Episode 127: Can You Lead Your Team to Communicate Effectively? 8 Must Know Tips!
Ever heard of โ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐,โ improve it! peeps? Weโll let you in on a little secret: it stands for โ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ข๐๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐.โ โก๏ธ
Todayโs ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐! ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ will make sure you never show up to a party (AKA to your team) empty-handed. ๐ฅณ ๐
Grab your notebook and pen and tune in to todayโs episode for eight tips on how to lead your team to communicate more effectively!
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Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief โYes, Andโ officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. Sheโs a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, โget comfortable with the uncomfortable.โ Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We canโt wait to connect with you online!
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Episode 127 Transcription
Erin (00:00):
Are you a leader searching for new and innovative ways to drive employee engagement and team morale through the roof? Do you wanna create a company culture where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued? Hi, I'm Erin Diehl, business Improv edutainer, failfluencer, and Professional zoombie, who is ready to help you improve your it, your IT being the thing that makes you you. Think of me as you are keeping it real, professional development bestie who is here to help you learn from your failures, stand tall and your power and improve yourself so you can improve the lives of others. Oh, and did I mention that we are improving your IT through play? That's right. I am an improvisational comedy expert who uses experiential learning to help you have your aha haha moments. Those are the moments when the light bulb goes off and you're laughing at the same time. So grab your chicken hat, your notebook, and your inner child because I'm gonna take you on a journey that is both fun and transformative. Welcome to the Improve It! Podcast.
Erin (01:23):
Hey, improve it! Peeps. It's Erin and today's episode references an upcoming workshop that we were going to have virtually in October of 2022. Now, like any good failfluencer, we have decided to reschedule this virtual workshop, make it in person, and do this in Q1 of 2023. So still wanted to give you this fantastic episode that I put together for you, but just know when you hear me reference the workshop that is going to be virtually October 26th, 2022. We've rescheduled it, Things changed, plans change, and that's okay. Enjoy today's and hopefully I'll see you workshop sometime soon.
Erin (02:23):
There you are in the middle of a team building and strategy planning session. You've gotten the team together and taken two hours out of a productive workday to strategize, to plan, to do something fun. Together as a team, you've all decided to dress extra casual because who likes pants with actual waistbands, you've decided to laugh and to put your robotic ways of doing work aside to actually be humans doing an experience together. Everyone is on board, the energy is high. And then in walks Bob, Bob is your leader. He's been at the company for 10 plus years. He's very comfortable. He's cushy in his role and he's not used to being told what to do. Now, Bob walks in and did not get the memo about casual dress code. Bob's were in a tight business pant, a button down shirt and a tie. He also didn't get the memo about the fun.
Erin (03:43):
Bob sits down in the middle of the semi circle, he says hi, and he makes a few jokes with the team that are supposed to be funny, but feel mean in nature. The planning session starts and Bob throws out an idea. No one wants to chime in after Bob because they know it's Bob's way or the highway. People start sharing and Bob starts crossing his arms because he is realizing that his team is engaged and not engaged in his idea. So he sus in his chair, He man spreads and he decides that no one is listening to him. So he is not going to listen. Bob pulls out his best friend, his iPhone. He quote unquote checks some emails, so he looks important. He looks at his phone so he doesn't have to engage with the strategy and planning in fun and comradery that's happening around him. He looks at his phone so he doesn't have to listen. Bob is working because Bob is important.
Erin (05:09):
Does Bob sound like anyone? You know Bob is a fictional character. I just wanna point that out. But does Bob sound like anyone? You know, I also want a caveat, Sorry to the Bob's out there, but bless this mess. That is Bob. In this example. Bob stands for Better Off Bob's Sledding. Okay, and I'm really not sure what Bob's sledding is, but Bob should not be there. His presence in that room is not a gift. It's a slimy toad wrapped up in a gift box. That should have been an exciting gift, but it is a gift that is not thoughtful, not exciting, and actually adds more work to your plate because you gotta take care of that slimy tote. Bob creates work because we have to work to bring up Bob's energy. Why is this now our job? Something I like to call B Y O E. Bring your own energy. Now, this podcast today, if you saw the show title before you hit play, is for leaders to establish better communication within their teams. But what about starting with you? Improve it peeps you the leader. How is your communication? Are you bobbing your team? This is now a verb. Bobbing is now a thing. I really want you to think about that before we dive into today's show. Here's what I've realized in eight plus years of teaching improv for business.
Erin (07:04):
Bob's are bob's because we allow bob's to be bob's. What you as a leader allow within your zoom room and within your conference rooms will exist. So how can we create communication techniques that are not exceptions? They are the rules. Stay tuned. My Improve of Peeps because I have got all the tips for you today and I've got a very important message. If you like the tips today and what you hear, you will love our showcase. We are doing bi-annual showcases. So this is the second one that we've had in 2022, and our next one is coming up this month on October 26th from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Eastern Time. All of the deeds for this are in our show notes. Come hang out with us, get to know me, get to know the team. It's going to be on Zoom Virtual for one hour, and we'll give you a breakdown of our laugh breaks, a breakdown of our effective communication workshop and some insight into our keynotes and what we're up to.
