From Jargon to Human.
Both written and spoken communication at work can struggle to succeed when there is too much jargon, corporate formality, generalisations and large quantities of information. The words are often all too familiar, so we nod along without necessarily paying enough attention to really grasp what is being said.
These messages are lacking in human and tangible language, the meaning is hard to get, what is said can distance rather than connect and there is no clearly defined purpose or intention.
If, having heard a message or read an email, we were to bump into someone in the corridor who had not been there/not seen the email, would we be able to summarise it accurately for them?
Here’s an example of such a piece of communication.
“We have engaged external partners to carry out extensive research into the viability of continuing with our current office footprint as we discover and then adapt to our (alongside our industry as a whole’s) new normal. From their report, exec have identified a burning platform and the means by which we can collectively pull together to address it. Accounting for the continued optional offsite employee presence, current office configurations prohibit colleagues fully achieving all their competency framework goals vis a vis our value: We Work Collaboratively.
Living and breathing the full combination of our entire values proposition, both in the day-to-day activity of employment and in our aspirations and goal reaching, has been an integral aspect of rolling out the new strategy, ‘Our Future: Growth, Change and Success’, right across the organisation.
To ensure each valued colleague is able to continue to thrive going forward, we will be implementing new silo-free employment practices with a large-scale facilities restructure. This will affect each and every one of us, levelling us up as we all pull together to ensure no department, team or individual is expected to carry a disproportionately large share of the weight of change.
Human Resources wish to inform you that workstation allocations will no longer be based on the current, or any future, grading framework. I would like to reiterate that worker cost efficiencies will not be attached to this spatial simplification. As outlined in ‘Our Future: Growth, Change and Success’ “Our workforce is our greatest asset and their treatment will reflect this at all times.”
Facilities have been through health and safety training to ensure hygiene standards are raised throughout this change and then maintained long term. IT have reconfigured the Internal Network to ensure ease of use during the adaption period and will be available for colleague consultation as required.
Onboarding for all departments commences on returning from the bank holiday weekend on Tuesday the 3rd of May.”
Imagine this arrives in your inbox or that you heard it just the once, as part of an update, do you know what it means? And what is expected of you? Were you interested in what it had to say?
We can make it clearer, more interesting, more memorable, more collaborative, by applying storytelling.
Let’s start by paring it right down: what are the bare bones of this message?
“From the 3rd May, you will be able to easily sit and work at any clean computer you choose. We are downsizing our office rather than staff, and believe to do so will help collaborative working.”
Concise, but this version is too simple. It is lacking in detail and there’s nothing that takes into account that this is about people – our audience - and their experience at work.
But it’s useful as something we can build on.
We’re now going to use a number of our favourite storytelling exercises, to see what they can do to give better understanding and clarity, to find the right content that will relate to our audience and to give clear intention and outcome.
Too Long Didn’t Read:
Too much jargon distances your audience from you.
Too concise loses the humanity
1. Like Dislike What?
You can’t expect your audience to connect with your subject if you haven’t done so. Letting your audience understand your values and position will help them believe in you and your message. This is where you find your authenticity, and therefore we start with what you Like, Dislike and Question about your subject. LDW? for short.
As humans we react to everything initially in one of three ways: whether it’s a new piece of music, a lunchtime sandwich choice, meeting a friend’s friend, a storytelling workshop… we respond with combinations of like it, dislike it or don’t get it.
LDW? is a good place to start - as it overcomes the blankness of the empty screen or page, it organises and makes the most of what we in particular know, think and feel and therefore shows what we can say about our subject.
Examples of what LDW?s we could have for this piece are:
Like: Saves money so no one gets fired, still flexi working from home for those who want it, more collaborative across teams by working around different individuals.
Dislike: People ain’t gonna like change, there’s been so much upheaval these last two years. I liked working with my team in our space: great chat and lunches together etc.
What? Will the office be chaotic? Is there enough space if the majority of people come in on one day? Will hot desking permanently damage morale? Will people just occupy the same seats anyway? Will it create more problems than it solves? How will we know if it’s working?
