Communicating clearly in stormy times

In times of great internal and external pressure (uncertain and busy times, negative reporting, unstable markets, ...) it's very important to communicate with your team in a clear and motivated way. Above all, employees want clarity, something to hold on to, a certain direction, a vision.

Communicate decisions clearly and explain how and why they were made

Some managers tell their teams what to do and announce decisions. It's more convincing to also tell them how and why a particular decision was made. It's especially powerful to indicate why you specifically need their help to achieve certain things. In this way you indicate what needs to happen, but also why it's important to you or the company. When everyone knows the factors behind your decisions, it also becomes more meaningful for everyone to take action.

Personal stories (storytelling) to increase your credibility

Telling a (personal) story supports your message in several ways.

• Your story (e.g. about how you overcame difficult situations yourself) shows your authentic and personal side. This creates a bond and trust. Especially if you've experienced a similar situation before and can talk about it. It shows even more that you have experience and that your vision is relevant.
• Sharing stories about challenges, attempts and even disappointments signals that, as a manager, you know and understand what the current, specific situation is about.

Stories reveal insights about who you are and the kind of manager you are or want to be.

Use visuals to make decisions understandable

By presenting your story visually, you help everyone better understand what you want to say. If you do this well, everyone literally sees what you mean.

• Turn your ideas into a visual representation. By converting your words into a graphic representation with, for example, diagrams, your idea will not only be better understood, but also remembered longer.
• Visual storytelling is more than putting nice photos on a slide. It's about making your idea 'stick' visually and thereby making it easier to carry out.

If you don't want to or can't present your ideas in person, you can also write them out in a slide document. This document is made in PowerPoint, but isn't meant for presenting. It's more of a reading document that conveys your message with text and/or graphic representations. PowerPoint is a good tool for creating attractive and visual documents. Better than Word, for example.

Encourage dialogue by listening

In periods of great pressure, employees need to be heard. Communication doesn't go in one direction. There must always be room for dialogue. Your employees have to feel that they're involved in decisions. The impact of stress and pressure is different for everyone. Take these different situations into account so that everyone is addressed and feels heard. Adapt your style to these individual concerns.

In a difficult period, it's not only what you say that counts, but also how you say it. Being confident, authentic and clear are some very important factors to be believed and therefore followed. The more strongly the message is conveyed, the more people will believe in you. A strong (personal) story (storytelling) combined with a visual representation will help people see the path to follow.

Do you still have questions about applying visual storytelling in a business environment? The experts at Smartpresentations are happy to listen and then turn your story and your message into strong, convincing communication.