Build Trust by Nailing Your Communication Plan
Jane McLeod - Transforming Healthcare
Creating safe & satisfying Patient & Employee experiences in healthcare.
Looking back on 2023, you’ll likely find yourself in an improving state of employee morale, trust, and collaboration if you’ve been actively following a proactive plan for key communications.
Having and following a proactive plan for communication is the antidote to re-actively engaging in an all-too-common problem of “communication splatter:”
“COMMUNICATION SPLATTER” - In response to continually hearing feedback such as “I didn’t know that had changed” or “why am I always the last to know,” you’ve reacted by communicating too many things in too many different ways, followed by changing your communication methods too frequently.
It might look something like this: You need to communicate a policy change . . . so you post a notice on the bulletin board AND you mention it at morning huddles every day for 2 weeks AND you have it on the staff meeting agenda AND you do an email blast to all-staff. And since you’ll have staff’s attention with these policy change communications, you’ll pile on some other need-to-know or nice-to-know information too.
And then, in response to this episode of communicating a policy change, you got feedback that some people still didn’t know about that policy change, so now you’ve decided that with the next policy change, you’ll go about communicating it in a different “splattered” way . . . by announcing the change with a poster by the time clock, offering special training sessions, and leaving a slew of handouts on the break room table.
Communication splatter is chaotic. It is ineffective. It is confusing for your staff.
AND, it is a time waster!
Fortunately, when there is long-term consistency with a simple plan for communication, accountability for communication can get easier, more effective, and less frustrating for everyone involved.
A communication plan becomes a promise. And every time a leader acts in accordance with that plan, they are building trust.
Be ready for 2024 with a new or improved COMMUNICATION PLAN!
With input from your employees, create (or amend) your simple and specific communication plan in which there is ONE consistent way to communicate each of the most important things that keep people in the know, up-to-date, and keep important things top-of-mind.
Below is an example of one nursing unit’s communication plan:
Critical Care Unit Communication Plan
A shift huddle is ALWAYS held at 7:15 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. and the huddle agenda covers: Standard of the Month reminder &/or recognition; overview of daily assignments; critical time-sensitive communications (e.g., supply shortage, welcome of a new employee starting orientation today, etc.)
The “Daily Safety Briefing Binder” is located on the shelf behind the unit clerk’s desk. Any safety incidents or potential safety risks that meet the criteria to be reported to the organization-wide Daily Safety Briefing held at 8:45 a.m. each day will be logged and dated on the running daily log in this designated binder. The reporting criteria and the daily summary of the Daily Safety Briefing are filed in the front pocket of this binder. Entries should be made as soon as possible after the incidence or recognition of a safety hazard; and, if necessary, emergent or urgent communications to those who need to know should also be made in person or via phone and/or an electronic report in the Incidence Reporting System are to be made.
Friday Five video (5 time-sensitive communications overviewed in less than 5 minutes) is sent via email to all staff each Friday by 3:00p with timely updates on changes that impact day-to-day operations and/or arise out of improvement action plans.
A visual communication board in the break room is ALWAYS updated by 4 pm on “Metric Mondays” (non-payroll Mondays) with the updates on the measurements and action plans for the department's annual goals and current improvement projects; along with an announcement corner for any upcoming employee events or trainings and another corner designated for the draft and final 4-week schedules (posted on or before the agreed upon union deadlines; which are also posted in this corner of the board).
Monthly staff meetings held at 3p and 11p on the 2nd Tuesday of each month are our go-to way to communicate and collaborate about the action plans for our annual department goals and current improvement initiatives (the outcome of which is posted on the visual communication board).
And for those of you who are senior leaders, take a peek into the organization-wide communication approach that guides our greatness-minded partner organizations:
After a plan is created, it is critical to be CONSISTENT in taking action on the what, how, and when of the communication plan.
In doing so, employees will become more active participants in the communication process when they know exactly how and when information is to be communicated.
The communication plan becomes the promise. Honor the plan and you are taking steps to build trust.
Be ready for 2024 with a new or improved plan for communication!
If you'd like an additional FREE resource - send us an email to [email protected] with the subject line [BONUS] and we'll send you our Communication Planning Worksheet
Best,
领英推荐
PS: If you are a leader that works in a healthcare organization that is a Capstone partner, you have free on-demand access to an on-line course in CapstoneEDU that walks you through the steps of developing your communication plan. And, as always, our expert Capstone coaches will be available to interact with you in this process.
DON'T MISS THIS 5-PART SERIES
And, there is even more helpful guidance on the way! Watch for these upcoming editions of the Take Ownership of Your Leadership newsletters with more details on the remainder of the 5-Must-Have-Plans:
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
Improving Communication is one of 9 core leadership practices that are turning reactive managers into proactive, results-oriented leaders. These core practices make up the Capstone Leadership Bundle which has been in use by 1000s of healthcare leaders for more than a decade.
This bundle of practices are powerful when practiced by one leader, but are shown to be powerfully synergistic when an entire leadership team adopts them. So powerful, they can transform an organization’s culture, their results, and their future.
For individual healthcare leaders - Join us in 2024! Plan now to attend a Capstone Leadership Summit or to participate in a Capstone Leadership Bundle Academy.
LOVE YOUR LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE [5-day VIRTUAL]
February 25 - March 1, 2024
August 5-9, 2024
LEADERSHIP BUNDLE ACADEMY [12-week VIRTUAL]
April 8 - June 28, 2024
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LEADERSHIP SUMMITS [2-day IN-PERSON]
April 24-25, 2024 | Galena, IL
September 25-26, 2024 | Trego, WI
HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVE FORUM [2-day IN-PERSON]
June 12-13, 2024 | Mackinac Island, MI
If you have any questions about our upcoming events in 2024 please feel free to reach out to [email protected].