Communicating During Times of Stress
How to be sincere, effective, and heard.
It is safe to say 2020 was the year of difficult conversations. Discussions around racial injustice, workplace bias, COVID-19, and employee mental health sprung up not just in the media, but front and center in the workplace. Thankfully, this may have given organizations opportunities to develop thoughtful methods of communicating with their people, but it also highlighted the gaps in effective communication.
If you’ve ever led a company or a team, you are likely no stranger to delivering difficult communications. It’s never easy, even over time or with experience. The situation, people, and context of the issue can alter the communication strategy quickly. Being prepared as best you can may help. Below are some tips on delivering news or information during times of stress:
1. Don’t be misleading
When delivering news that could be viewed as challenging, unpopular, or daunting, it’s imperative to be forthright and honest. Especially during situations of change or uncertainty, maintaining your level of trust is paramount to supporting your teams in stressful times. When fear is present (i.e. news about an acquisition, financial trouble, or workplace incident), be very clear about what is known and not known. Skirting around uncomfortable elements of the news or creating buffers will only create additional worry and “what if” scenarios for team members. It is also important to not overpromise or provide information that is not relevant —if you don’t know the answer, simply say that. People will be more receptive to a leader who is straight-forward than a leader who is deceptive.
2. Be clear and concise
Have you ever found yourself in a situation when you’ve been told “I have bad news” and it takes 15 minutes just to find out? There is nothing worse than to wait with bated breath. Keep that feeling in mind when communicating your news to others. Once you have the attention of your audience, be short and sweet with the delivery. While it may not feel natural, keep your language extremely simple—as if you are communicating in clear, concise bullet points. No need to be robotic, but understand that what might make sense for you, may not be entirely clear to someone else. After all, you know the back-story and information. To help keep things manageable, write out or memorize three to five main points of discussion. You can also slow down your speech (did you know humans can talk faster than they think?), in an effort to not say anything superfluous or unintentional.
3. Understand the impact of stress on information processing
As a young professional working in integration/mergers and acquisitions work, I once found myself in a position to roll out a communication plan following the sale of a company. I prepared tirelessly, carefully crafting out a thoughtful presentation of key information, along with corresponding hand-outs. Looking back on it, I laugh (ugh, and cringe). While the information was clear and nicely laid out, it was pointless given the circumstances. I was a new face, with no record of trust or familiarity. I could have presented on puppies and ice cream and no one would have been happy or engaged. Why? Well, there are many reasons. But the most important is that my audience was under stress. They were upset by the sale, scared for their futures, and confused about my position and what it meant.
Days following the meeting I was flooded with questions—many of which were answered in person or clearly bulleted on the handout. I was totally confused. Did no one listen? Well, I wasn’t completely wrong. What I didn’t know at the time is that brain imaging research reveals that when people are under stress, the ability to think clearly is impaired —the deductive reasoning portion of the brain actually shrinks! Stress is shown to reduce the ability to process information by 80%. Wow.
So, how can we ensure that information is still processed by team members, even in times of change or difficulty? The answer: it’s tough. You’re up against a Goliath (aka biology). What’s most important is that you understand there are several stages of communication. While the initial rollout may be in times of heightened stress, the other phases can be followed up in times when stress or anxiety has settled.
4. Communicate to everybody
I hate to break it to you, but one size of communication does not fit all. Yes, it will take a lot of work and energy on your part to effectively communicate during times of stress. While some people may want 1:1 meetings, others will ask for clearly worded emails or handouts. It is very difficult to please people. Rather, it should be about reaching people. Keep in mind that different methods and styles of communication will give you different results. Know your team and alter your approach to fit the various subgroups of your organization.
5. Rinse, repeat
There is no such thing as over-communicating. During times of stress, expect and assess the emotional stages of your team and alter your communication plans accordingly. Listen more than talk, acknowledge feelings, hold regularly scheduled meetings, and provide space for dialogue and questions.
While some conversations can be difficult, it’s important to view your audience from a purely human perspective. The best thing you can do for your team when communicating during times of stress is show empathy. One of my favorite quotes by Theodore Roosevelt holds true: “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.”