Communication matters
by Melissa Barreca
Communication matters
Public Relations by Melissa Barreca and Kathy Callahan
Interaction and listening are crucial to making sure that management's messages get through
One of the most common objectives for a manager in any department is "improving communication" with their team. It's a worthwhile goal, but one that is difficult to implement successfully unless "communication" is viewed in broad terms.
Writing memos, having meetings, more "one-on-ones"-they are all tactics regularly employed to improve communication, and they all have an important role to play. But rather than improving communication, what they're usually doing is increasing the volume of messages you are sending to your team. How do you know these messages are being received? And how to you know that getting information to employees is the real problem in the first place?
More probable in most companies is the problem of a communication disconnect. You are consistently giving information, holding meetings, distributing memos-but for some reason, the message isn't getting through. Rest assured, the receiver isn't "broken," but the message may be tuned out by the recipient for a variety of reasons:
Too much information
Your employees may be drowning in a sea of messages without really knowing which ones are vitally important to their jobs and which ones are secondary. There are posters on the walls, memos on bulletin boards, handouts, meetings, e-mails, newsletters, etc.
If you feel that information overload may be a problem, be selective about the format you use to share information, and try to make it as regular and predictable as possible. Always communicate the same types of information in the same format. For example, a regular property newsletter can serve as a reliable central point for important reminders and makes most wall posters and memos obsolete.
It doesn't apply to me
People have a funny way of gravitating to information they are interested in and ignoring the rest. We all do it! If something seems boring, obtuse or dry, most people will turn away and assume it's not important to them. The trick is to write in an easy-to-read tone and style and try whenever possible to personalize information.
If it's annual benefit enrollment time, consider a series of feature stories in your newsletter about hypothetical employees making important benefits decisions in lieu of (or, if you must, in addition to) the same old dry memo to your team.
We've heard it all before
It's a challenge we all face. How do you make the same information seem new? In the casino industry, we often have similar goals year after year-improving guest service, reducing turnover, keeping operating costs in check. It can be difficult to inspire your team to keep raising the bar when they feel that you're constantly marching to the beat of the same drummer, meeting after meeting, year after year.
Instead, focus on "what's in it for me" to inspire commitment among your team members. That means incentives are key and recognition is a must. Spend at least five times more time and effort communicating the results of an initiative and recognizing those who successfully follow it than you spend communicating the policy in the first place.
I don't trust that you actually mean it
This problem is so large, we'll focus on it for the rest of this column. So many companies have real problems throughout the ranks of management-from the c-suite to floor supervisors-with actually doing what they claim to do. It sounds simple, but it's amazing to see the disconnect. We've seen companies that put out piles of literature that expound on their desire to be the best employers, and how seriously they take their commitment to treat their team members with respect, only to find that their break areas are miserably dirty and out-dated, their back-of-the-house restrooms are barely functional and trying to get information from their HR department bears a striking resemblance to waiting in line at the DMV.
The simple truth is that your employees know the reality of what you are like to work for. You can't say one thing and do another.
And you can't expect your team to provide your guests with great service when you don't offer the same courtesy to them. If you require your employees to fill out piles of forms to get a paycheck correction; expect them to wait for hours or days to get answers to simple questions; keep ridiculously short HR walkup hours when your company runs three shifts, seven days per week; or generally make it less than convenient for them to get full access to the support services you offer-then don't bother talking about your commitment to your team until the problems are fixed.
If you seek to vastly improve communication in your department, one universal solution is simple and exceedingly easy to implement-spend more time listening. You won't know what the problems are if you don't regularly observe and listen to every member of your team. Park where they park. Eat where they eat. Visit the locker room. Hang out by the time clock. Walk the floor.
Only when you live your employees' experiences can you address their concerns and learn to communicate in a way that is meaningful and effective. The more you understand and truly respect them, the more they'll give you in return.
Melissa Barreca is communications project manager for Ameristar's corporate office in Las Vegas. She can be reached at (636) 825-9802, or by e-mail at melissa.barreca@ameristar.com. Kathy Callahan is director of communications for Ameristar's corporate office in Las Vegas. She can be reached at (702) 567-7053, or by e-mail at kathy.callahan@ameristar.com.
