“Experiment till you get it right” was the key message from Shaun
Davis, group SHE director of Rok plc. He was referring to the process
of communication, from board level to the shopfloor, as he outlined new
methods and innovative approaches to engaging the workforce.
“To get your message across, you should always remember you are dealing with people,” he said. “To engage the workforce, share examples of where things have worked, and get them to paint a picture in their head of what the best possible future would feel like. Get them to visualise it, but do check that their vision is the same as your own.”
Davis recommended telling the workforce a story. “Story-telling is within our basic psyche. In a story you can convey a hidden message, suggest a particular lifestyle, or convey empathy, and it can be illustrated with metaphors and rhetorical questions,” he explained.
The subject matter of the message needs to be designed for maximum effect. “Keep it simple but interesting; avoid jargon and acronyms; and very important, make it clear and unambiguous and check you are being understood,” urged Davis. “The way you communicate with your senior managers will be very different from the way you communicate with your van drivers, for example, but don’t overly dilute the message.”
He continued: “Employee engagement is all about understanding your audience, engaging with them, and then giving them what they want within the confines of your desired outcome. Think about what you want to achieve. Do your homework and target your audience.
“Identify and target your key agents for change, such as influencers, leaders and coaches, and get their buy-in to do the leg work for you. You need to appeal to the employee’s representational system, use their language, and demonstrate your own personal passion and enthusiasm. Go out and about among the workforce, and use relevant humour, quotes and statistics. Our strapline: ‘One accident too many’ has proved very effective, for example.”
Lastly, Davis said that both carrots and sticks should be used. “Do use motivators, such as money, recognition and reward, and celebrate success. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to show ‘tough love’ and hold people to account for poor decisions, but give them a clear route map to improvement.”
