3) Schedule when you communicate with your boss. Do you have the right to speak with your boss? Communicate your plans effectively by addressing what the plan is, what the results will be and what the next steps are. Communicate your own proposed solutions when you present the problem so you and your boss have a basis to start a problem-solving conversation. Weekly meetings are another good place for everyone to discuss their recent achievements." Your work will speak for itself if you're bringing in the type of results your boss is looking for. Then, you can get on your podium and share your achievements when you present reports to your boss or allocate time for success stories at the end of a meeting. Kranz doesn't believe there are any topics that would hinder effective communication between an employee and his or her boss. What does this mean: Speak to your boss about business topics that concern you, or any particular success-related stories. Communication Is a Two-Way Street Effective communication with your boss starts with you.
Do you feel like you and your boss are on the same page most days of the week?
If you nodded “yes” emphatically, that’s fantastic. But many readers might have a different opinion. In fact, a recent HubSpot survey revealed that while 70% of executives might reflect positively on their team’s marketing strategy, only 50% of individual contributors agree.
As a marketer, it’s imperative to communicate effectively with your boss to avoid this executive divide. I wanted to create communication rules that all marketers can follow, so I went straight to the source for some answers and talked to my own boss.
I interviewed Rick Kranz about effective communication with his marketing team. He has more than 30 years of business management experience and was more than willing to share his opinions with us. Read on for his thoughts and key takeaways about communication strategies between managers and employees.
8 Rules for Communicating With Your Boss
1) Start with the bottom line.
I asked Kranz what he thinks is the most effective way for your marketing team to talk to you.
Start with the bottom line. When you speak in hyperbole you end up telling a story that eventually gets to the bottom line. Start with, ‘we are getting 50 more leads and here is why…’ and avoid, ‘So I ran an email campaign and a PPC campaign and had HUGE success. We are now getting 50 more leads.’ When you start with the bottom line, I am in a position to then ask appropriate questions like, ‘How did that happen?’”
What does this mean?
Don’t beat around the bush. Your boss is a busy person and you need to respect that. Give her the point of your discussion first, then go backward if questions are proposed. This will keep your communication streamlined and focused.
2) Speak in numbers.
I asked Kranz if he prefers the bottom line to be in numerical or qualitative data, and if he prefers to hear about the bottom line or have a document or graph to guide the information.
I prefer numbers over words. A lot of CEOs are numbers-driven. Visual data is much quicker to digest, so if information can be visual, please make it so. If you give us a spreadsheet, we’re happy, but if you give us a paragraph to read, it can be left open to interpretation.”
What does this mean?
Numbers are powerful because they can communicate success (or problems) at a glance. Use them to your advantage when communicating with your boss — numerical data speaks for itself.
3) Schedule when you communicate with your boss.
Next, I asked Kranz if he prefers discussions with his marketing team to be scheduled in advance.
It’s best to schedule a meeting with me. That way, I can plan for our discussion and focus. You don’t want my mind to be elsewhere, and if our discussion isn’t scheduled, then you’re most likely going to end up interrupting my workload, which is inefficient for both of us.”
What does this mean?
We all can attest to the fact that writing back and forth via email can get messy, so try not to fill your boss’s inbox with email after email from you.
Instead, schedule meetings with your boss to avoid messy…
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