
Beyond the Babble
Leadership Communication that Drives Results
By Macy Boehm, Bob Matha
Published 01/2008
About the Authors
Bob Matha and Macy Boehm are principals and co-founders of Basics 3, a leadership communications and employee engagement firm headquartered in Chicago. They also provide counsel to clients of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Matha and Boehm have been featured speakers at the Arthur Page Society and the Advanced Learning Institute. Their extensive experience in leadership communication has enabled them to develop the strategies and insights presented in "Beyond the Babble."
Main Idea
The central premise of "Beyond the Babble: Leadership Communication That Drives Results" is that effective leadership communication is vital for organizational success. The book argues that leaders must communicate in clear, relevant, and motivational terms to engage employees and drive action. The authors present a strategic plan to eliminate ineffective communication—what they call "babble"—and replace it with focused, actionable messaging that aligns with organizational goals.
Table of Contents
- The Power of Communication
- On Strategy Communication
- The Action Equation
- The People Channel
- Overcoming Communication Barriers
- Driving and Supporting Communication
The Power of Communication
The authors begin by emphasizing the pervasive issue of "babble" in business communications. This babble consists of convoluted, evasive, or empty terms that fail to convey clear messages. Matha and Boehm argue that this lack of clarity corrodes an organization’s ability to achieve results and leads to employee disengagement. They cite Gallup Research, which shows that more than half of employees in the United States are "not engaged" in their work, with a further 15 percent "actively disengaged." As Gallup’s Curt Coffman states, "A key problem is a lack of clear communication from leadership."
Communication is the backbone of any organization. When leaders fail to communicate clearly, it results in confusion and disengagement among employees. This phenomenon is not limited to top executives; it permeates through functional leaders, middle managers, team leaders, and frontline supervisors. The authors argue that babble is much more insidious inside companies than outside them. Inside organizations, babble corrodes the ability to achieve results, derailing leaders and employees alike.
According to Matha and Boehm, the root of effective communication lies in addressing one critical employee question: "What do you want me to do?" This question, if answered clearly and effectively, can mobilize a team of ten or an organization of thousands. The authors stress that polished presentations and impressive speeches are not enough if the message does not resonate with the audience and lead to action.
- An executive delivers a polished presentation, but the audience leaves unclear about the message.
- Employees take a wait-and-see attitude towards their jobs due to unclear direction from management.
- Disengaged employees undermine the efforts of their engaged colleagues.
On Strategy Communication
On Strategy communication is a term coined by Matha and Boehm to describe effective leadership communication. It involves framing complex business directions in simple, straightforward, and motivational terms. The goal is to ensure that everyone in the organization understands and discusses the strategy, from the CEO to frontline supervisors. The authors stress that this communication must be continuous, interactive, and relevant to the employees' daily work. "On Strategy communication makes strategy the topic of conversation in an organization," they write.
On Strategy communication focuses on answering the fundamental employee question: "What do you want me to do?" This type of communication thrives on simplicity. Leaders must provide clear, concise direction that focuses on a handful of priorities. By doing so, they can avoid overwhelming employees with too many tasks and objectives.
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