1b. Audience LDW?
When we communicate, someone else is involved – there is where we are with a subject and where they are. And our communication is about bringing your audience to the relationship you want them to have with the subject. But you can’t do anything about that until you have considered (to the best of your knowledge and imagination) where they are, what they Like, Dislike and Question about the subject.
This gives us points we can positively raise; we can address and take ownership of their dislikes and we can start to answer questions or doubts or worries before they are actually asked.
It is helpful to put yourself in your audience’s shoes and fill out there LDW’s in the first person:
Like: I will like not having gaps around me in the office – (as I’ve been feeling like a ghost since working from home started), I don’t want to lose my job.
Dislike: Unsafe working on a dirty keyboard, not have ‘my things’ makes it impersonal, IT glitches meaning I can’t access my stuff, I liked my place in the room by the fan, I drop my kids off en route so will always have the worst spot with windy draft.
What? Do we all have to work flexi? Will there be a booking system? Is this the first step to downsizing staff too, because I don’t want to lose my job.
By considering our own and our audience’s perspective, and by using it in what we say, we can remain aware of where common ground is and build on it, we can reach out across differences and acknowledge problems and address questions, showing we have a broad understanding of the subject. We can also work out what’s in it for them explicitly
Too Long Didn’t Read:
Your gut reaction, whether you Like, Dislike, or Don’t Get anything, helps you to find your authentic relationship to the subject.
Start populating the page with usable content immediately.
Imagining your audience’s gut reaction allows for more empathy, a greater connection on what is positive for you both, an understanding of how to acknowledge or mitigate issues for them, a chance to answer their questions so they can listen to, and hear, you without those questions buzzing in their ears…
2. Motivation
Why are you even sharing this information? What is motivating you to speak? And what are you motivating your audience to do?
Your audience is going to think and feel stuff when they hear you speak, and you can use this to direct them to what you want them to do, the end goal being action. What’s the ‘action’ you want from them?
e.g. It’s not enough that colleagues understand a reason for the strategy, or feel engaged about a new protocol. These are great, but only as long as they lead colleagues to doing something to bring about the strategy or using the new protocol in their work.
If you are clear on why you are speaking to your audience then there is a greater chance of them getting it too.
An example of motivation, from your audience’s perspective, could be:
“I am reassured that we are losing space, not staff, so I am happy to start hotdesking from May the 3rd. I know how it will work, and it might even sit with new people.”
The motivation also becomes the best editing tool you have. By sense checking everything against it, you can cut out half of what you were going to include: is this just an interesting thing to say, an interesting aspect of the subject? Or: will it help this particular audience at this particular moment understand, connect, believe in and do what I want them to do?
As an example, in the first piece of communication about the change to the office space and hot desking, the emphasis should be on reassuring everyone that no one will lose their job. Although the strategy and values are valid to the change, including them at this point could distract. However, they might be included in later communication, where the motivation is to encourage collaborative behaviour in the office.
Once we’ve nailed our motivation, we need to start thinking about the different ways in which we can use how we speak (or write) to reach that motivation.
2b. Explain, Explore and Evangelise
We have observed that people are more comfortable speaking and listening in 3 different ways:
when some people speak, they like to explain - to share their knowledge and do all they can to help their audience understand - and many people will listen and they will get the motivation because they needed the detail of the how, the theories and the explanation.
Other people will lay out their subject by exploring all the possible options, to test the boundaries and recognise the unknowns - and those who like to question and to investigate, enjoy working things out for themselves and don't appreciate being presented with a fait-accompli will listen and get the motivation that way.
And some people will argue or evangelise for what they believe and know for certain - and those who want a clear direction or statement will listen and get the motivation from that.
By considering and then using a variation of Explain, Explore and Evangelise we can make sure that what we say connects to as many different people as possible.
For ours, it could be
Explain:
I want to explain to my audience how it will be safe and easy to transition so they understand what will happen around them and what they need to do.
