Why questioning assumptions has never been more important for communicators
Over the last year, one of the most valuable questions I’ve asked clients has been: Who told you that story? In one form or another, I posed it at least a hundred times…in meetings with business leaders in the process of building strategic plans, during coaching sessions, in conversations with friends transitioning jobs, and even in the parenting realm. This fairly simple question can begin a line of inquiry with radical implications.
As comms tool, I’ve witnessed its magic first-hand. It’s helped me clarify clients’ business objectives while also understanding their mindsets. It’s helped me stay open to new ideas and creative approaches. It’s also helped me weigh messages, support my friends and parent a strong-willed kiddo. Personally or professionally, it can help:
- Refine and target your communications approach. Most folks begin communicating with an assumption that “I need to tell ‘x’ person ‘y’ message.” As a comms strategist, I frequently question that story, instead refocusing on what the communicator wants to achieve. By starting with the goal (versus the executional “who” or “how”), you can creatively refine your audiences, messages and channels to deliver more effective outcomes. From encouraging employees to take vaccines, to rallying folks about the work ahead, to helping a teen with anxiety, understanding the stories people are telling themselves helps you better engage with them.
- Prioritize work and set boundaries. Communicators often assume if requests come their way, it’s their work to own. Recently, a client was tapped to oversee several projects that far exceeded her role scope and bandwidth. The added work made the delivery of her core assignments more challenging and decreased her overall effectiveness. When I asked who told her the story that she had to accept the new work without deprioritizing her other responsibilities, she paused. She realized she had assumed several significant assignments without clarifying they were hers to deliver in the first place! The “ownership” story she told herself was untrue. Once she addressed this with her manager, she was better able to manage her workload.
- Build your team’s capabilities. A client struggled with the assumption that her strategic approach would be discounted, simply because of her junior rank. When we questioned that story together, she acknowledged that smart, clearly articulated approaches were well-received in the organization, regardless of origin. Together, we packaged her ideas concisely and clearly. She subsequently secured peer buy-in and found senior-level sponsorship. Her strategy was not only embraced by the organization…she was promoted.
- Keep you sane. A close friend felt pressured to contribute to several social justice efforts at the expense of her own health because, she confided, she “felt she owed it to her community.” She was exhausted and emotionally depleted. This question acted as a catalyst to explore how she could deliver more—and fill her emotional tank—by focusing her energy on a single, rewarding effort instead of volunteering for every opportunity that came her way.
This year’s communications climate is like none we’ve ever seen. Companies have been faced with new challenges, including increased employee activism, vaccine campaigns and operations hurdles. Leaders are doubling down on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and customer outreach. Managers are struggling to ruthlessly prioritize work to ensure they retain exhausted talent.
Understanding and questioning the stories we tell ourselves (or the ones we are told) can help us stay on course, while continuing to deliver clear, effective messages. It can help us think more creatively, set better boundaries, foster two-way conversations and build trusted relationships. Asking the right question can be a catalyst for delivering greater impact.
With more than two decades of communications experience spanning agencies, Fortune-100 organizations, non-profits and academia, Kristi Hinck Mills today brings her passion for employee communications to CommsLede Consulting, where she delivers strategic solutions for her clients. Visit the CommsLede blog for more tips.
