Congratuations on Completing Week 1 of the course.
WEEK 2: Listening – The Foundation of Partnership
Monday
Subject: You’re talking. But are you listening?
Most IC professionals are excellent communicators.
But terrible listeners.
We ask for feedback, then ignore it. We run surveys, then file the results. We hold town halls, then talk the entire time.
This week: Learning to truly listen to your employees.
Tuesday
The listening gap
We don’t listen to staff enough. We don’t invite their views and involve them in planning and testing communications Commsnews.
Symptom check:
- Your communications fail to resonate
- Initiatives get pushback you didn’t expect
- Employees feel “things are decided without us”
Root cause: You’re not listening where it matters—at the planning stage.
Wednesday
Strategic listening touchpoints
BEFORE creating communication:
- Focus groups on what employees need to know
- Polls on preferred channels/timing
- Input sessions on key messages
DURING creation:
- Testing drafts with employee panels
- Feedback loops with different teams
- Co-writing with staff representatives
AFTER delivery:
- Structured feedback collection
- Conversations, not just surveys
- Action on what you hear
Practice: Add one listening touchpoint to your next project.
Thursday
The power of crowdsourcing
Your employees collectively know more than you ever will about:
- What’s actually happening on the ground
- What messages will resonate
- What barriers exist
- What solutions might work
Example: Instead of writing the “return to office” communication yourself, convene a cross-functional employee group to co-create it.
Try this: Identify a current challenge. Who could you invite to crowdsource solutions?
Friday
From surveys to conversations
Annual surveys are not listening.
Real listening is:
- Regular, not annual
- Dialogue, not data collection
- Specific, not generic
- Actionable, not just informational
Upgrade your approach:
- Weekly pulse questions (2-3 quick questions)
- Monthly listening sessions (small groups)
- Always-on feedback channels
- Transparent “here’s what we heard and what we’re doing” responses
Saturday
Psychological safety to speak up
Employees won’t share honestly if:
- They fear consequences
- Nothing changes anyway
- Their input is dismissed
- Leaders get defensive
Build safety by:
- Thanking people for candid feedback
- Implementing visible changes
- Admitting when leadership got it wrong
- Protecting anonymity when requested
Sunday
Week 2 Challenge: Host a Listening Session
This week, convene 5-10 employees from different areas.
Agenda:
- Share a communication challenge you’re facing
- Ask: “What would you do?”
- Listen—don’t defend, explain, or justify
- Take notes on their ideas
- Report back on what you’ll implement
Key rule: Implement at least ONE suggestion from the session.
