Corporate communication often focuses on its external aspect, while emotions are mostly reserved for the personal domain. According to HR coach and speaker Philippe Zinser, this is a double mistake. Let’s explore this in an interview.
Hello, Philippe. It seems to us that internal communication is the neglected child of communication within companies. Do you share this observation?
Philippe Zinser: Indeed, when asked, 80% of organizations admit to having internal communication issues. Yet, when asked about the steps they take to resolve them, their response is… not much!
This problem is well-known, but few companies address it through training and skills development. The reason is simple: most people believe they can speak, so they believe they can communicate.
But it’s not as straightforward as that. Moreover, communication is not just about speaking; it’s also about listening. Hence, it’s essential to sometimes return to the basics of communication.
What does that mean?
P.Z.: Firstly, I want to emphasize that internal communication is not just about hierarchical discussions. It can also involve something you’d like to say to a colleague but hesitate to express. The idea is to become aware of the importance of our thoughts in our communication.
It’s also about shifting interpersonal communication to facts rather than feelings or interpretation taboos. For example, if we receive feedback from our superior and immediately believe they are going to terminate our employment, we need to be cautious of the tricks our brain and emotions can play on us.
So, you advocate grouping internal communication and emotion management as a single topic?
P.Z.: Indeed, communication, whether interpersonal within companies or in everyday life, is always influenced by our emotions.
However, in the professional world, we are told to leave our emotions at home. Firstly, that’s impossible. Secondly, we have to deal with a world that is evolving faster and, therefore, destabilizing us more frequently. In these cases, our emotions often take over. Knowing that the stronger these emotions are, the more they influence our thinking. Therefore, we need to give them a place and learn to understand them better.
It seems like communication is an innate concept for some people. Can it be learned nonetheless?
P.Z.: Of course, it can be developed. Everyone involved in politics or giving conferences has learned to communicate beforehand. There is indeed a gap between what we want to say and what is understood by the message recipients. Factors like context, intonation, non-verbal cues play a role… Not communicating is also a way of communicating!
Internal communication seems to be an even greater challenge since the rise of hybrid work…
P.Z.: Today, the challenge includes tools like instant messaging, which makes us feel compelled to respond immediately. This leads to increased errors, impulsive responses, or difficulty in disconnecting. In remote work, it translates into additional frustration with the feeling of always having to be connected. It’s an unintentional pressure.
Not to mention the need to adapt communication to the channels used. Not saying hello might be acceptable in a direct messaging app, and even then, but it’s not suitable for email communication. The key is to succeed in adopting “conscious communication.”
What does that involve?
P.Z.: Most of our communications are somewhat automated. We don’t need to think too long for our daily communication. The more complex a subject becomes, the more awareness is required to convey the intention behind the message. We often overlook this aspect, yet it is the key to successful communication!
