How do you align your communication style with your board's expectations and culture?

1 Know your audience

Before you communicate with your board, do some research on their backgrounds, preferences, and personalities. What are their roles, responsibilities, and interests? What are their communication styles and preferences? How do they like to receive information, feedback, and questions? How do they make decisions and handle conflicts? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your communication style to suit their needs and expectations, and avoid any potential misunderstandings or clashes.

2 Choose the right channel

Depending on the purpose, urgency, and complexity of your communication, you need to choose the right channel to convey your message. For example, if you need to share important updates, achievements, or challenges, you might want to use a formal written report or presentation, with clear and concise language, data, and visuals. If you need to discuss strategic issues, seek input, or resolve conflicts, you might want to use a face-to-face meeting or a video call, where you can use verbal and non-verbal cues, listen actively, and engage in dialogue. If you need to follow up, clarify, or confirm something, you might want to use an email, a phone call, or a text message, where you can use a friendly and professional tone, and avoid jargon and ambiguity.

3 Align with the board's culture

Every board has its own culture, norms, and values that shape how they communicate and interact with each other and with the executive team. To align your communication style with the board's culture, you need to observe and understand how they operate, communicate, and collaborate. For example, do they have a formal or informal culture? Do they value consensus or diversity of opinions? Do they prefer facts or stories? Do they appreciate humor or seriousness? Do they expect brevity or detail? By aligning your communication style with the board's culture, you can show respect, build rapport, and foster trust.

4 Adapt to the situation

While it is important to align your communication style with the board's expectations and culture, you also need to adapt to the specific situation and context of your communication. For example, if you are communicating bad news or a crisis, you need to use a direct and honest style, acknowledge the problem, explain the causes and consequences, and propose solutions and actions. If you are communicating good news or a success, you need to use a positive and enthusiastic style, celebrate the achievement, highlight the impact and benefits, and thank and acknowledge the contributors. If you are communicating a request or a recommendation, you need to use a persuasive and confident style, state the purpose and rationale, provide evidence and examples, and address the benefits and risks.

5 Seek feedback and improve

Communication is a two-way process that requires feedback and improvement. To align your communication style with your board's expectations and culture, you need to seek feedback from them on how they perceive and respond to your communication, and how you can improve it. You can ask them for feedback directly, or use surveys, evaluations, or other tools to collect their opinions and suggestions. You also need to provide feedback to them on how they communicate and interact with you, and how they can support you. By seeking feedback and improving your communication style, you can enhance your relationship with your board, and achieve better outcomes for your organization.