Building manager comms toolkits that support real conversations

Managers occupy a unique spot in the internal comms chain of command. They’re often tasked not only with sharing internal news and updates, but also with translating them for their teams. By equipping them with the right toolkits, comms pros can help managers put answers into the right context while still giving it the personal touches their teams can relate to.

During Ragan’s Internal Communications Conference in Seattle at Microsoft HQ this coming October, Shelly Henderson, executive director of marketing and communications at EvergreenHealth, will discuss the tactics comms pros can employ to ensure that manager comms toolkits actually get used. You can check out our Q&A with her below.

Ragan: What makes a manager toolkit genuinely useful during a busy workday?

Henderson: I think we sometimes assume managers and leaders already know the same level of information that’s being communicated to them because they’re managers and they’re “in the know.” But I always think about them as an audience, too.

They have to learn the information just as much as employees do, and then they have to communicate it in a way that makes sense. So I want to respect their time. I don’t want to give them too much information, but I want to give them enough that they feel empowered.

I think about a five-minute test. What can the manager toolkit give them in five minutes that helps their team understand what happened, why it matters and what we want managers to say? How can we help them anticipate the questions they’re going to get? And if they don’t know the answers, how do we help them find those answers for their team?

The goal is to make toolkits action-oriented and keep them from getting too heavy. It goes back to the basic communication questions: what, when, why, how and what’s next. Put it in plain language, make it something managers want to use, and then keep improving it based on what you learn.

Ragan: How do you learn what managers need before you start building the resource?

Henderson: Evergreen Health is a very relationship-driven and committee-driven organization. If we’re working on a major change management communication, the committee leading that work will usually include managers as well as frontline staff. I lean on them to help me understand what will work best. Often, they’ll go back and ask their manager colleagues or others what works best for them, too. That gives us a pretty direct way to understand what people need before we build the resource.

Ragan: Which parts of a toolkit are most helpful when managers are preparing for employee questions?

Henderson: A Q&A is really important, along with allowing managers to ask us questions so we can continuously build on that Q&A.

The answers should be in plain language. As communicators, we want to write and brand everything, and sometimes that can lead to what I’d call “fluffy” content. Managers need straightforward answers.

I also like giving them something along the lines of: If you only remember two or three things, here’s what we need you to know. Keep it concise. And managers should know they shouldn’t speculate when they don’t have an answer. They should come back to their leaders or to us so we can help them find the right answer.

Ragan: How do you turn an executive message into talking points that feel natural rather than like corporate language?

Henderson: I like to frame everything around “What’s in it for me?” That’s what is going to resonate with employees: How does this change or communication affect me?

What’s in it for the team? What’s in it for the individual? Why should they care? What questions will they ask? And what do we need them to understand or do differently? From there, it’s about being consistent without sounding scripted.

Ragan: What does a strong communication cascade look like, from the initial leadership message through the manager’s team conversation?

Henderson: I try to look at it like a journey rather than a handoff. Every situation can be a little different, but the context starts with leadership providing the “why.”

For us, we may start the cascade in a meeting and then follow it with written communication so managers have that context. We might start in a management team meeting, then move into written communications, then rely on managers to help employees understand what it means for them. After that, we circle back for feedback. We ask people to come back with questions and tell us what’s missing, and then we continue building from there.

To register for Ragan’s Internal Communications Conference, click here.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.