The Power of Clear Communication
As HR professionals, we often sit at the intersection of people, strategy, and leadership. Communication is central to everything we do—whether we’re helping leaders navigate change, guiding conversations on performance, or facilitating team dynamics.
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Coaching.com Summit, where I listened to Matt Abrahams speak. You may recall Matt from his podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, which I listen to regularly. His insights on communication struck a chord, both personally and professionally.
Like many HR leaders, I’ve sometimes found myself wanting to share everything—all the context, all the recommendations, all the data. I vividly remember one of my first leadership team meetings in a new role. I came prepared, excited, and ready to demonstrate value. But I delivered it like rapid fire—so much so that afterward, someone kindly (but honestly) said to me:
"You’ve got a lot of great points—but you need to slow down and simplify. Otherwise, people won’t follow you."
That feedback, though tough to hear at the time, has stuck with me throughout my career and it is something I continue to work on developing.
Matt Abrahams reinforced this with some practical frameworks including:
✅ What? So what? What now?
A simple structure to help guide any conversation, presentation, or coaching session.
What? — What’s the key point or information?
So what? — Why does this matter to the person or people you’re speaking with?
What now? — What action, takeaway, or next step should they remember?
✅ Don’t let self-critique steal your focus.
When we start analyzing our own delivery in real-time (“Did I say that right?”, or “Why did I phrase it like that?”), we reduce our ability to be present and communicate effectively. Instead, shift your mindset. If something doesn’t land perfectly, don’t think of it as a mistake—think of it as a missed take. You can always come back, clarify, or provide an example to support your point.
In HR, and leadership generally, clarity often matters more than completeness. People won’t remember everything you say—but they will remember how you made them feel and whether they understood what you needed them to know.
If you’re a leader struggling with condensing your message or wondering how to engage your team with clear, focused communication, you’re not alone. It’s a skill we can all continue to build.
At Momentum HR, we work with organizations and leaders to build not just HR systems—but communication skills that connect people to purpose, strategy, and results.
Let’s keep the conversation going:
What communication challenges are showing up in your workplace right now? I’d love to hear from you.
Contact me here or visit www.momentumhr.ca to learn how I can support you and your leadership team.