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Teaching managers to be effective communicators at GE Real Estate

By rolling out communication assessments, manager training workshops and follow-up e-communications, GE Real Estate's communication team helps managers interpret company messages to make them resonate with employees.

by Susan Dorflinger, director of worldwide employee marketing, GE Real Estate

In 2002, when I joined GE Real Estate, a commercial real estate investor, we decided that if employees consistently tell us that they prefer to hear 70% of corporate information from their managers, let’s equip those on the front line with the resources for sharing the messages.

To do this, we developed a manager’s communication workshop that includes a face-to-face presentation covering:

1. the fundamentals of communication;
2. a reference booklet;
3. assessment templates;
4. a communication plan template;
5. a communication scorecard; and
6. subsequent ongoing Manager’s Minute email messages.

These tools provide busy front-line managers with the expertise to help the company effectively and consistently share our corporate messages.

1. The fundamentals of communication
The 90-minute workshop is a review of communication as a process for turning information into understanding, followed by one-on-one development of a measurable team communication plan with each participant that addresses both business and employee needs. In order to have a good exchange of ideas and dynamic discussion during the workshop, we limit the number of attendees to between 15 and 20.

Managers say that after attending the communication workshop, they’re better able to connect employees to the business vision. They also understand how communication is essential in their effectiveness as leaders and in delivering business results.

The managers report they’re then also more comfortable with creating an environment that fosters open and honest communication as a result of attending the workshop. For example, one manager reported to me that after attending the workshop, they understood how to get to know the individuals on their team on a new level. "I started having candid conversations, which led to the team dynamic becoming more interactive. My employees are now more comfortable asking for direction and sharing ideas today," said the manager.

Viewing communication from afar
During the workshop, we define communication as a process where information is given to a person or group of people to achieve a shared understanding. Managers leave knowing that communication is not just a tactical event or a vehicle, such as email.

In the workshop, managers learn that employees need to understand how the information they're provided with by managers relates to their jobs. We talk about ways to check for understanding to ensure that the team understood the meaning of managers' messages as they intended.

We start with a simple approach, asking managers to pose to their employees direct open-ended questions including:

• How will you get started?
• What are some of your ideas for how we can achieve this goal?
• How do you think this will impact your work?

In some cases, depending on each employee, I suggest an action plan or list of priorities to check that they're moving toward the right goals.

How to maintain good relationships
One of the mistakes managers can make is to communicate too little, or a lot, and then not match actions to words. We know the result is low trust, an active rumor mill and little credibility. During the workshop, I ask attendees what they think their employees would say about them.

We also discuss with managers the importance of building trusting relationships with employees and matching their words to their behavior.

For example, imagine a manager is substantially changing employees roles. However, he doesn’t say anything about how or why. People see the change, hear nothing and guess the worst. This creates low trust and starts the hallway gossip. Instead, we advise that the managers make an effort to see their employees informally and get to know them.

This gives employees the opportunity to ask questions and express ideas. It gives the manager the opportunity to reinforce key messages, address rumors, solicit feedback and strengthen the employee-manager relationship and commitment.

Or, let's say a manager says she has an “open door” policy. But, she’s rarely available for one-on-one meetings, doesn’t hold team meetings, responds negatively to suggestions and rarely stops by employees work areas. She’ll earn little credibility and a reputation of “all talk, no action”.

As a way to avoid these negative situations, we suggest they get out and walk the floor, and generally be visible. This simple act lets employees ask questions and allows managers to address rumors, for example. I also tell the managers that it's ok not to have all of the answers.

It also gives managers the opportunity to explain to employees when they expect to know more – and commit to getting back to them.

2. Communication reference booklet
This how-to guide to effective communication for managers is a hard copy reference of the principles covered in the workshop.

3. Communication and leadership assessment templates
During the workshop we share simple examples of communication planning and provide assessment worksheets to help the managers answer the ever-important question on employees minds: "What does this mean to me?"