Explore:
I want investigate why hot desking is a good choice for our business and explore what the different benefits might be to the business, to teams and to individuals.
Evangelise:
I know this is how we will save money and can respond to the new hybrid office/home office way of working. I believe that working around and with more people will build the team spirit and make working even more enjoyable after the often lonely, disconnected experience of the last couple of years.
Too Long Didn’t Read:
Motivation ensures your story has a purpose and leads to the desired action.
It is your main editing tool: sense check any potential content against it – does it help achieve the motivation, or should you cut it (or potentially saved for another story).
Explain, Explore, Evangelise helps you understand what style of communicator you are, and by being aware of all three, puts you in a better place to make sure you communicate in a way that suits as many of the styles within your audience as possible.
3. CATS
We now need to start using language and content that can be connected to on a human scale and that reflects or shows the world around us. We need to find and then select the right ingredients to offer specificity, relevance, reality, connection and memorability.
What we use for this are CATS: character, action, time and setting - people doing stuff, or having stuff done to or for them, in time and place.
Characters are who is doing anything or having things done to or for them: they can be individuals, groups or teams, organisations:
Workforce, head of IT Lucy-Anne, cleaners, families of people working from home, me, my audience, exec team, HR, a department, team leader…
Actions are both what has, is and will happen, alongside all the thinking and reasoning as to why and its effect, both practical and emotional, on people:
Financial pressure, need to save on expenditure, increase in working from home, more coffee breaks/watercooler conversation opportunities, dropping kids off to school, need to deep clean workstations daily, update all the IT, IT support, overcoming potential isolation by working in office occasionally…
Time is wonderful in stories, as it is used in so many ways: significant dates, length of time a project takes (or the story), pace, even atmosphere:
Now vs 2 years ago. Starting Tuesday 3rd May, IT will be on hand whole day and week if needed. All practical aspects sorted out in advance. Assumed people will spend 2 or 3 days in the office, but this is flexible. Staggered start times/working hours, review in 6-months…
Setting looks both at where anything is taking place, as well as the scope: how far reaching is this?:
Home, little desk at end of corridor, smaller office released, more meeting rooms, office space reorganised, Global changes post COVID, revamped kitchen area with good new coffee maker, national cost of living crisis meaning travelling in becomes a cost, a workstation…
Not all of these will be used, but we’re creating enough to pick and choose what is of most use to our audience at this particular moment.
Too Long Didn’t Read:
Character, Action, Time, Setting – CATS. Stories (life, events, ideas, data…) are made up of Characters doing stuff or having stuff done to or for them in time and space.
These core ingredients give you specificity, relevance, reality, connection and memorability.
4. 3 Scales
Once we have all these ingredients, we can start to choose what to use to tell the story we want our audience to become a part of. But this story is really 3 stories, or 3 scales of a story, connected by a common event or idea.
We need 3 stories so we can cover the specifics and broadness of the subject. If you can see what the different problems, solutions and benefits are across the 3 and show how they are connected or affect each other, you will connect to more of your audience. The 3 scales are individuals, groups and the biggest context:
The individual’s story or personal experience
I, Josh from HR (the speaker), work from home Mon – Wed and can do the school drop off. When back in, I will sit in 2 areas now, giving me a chance of getting to know colleagues. I am keen not to lose my job if savings are required.
The story of the groups, organisations or communities relevant to your subject.
Camaraderie and collaboration really contributed to how teams and departments helped each other adapt and manage the change of the last 2 years. It’s been harder to happen recently, but camaraderie and collaboration is still relevant and we want more of it again.
The national or international story your subject is connected to. The widest context, theme or reach your subject has.
Sluggish recovery means savings are needed right now. Covid has changed how, where and when people work.
Too Long Didn’t Read:
Stories take place across a number of scales. We’re using Individual, Group and Largest Context.
Using a mix of these scales will help those in your audience who either like to connect to detail, to be part of a team or to see the big picture, to all get what they need from your story.