Public Relations by Melissa Barreca and Kathy Callahan
Interaction and listening are crucial to making sure that management's messages get through
One of the most common objectives for a manager in any department is "improving communication" with their team. It's a worthwhile goal, but one that is difficult to implement successfully unless "communication" is viewed in broad terms.
Writing memos, having meetings, more "one-on-ones"-they are all tactics regularly employed to improve communication, and they all have an important role to play. But rather than improving communication, what they're usually doing is increasing the volume of messages you are sending to your team. How do you know these messages are being received? And how to you know that getting information to employees is the real problem in the first place?
More probable in most companies is the problem of a communication disconnect. You are consistently giving information, holding meetings, distributing memos-but for some reason, the message isn't getting through. Rest assured, the receiver isn't "broken," but the message may be tuned out by the recipient for a variety of reasons:
Too much information
Your employees may be drowning in a sea of messages without really knowing which ones are vitally important to their jobs and which ones are secondary. There are posters on the walls, memos on bulletin boards, handouts, meetings, e-mails, newsletters, etc.
If you feel that information overload may be a problem, be selective about the format you use to share information, and try to make it as regular and predictable as possible. Always communicate the same types of information in the same format. For example, a regular property newsletter can serve as a reliable central point for important reminders and makes most wall posters and memos obsolete.
It doesn't apply to me
People have a funny way of gravitating to information they are interested in and ignoring the rest. We all do it! If something seems boring, obtuse or dry, most people will turn away and assume it's not important to them. The trick is to write in an easy-to-read tone and style and try whenever possible to personalize information.
If it's annual benefit enrollment time, consider a series of feature stories in your newsletter about hypothetical employees making important benefits decisions in lieu of (or, if you must, in addition to) the same old dry memo to your team.
We've heard it all before
It's a challenge we all face. How do you make the same information seem new? In the casino industry, we often have similar goals year after year-improving guest service, reducing turnover, keeping operating costs in check. It can be difficult to inspire your team to keep raising the bar when they feel that you're constantly marching to the beat of the same drummer, meeting after meeting, year after year.
Instead, focus on "what's in it for me" to inspire commitment among your team members. That means incentives are key and recognition is a must. Spend at least five times more time and effort communicating the results of an initiative and recognizing those who successfully follow it than you spend communicating the policy in the first place.
I don't trust that you actually mean it
This problem is so large, we'll focus on it for the rest of this column. So many companies have real problems throughout the ranks of management-from the c-suite to floor supervisors-with actually doing what they claim to do. It sounds simple, but it's amazing to see the disconnect. We've seen companies that put out piles of literature that expound on their desire to be the best employers, and how seriously they take their commitment to treat their team members with respect, only to find that their break areas are miserably dirty and out-dated, their back-of-the-house restrooms are barely functional and trying to get information from their HR department bears a striking resemblance to waiting in line at the DMV.
The simple truth is that your employees know the reality of what you are like to work for. You can't say one thing and do another.
And you can't expect your team to provide your guests with great service when you don't offer the same courtesy to them. If you require your employees to fill out piles of forms to get a paycheck correction; expect them to wait for hours or days to get answers to simple questions; keep ridiculously short HR walkup hours when your company runs three shifts, seven days per week; or generally make it less than convenient for them to get full access to the support services you offer-then don't bother talking about your commitment to your team until the problems are fixed.
If you seek to vastly improve communication in your department, one universal solution is simple and exceedingly easy to implement-spend more time listening. You won't know what the problems are if you don't regularly observe and listen to every member of your team. Park where they park. Eat where they eat. Visit the locker room. Hang out by the time clock. Walk the floor.
Only when you live your employees' experiences can you address their concerns and learn to communicate in a way that is meaningful and effective. The more you understand and truly respect them, the more they'll give you in return.
Melissa Barreca is communications project manager for Ameristar's corporate office in Las Vegas. She can be reached at (636) 825-9802, or by e-mail at melissa.barreca@ameristar.com. Kathy Callahan is director of communications for Ameristar's corporate office in Las Vegas. She can be reached at (702) 567-7053, or by e-mail at kathy.callahan@ameristar.com.