The assessments ensure that managers can take responsibility for communication. A few examples include:

• The Employee Needs Assessment. This helps managers and their employees assess how well each manager is doing at meeting employees' basic knowledge needs. The worksheet checks for gaps in perceptions of communication between the manager and their employees. It’s a great tool to use when beginning to develop a communication plan or periodically when you’re ready to measure improvement and check for issues.
• The Leadership Communication Assessment. This evaluates behaviors in terms of valuing, understanding and "doing" communication. The worksheet identifies patterns and opportunities for improvement. When managers have their employees complete the assessment, they can check for gaps between what they say and what they do in terms of communication. (Download GE Real Estate's leadership communication assessment template to customize for your organization, along with instructions for use.)
• The Business Communication Assessment. This helps managers identify the organization’s key business strategies and messages and connect them to their own communication activities. It helps managers map out the answers to:
• Why are we doing this?
• What is the marketplace saying to drive our vision and mission?
• What are we going to do and how will we know if we’re successful?
• How will I communicate?
• What will we say?
• What will we do?

4. A communication plan template
I also work one-on-one in developing communication action plans for the managers to execute. These workshops help managers see that two-way interaction establishes them as great communicators.

See TOOL: GE Real Estate's manager communication plan template for a downloadable and customizable version of the template with instructions for use.

5. A communication scorecard
The employee communication scorecard (see Figure 1, below) tracks the amount of activities a manager completes throughout the year and also gauges employee satisfaction levels. We use informal feedback mechanisms such as soliciting direct comments and asking employees to complete 5-point scale surveys after meetings. Additionally, on all e-communication we have a rating scale included to track the effectiveness of messages.

Figure 1. GE Real Estate's employee communication scorecard

6. Manager’s Minute: a tool for translating a vision for growth
One of GE Real Estate's essential ongoing goals is to improve communication with our employees. Our objectives are driven directly by feedback from employees and an increasingly stronger understanding of the connection between communication and our ability to meet our business goals.

Managers play the leading role in communication, that's why after the workshops I send business news, project updates, leadership and communication tips and monthly talking points via the Manager's Minute that they can use during regularly scheduled staff meetings and informal forums. Supplementing the workshops with monthly email messages to managers builds on the foundation for further development of expertise.

The Manager’s Minute provides easy to customize and localize communication material and ideas for discussion and opens up opportunities for two-way dialogue with employees. It also eliminates email messages-from-the-top syndrome. See Figures 2 and 3 below for examples of recent Manager's Minute emails.

Figure 2 is a staff meeting talking points document, a message that helped managers discuss cost-saving measures with their teams.

Figure 2. Meeting talking points document

Figure 3 is a message that included post-CEO event talking points. Managers can use the ideas in their staff meetings in order to explain the big picture to their teams.

Figure 3. The big-picture message

Measuring our communication effectiveness
So, how well is GE Real Estate now meeting employees information needs in our business? Every other year, we receive employee feedback through an in-depth opinion survey. In the survey we ask questions to evaluate leadership behavior. We ask if:

• The actions of senior leaders in my business are consistent with what they say?
• Communication in this business is open and honest?
• Senior leaders in my business provide a clear direction for my business?
• My immediate manager respects people as individuals with different styles, skills and experiences?

The scores have risen by approximately 10% over the past five years and now show:

• More than 90% of our employees understand their job responsibilities and say they want to be working with the company one year from now.
• Over 80% of employees say our senior leaders provide them with a clear understanding of the business vision, mission and strategy.
• Over 70% respond positively regarding their manager’s ability to listen and understand their need to know how their roles and work contributes to the business goals.

After bringing the principles of the manager communication workshop to the organization we've transformed how people think about communication. It's no longer a thing that a graphic specialist or HR generalist "sends" to the population. Communication is a two-way exchange of information for which everyone in the organization is reponsible for maintaining.

With a little energy and a lot of passion for seeing results, the communication executive in any organization can directly influence the notion that everyone is responsible for communication by developing front-line managers' communication expertise.

N.B. For confidentiality reasons, some of the templates mentioned within the article are unable to be reproduced on the Hub.

Have your say
Do you run similar manager training programs for improving their communication skills? Do you include follow-up email messages to help reinforce the training?

What effect has this approach had at your organization and are you working on subsequent improvements to your management communication training? Share your experiences with other Hub members below.

Recommended resources:
Engaging staff with senior leaders at GE Money Home Lending

How communication ensured a smooth office move at GE

TOOL: GE Real Estate's manager communication plan template

TOOL: GE Real Estate's leadership communication assessment

ONLINE LIBRARY All Manager and Leader Communication articles