“But I’ve told them this so many times!”
I’ve heard this refrain from dozens and dozens of CEOs in my work.
What interests me is the assumption, which clearly doesn’t hold true, that a singular mention of CEO-type messaging will do the trick.
‘The Forgetting Curve’ is a theory created by Hermann Ebbinghaus, who proved how little information is retained after a single message has been conveyed, and how repetition is important in bringing about permanent retention.
The truth is that by the time CEOs are tired of communicating something, employees are only just starting to grasp it.
There are some important insights to note here, some obvious and some less obvious.
- People are busy and only have a slice of attention to contribute.
- People are more interested in their own interests than in the collective interest, so messages relating to topics like Strategy or Culture are less immediately appealing.
- People don’t have the context to frame complex messages, and such messages skim off them
- Corporate messaging can be tragically dull, with the expected results.
- Most CEOs don’t see the storyteller in themselves, thus keeping their (potentially compelling) narratives dry and linear by nature.
- CEOs don’t embody the excitement that their verbal message promises, so their message lacks bite.
- CEOs typically default to a single communication platform, rather than multiple ones, which renders their message one-dimensional over time.
As with many aspects of CEO performance, effective communication boils down to two factors:
- The CEO’s hunger for extraordinary personal performance
- The CEO’s willingness to develop legitimate leadership craft as a way to drive this performance
When the above are in play, repetition of communication is not a drag. In fact, it’s a pleasure, as one of my clients is finding out.
Once a month, he holds ‘Eric Unplugged’ lunches for small groups of employees to ask him questions about the business over an informal lunch. The gatherings are vital, engaging and compelling, both for him and for his audience. It works because he has created a format that suits him, and one that gives him a positive life force.
That’s 80% of the battle.
What we’re finding at Lockstep in our work with complex business transitions is that communication is probably one of the top three requirements. Not a nice-to-have but rather a key driver. Especially in the Renewal Transition, where people need to be persuaded of a new and more viable direction.
A lack of communication creates fear, and fear is at the root of most business problems.
Repeating things a few times over – in a way that works for the CEO – is a small price to pay for the myriad hassles that such communication heads off at the pass.