ability to absorb information and take action.

Customer confidence

Does your company calculate its Net Promoter Score (NPS) or other measure of customer confidence and loyalty?  If so, you need to know that score, what it means in terms of your company’s goals and what, if any, initiatives are underway to maintain or increase the score.

It’s important for all employees to understand what customers think and feel about your company. This includes those areas that don’t have direct customer contact such as Building Maintenance, IT support and HR.  The level of customer confidence is an important piece of context for many outcomes or decisions that can impact all employees.  Examples: changes in media exposure, new/different guidelines for interacting with customers, new/different marketing activities, changes to incentives based on the customer experience.

Plus, there is a correlation between the employee experience and the customer experience. The more connected employees feel they are to the customer, the more they want to “do the right things” and create good experiences. Helping everyone be appropriately informed about what’s working, what isn’t, and what’s new boosts engagement and productivity.

Industry

The most effective employee communicators are those who are up on what’s happening in their company’s industry. Make sure you have a solid, if only basic, understanding of how your industry works.

  • Who are your primary and secondary competitors?
  • What are the hot topics that present risks or opportunities for all companies in the industry?
  • What kind of regulations or other constraints does every company have to deal with?
  • What are the primary industry associations, governing bodies and training programs?

Any time you can help build or reinforce the context in which your company operates, it’s a good idea to do so.  Remember that not all employees are exposed to or involved in the industry beyond your company.  And, those who are, need to see that your company’s employee communication takes that aspect of the Big Picture into account.

A closing thought

Learning how to understand the Big Picture is a skill that is transferable to every aspect of work and life.  It’s also a sought-after skill for senior level internal communicators.

Once you get in the habit of asking questions and doing research that help you stay informed about the less immediate and tangible aspects of your company and its business, the less time it takes. And the more value it brings to you and your audience, all employees.