5. Story Map
We now need to select and organise everything we have found, so we can make sense of it and, of course, so our audience can too. We use a Story Map of Beginning, Middle and End, which we’ve adapted to a more interactive: Hook, Beginning, Middle, End, Handover.
The Story Map gives you a route through your content for you and your audience to travel through. The natural logic of a story – with a starting point, cause and effect, a change and outcomes - is comfortable to follow, so is a sensible way to lay out what you need to say with more chance of it being followed and remembered.
Each part in the map has a job to do:
The hook intrigues and gets your audience listening and wanting to hear more. It can be a statement, a question, a killer stat or number, an evocative description. It’s like a film or tv show trailer or teaser, it's what’s in the bold or larger text in a newspaper article. It gives a reason for your audience to pay attention.
The beginning set’s the scene, so people have a good idea of who this is about, what’s happening to begin with, where and when. It describes the status quo, the problem, the need, the rationale that is pertinent to your audience and your motivation.
The middle is where the journey, actions, changes take place. Cause and effect. Problems and their solutions. We generally recommend that this is told chronologically: that way it’s easier for you to organise your thoughts, and easier for your audience to remember them.
The end shows how things are different from the beginning, and reinforces why whatever you are talking about is a good or necessary thing: benefits and outcomes.
Which leaves us with the handover: giving absolute clarity to your audience as to why this is relevant to them and what they need to do. The story is theirs too, so what do they need to do to play their part in it.
Here is our application of everything on the message:
(Hook)
“9% savings. 0% redundancies.
(Beginning)
We adapted so well back in March 2020. IT allocated laptops and cameras, passwords and Zoom masterclasses and you all evolved so we could keep things going.
And what felt so different then is so normal now. I get to have breakfast with my two, drop them off at school and work from home Monday to Wednesday, and am back here at my desk for the end of the week.
The office doesn’t feel the same though, with a kind of hush coming from the empty desks around mine. I miss having the activity of colleagues all round who I can check in with, ask advice from, have a coffee and a natter, all the good human interaction stuff.
And with the cost-of-living crisis slowing down demand, the business needs to urgently make savings. Where do we find them? Especially as the business is committed to savings not leading to redundancies.
(Middle)
The solution Exec and HR came to was to downsize our offices (rather than our workforce) and so everyone who comes to work in the office will be hot-desking from the 3rd of May.
Our smaller office, on the 3rd floor, is going to be handed back and everyone will be working on the 2nd floor. IT have spent weeks preparing for this, and just like you log in on a laptop at home, you’ll be able to log in on any of the computers here. Lucy-Ann and her hard-working team will be around for the first week if anyone needs help. Workstations will be available on a first come first served basis; what used to be management places by the windows are now free for all to use.
Our facilities team will continue to deep clean over the weekends, and alongside every surface, all keyboards will now be wiped down daily with antibacterial spray.
(End)
There will be teething problems, so I and the HR team will be keeping an eye on what is and isn’t working. You will be able to have your say at a 6 months review to see how we can make the hot desking work even better.
Although this change comes from solving a problem, I’m really looking forward to how the office is going to evolve and getting to know more of you better because of it.
I’m sure the more we get to know each other the better we will work together.
(Handover)
As normal, please do update your home/office rota with your line manager, so we can ensure there are enough spaces every day.
If you’ve only ever worked from the same desk and computer and feel concerned, please book in a session with IT to talk you through what you’ll need to do to be ready for 3rd May, and if you have any further questions, please do ask me now or pop me an email during the week”
Too Long Didn’t Read:
A story map helps you organise and structure your content: easier for both you and your audience to remember what you say and to take part.
The Hook pulls people in, gives them a reason to listen, like the stand out quote in a newspaper article.
The Beginning introduces the problem, the need, the rational, the status quo.
The Middle covers and describes the change, cause and effect, problems and solutions.
The End shows the change since the beginning, the outcomes, benefits.
The Handover ensures your audience knows their next steps as they’re involved in the next chapter.
Oh, come ON! This bit was worth reading to get a good taste of how storytelling takes you from far too much jargon to human.