by Tim H. Swanson
My daughter, Scarlett, is in third grade, which means she's starting to get homework. The other night she sat at our living room table working on what her teacher had given her. She is a brilliant little girl, but being a little like her parents, she tends to rush through things without completely thinking about them. And her habitual racing comes across in her communication.
She had grown frustrated with a section of her homework that she couldn't immediately figure out, so she tried to get me to solve her problem with one question,"Dad, what's the opposite of spent, pushed, lay flat, sleeping, giving, and walking?" When she fired off her question I was in the middle of something else. I did a double take in complete confusion. I had no idea what she was talking about.
"What?" I said.
She started to repeat her question, "what's the opposite of..."
I stopped her, "hold on a second, can I see your assignment?" When she handed me the paper, I read the instructions. She was supposed to select an opposite of each of the words from a list of 'opposite' words that had been written on the other side of the page. When she became confused by the instructions, she asked for help in a very confusing way.
Scarlett's question touches on an important leadership mistake that I've seen a lot of worship leaders make, and have even made myself more than once. It’s the tendency to put out poorly planned and garbled communications.
The other week I was at a rehearsal observing a worship leader explain a brand new song to the band. She wisely began by explaining the flow of the song to her team, but she did so in the same manner that Scarlett did with her homework question. She blitzed through the chart, explaining the dynamic markings, breaks and flow without taking a single breath. As she flew through her explanation, I watched her team go cross eyed. I began to wonder if I ever do that sort of thing when communicating with my team. While I do a better job of speaking with my team today, I know I’ve done plenty of this kind of shotgun blast communication in the past.
Whether you’re teaching your band a new song in rehearsal or telling your team about an upcoming event or meeting, I’ve learned that clear and focused communication is essential in helping your team members comprehend and maintain information. Here are a few basics that I have come to use frequently to keep my team in the loop.
1. Gauge your distance. When Scarlett asked me her homework question, I was in the middle of something else. So, when she just spoke up, she didn’t really have my full attention. When it comes to communicating with your team, you don’t have their full attention either. And depending on your form of communication, you’ll have more or less of their focus. If you are posting on Facebook, people will see it in their news feed next to a hundred unrelated posts from other people. Also, they’re probably already Facebooking while they’re at work or watching TV. In that case, get to the point. Don’t post lengthy stuff on Facebook. If, on the other hand, you’re talking to someone face to face, you’ll have more of their attention. That’s a good time to give a little more information. So communicate according to your distance, and use simplicity when you’re further away.
2. Stay simple and focused - Have you ever gotten an email that should actually have been submitted as a novel? I have worked under a few leaders who seem to think that their volunteers have endless time to read their communications. At one point I was one of those leaders. When you’re communicating electronically (email, Facebook event, evite, Planning Center Online, etc.) make your point, and let your team move on. Recently I've seen some leaders who communicate extremely well with their team by using this kind of simplified template: (The below example is of a real upcoming event)
Upcoming Event:
Worship!Arizona Conference | 8:00a Sat. March 1st, 2014 @ Moon Valley Bible Church
Bringing the best ideas in worship to you & your team! Stay posted by subscribing to the Worship!Arizona newsletter!
3. Consistency. I have served under team leaders who get a fire lit in their pants to be excellent communicators. So they begin regularly emailing the team (probably too regularly). That typically goes on for about a week or two before old habits set back in, and the leader becomes the same unreliable person as before. If you want your team to follow you, you can’t do this. If you’re a rare communicator, at least you’re consistent. When you over communicate for a week and then drop off the map, it’ll actually further decrease your team’s trust in you. When that happens they’ll be less willing to follow you. So when it comes to communication, focus on consistency. If you feel like you need to be a better communicator, begin with one small improvement that you can maintain. This will help build people’s trust in you.
4. Plan it, then say it to yourself. I do this when it comes to my rehearsals. When I have a new song coming up, I’ll sit down and highlight all the dynamic markings and other pertinent information. Then I’ll sit in my office and say what I plan on saying to my team. This does two things. It helps me say what I want to say with clarity. It also gives me confidence, which kills my tendency to speak quickly out of nervousness.
To lead well, you have to be able to communicate well. There’s just no way around it. If you struggle with communication, begin looking for small things like these that you can do to bring your team in the loop. Look for ways to be clear and to the point. When you do that, your team will have an easier time working with you to accomplish your ultimate goal: connecting people with God.
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