More is better, right?

Not always. 

Take this common scenario:

Employees say:  "We didn't know about that." "We don't get communication." "Why don't they share information with us?" "I wish someone had given me a heads up!"

Managers say: "I told them." "I sent emails." "We talked about it in a chat." "There was an announcement last month." "How much more can I communicate when they don't listen?"

What's the reality?

Maybe you're focusing on quantity versus quality. 

We've all heard the saying that it's impossible to overcommunicate. That's false. In today's world of email, text, chat, meetings and social media, it's oddly possible for a manager to overload employees with what I call "drive-by communication." This is messaging (feedback, announcements, updates, etc.) that's dropped indiscriminately to multiple people, in multiple forums, without a strategy or clear plan. 

What's my point? Continue to communicate regularly, in various forums and formats, to employees. Especially during change, err on the side of over-communication. However, have a plan and pause before communicating. 

Think about:

• What's important in this message? (Key points, empathy, context, etc.)
• What's not important? (Extra words, too much narrative, judgments or commentary, etc.)
• Who needs to be included? (Who will be impacted by the information, directly or indirectly.)
• Who doesn't need to be included? (Don't be lazy by copying everyone when only a few people or teams need the information.)
• What's the right forum and method? (Difficult feedback should be given live versus in electronic communication. Don't post important messages in group chats that aren't checked by everyone regularly. Confirm that messages sent in email were received and understood - don't assume.)
• What needs to be repeated? Yes, people often need to hear messages multiple times for those messages to sink in. However, plan the repetition. Avoid random, constant messaging. If you're going to repeat messaging, make sure those messages are consistent and don't change over time. And make sure you're hitting the right audience(s) as you reinforce messaging.

How do you balance quantity versus quality in your communication? How do you avoid messages getting lost in the noise?