Management Communication Plan focused on honesty and trust and encouragement.

1. Management
Communication Plan
ASHLEY SCHULER
COHORT 2339
LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION

2. Introduction
Kouzes and Posner (2012) note “it is the work of leaders to inspire people
to do things differently, to struggle against uncertain odds, and to
persevere toward a misty image of a better future” (p. 1).
If an organization does not have a strong communication plan, it can
result in a cascading failure of leadership and management…

3. Introduction
Managers should implement a communication plan focused on:
 Honesty and Trust
 Encouragement
Credit: http://dilbert.com/strip/2001-08-18

4. COMMUNICATION GOAL:
HONESTY AND TRUST

5. Honesty and Trust
 Honesty and Trust requires:
 Open and Direct Communication
 Sharing Information
 Forming Relationships with Employees
Using these communication goals can help increase employee
engagement, credibility, trust, reliability, reciprocity, performance,
relationship development, any many more.

6. Credit: http://dilbert.com/strip/2003-09-28

7. Honesty and Trust
According to Kouzes and Posner (2012), “trust is contagious. When
you trust others, they are much more likely to trust you” (p. 222).
Credit: http://dilbert.com/strip/2010-09-01

8. How To Implement Trust & Honesty
 Facilitate open, two-way communication between all employees
 Actively Listen
 Repeat back what the employee said
 Respond with “I would like to hear more about that” or “That’s a great idea”
 Encourage employees to join the conversation
 Allow Q&A time during meetings
 Let employees speak their mind

9. How To Implement Trust & Honesty
 Facilitate open, two-way communication between all employees (cont.)
 Use transparent language to convey honesty
 Communicate both positive and negative news, even when difficult
 Keep employees up-to-date about the business and its performance
Credit: https://stephanpastis.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/play-comics-editor/

10. How To Implement Trust & Honesty
 Be an active member on the team
 Take personal interest in employees
 Ask about their life, their weekend, their children, etc.
 Show genuine concern and care about the employee
 Plan and participate in events
 Group activities, monthly lunch outings, holiday potlucks, etc.
 Be proactive on the team – don’t sit behind the desk all day
Credit: http://dilbert.com/strip/2009-01-09

11. How NOT to plan team events…
Credit: http://dilbert.com/strip/2006-01-01

12. COMMUNICATION GOAL:
ENCOURAGEMENT

13. Encouragement
 Encouragement requires:
 Positive Language
 Recognition and Praise
 Continuous Feedback
Positive feedback can lead to an increase in job safety, satisfaction,
productivity, and retention, and is a great way to provide the employee
with recognition and praise (Wagner & Harter, 2006, p. 161).

14. Encouragement
The sad reality is many managers or companies focus more time on
problems and less time to praise performance (Wagner & Harter,
2006, p. 57).
Credit: http://dilbert.com/strip/2006-07-20

15. How To Be Encouraging
 Use positive communication
 “Keep up the good work” or “I know you can do it”
 Use “I” instead of “You” statements
 Give Personalized Recognition
 Avoid mass produced recognition – make it meaningful
 Say their name and describe their accomplishment
 Celebrate the Wins
 Say “Thank You”
 Give frequent and continuous recognition
 Celebrate with lunch, cake, awards, etc.

16. How NOT to recognize employees…
Credit: http://dilbert.com/strip/1994-12-11

17. Conclusion
“Leadership communication depends on the ability to project a
positive image, or more specifically, a positive ethos, inside an
organization and outside” (Sriram, 2014, p. 54).
If an organization does not have a strong communication plan, it can
result in a cascading failure of leadership and management…

18. Conclusion
Managers must implement a universal communication plan focused on:
 Honesty and Trust
 Open and Direct Communication
 Sharing Information
 Forming Relationships with Employees
How to Show Honesty and Trust?
 Facilitate open, two-way communication between all employees
 Be an active member on the team

19. Conclusion
Managers must implement a universal communication plan focused on:
 Positive Language and Encouragement
 Positive Language
 Recognition and Praise
 Continuous Feedback
How to Show Encouragement?
 Use positive communication
 Give personalized recognition
 Celebrate the wins

20. Final Thoughts
 Implementing a strong communication plan focused on honesty and trust and
encouragement will help increase employee engagement, reciprocity,
performance, relationship development, and overall job satisfaction.
 Trust and honesty and encouragement are reliant on one another to be utilized
successfully.
 The most important piece of having a communication plan is it must be used by
the leaders creating it so they can lead by example.

21. References
Kouzes, J. M., and Posner, B. J. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make
extraordinary things happen in organizations. (5th Ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass/Wiley.
Sriram, P. (2014). The art of leadership communication. Leadership Excellence, 31(4), 54-
55.
Wagner, R. & Harter, J. K. (2006). 12. The elements of good managing. New York: Gallup
Press.