The top five rules for effective communication during a crisis.

​Although communication during times of crisis and uncertainty needs a nuanced approach, it is important to remember fundamental tools of effective communication still apply:

1. Listen to your team, and more importantly, endeavour to understand their perspective.
2. Define the long-term goals and clearly communicate these with your team.
3. Encourage open dialogue.
4. Be proactive in your communication – don’t wait for people to come to you.
5. When feeling uncertain or overwhelmed, step back and take a breath.

There’s no doubt that teams and leaders are facing unprecedented challenges. 

This becomes even more complex when we consider the different needs of diverse teams. 
However, returning to these fundamentals of communication can go a long way to promoting a psychologically-safe environment that in turn encourages teams to perform at their best.

For more on how to build psychologically-safe, high-performing teams, take a look at my book.