Erin (08:25):
So improve it peeps. If we have not met I R L in real life or on the zoomy, let's do it on October 26th. Before we dive into these episodes I or to these episodes, before we dive into these tips, I want you to know that I thought long and hard about these today because communication can make or break a team. It can make or break a culture. It can make a break or make or break an organization. So take out a pen, take out some paper, because really implementing these tips is going to improve not only your leadership style, but it is going to improve the way that your team shows up, that you show up and it's going to improve your productivity. So here are without further ado, the eight must know tips to create and foster optimal communication within your team. Get ready. Here's number one drum role, please.
Erin (09:37):
I just did my own drum role right now and Improve it! Peeps. That's where I'm at. I'm doing my own drum role alone in my improv, my improv in my podcast closet. But here it is, number one B Y o e, and I said this earlier, Bring your own energy. This tip selfishly is for me right now. Your girl is tired. These bags under the eyeballs are not a shopping spree at Nordstroms. They are real. I'm on my second cup of coffee and I'm not gonna lie to you. I had to do some jumping jacks before I got in here to hit record today because the way I show up is the way that you're going to receive this information. So bring your own energy. We have a new keynote and if you haven't listened to episode 1 23 of this show all about how to magnetize the culture where everyone feels seen, heard and valued.
Erin (10:37):
It's all about our new keynote called I See You. This keynote is all about energy. It's all about the energy that you bring to your team as yourself, that you put into you is the energy that you put out to your team, and that energy that you give is a direct reflection of what you will receive back. So if you want to create and foster optimal communication within your team that my friends starts right here with you, you bring your own energy. So listen to episode 1 23 of this show. If you need tips and tricks for that, I've got so many episodes about morning routines, but really put time and effort and energy into yourself. I promise you if you do that, you will shift the energy of your meetings, of your team and thus the organizational culture. Number two, set the tone literally. So here's what I want you to think about.
Erin (11:56):
I'm not talking about tonality right now. I'm talking about these are the ways that our meetings are run. Here's the tone of how these are going to go. If you're on Zoom, your camera's on, cuz we only meet twice a week, I need to see your face just for these two hours. Camera's on audio, on mute or off mute, whatever. How many people we have that day. We decide if we're on or off mute and then set the tone for that meeting front so people know what to expect. There's nothing worse than when you think of Zoom is going to be off camera and you have to run to go put on some type of sweater to show that you're not wearing, you know, the most heinous workout shirt with seven holes in it. Set that tone for your team so they know how to show up for you.
Erin (12:47):
If you're physically in person and you want people to show up with no phones, I've had leaders say, Drop your phones in this basket, or no phones present in meetings. Have a pen and notebook. That's how we run these meetings. Have your laptops closed. Set the expectation because you cannot expect people to show up in the way that you want them to set. Show up if you don't set the tone first. So that's number two. Set the tone. Literally number three is actually about tonality. I want you to be cognizant of your tone. This is twofold. Your verbal tone in any communication is so crucial. Your written tone in any communication is so crucial. Tone is crucial communication. In the showcase on October 26th, we're gonna take you through an exercise all about tonality. It is an eye-opening experience, but we talk about what positive and negative tone looks like in both a written and verbal format.
Erin (14:10):
How do you feel when you receive it? How do you feel when you give it? So really think about your tone before you write your next email, before you get on Zoom to start a meeting and really set that intention in your mind to have a more positive experience. Sometimes if I'm being honest, I am having a bad day. We're all human, right? We're all human beings. As I'm recording this episode with you, I have had some adjustments done on my back the day before, so I'm not feeling so great today. I'm a little sore. I dropped my son off at school and he was sad for the first time ever and it broke my heart. So to be honest with you, the tone of my day is not super positive. So intentionally, before I hit record on this podcast, like I said, I did some uplifting music.
Erin (15:09):
I did a little dance before I came in here and hit record, and I just sat down and said, Let me share. Let me open up and share what I know with the Improve it peeps and change my tone. I literally physically asked my body, my mind to help me change the tone of my mind so that I could help you. Maybe that's it for you, maybe to be cognizant of tone, you just say, How can I help my team today? But really be intentional with how you show up in an email, on Slack, on teams, whatever it is, because your tone will set the tone for your team for that meeting, for that day. Number four, your body tells a story. Like Shakira said, your hips don't lie. Okay? They tell a story. And let me tell you, if I were to start today's episode with my arms crossed and I would've given you that Bob story with my head down, my arms crossed, it probably would've sounded a bit different.
Erin (16:25):
I know you can't see me physically, so let me just try to act this out for you. Here I am, arms crossed, head down. Let me tell you this story about a man named Bob. Bob is an energy suck. He is an energy vampire. He walks into meetings and he sits down, he, he looks at his phone automatically. I'm gonna tell you, I'm a hand talker. I'm an open person right there. Just feeling myself in that position made me bored. I'm sure you probably wanted to fast forward this episode. Thanks for sticking with me. There's a point, Body language tells a story. What do you want to say again in this showcase on October 26th, we are gonna show you what positive and negative body language looks like in a virtual setting. We're gonna talk about how you can bring that into your in real life meetings.
Erin (17:33):
Body language tells a story, and it is so important. It really even tells a story before you open your mouth to speak. Because the way that we present ourselves on Zoom, the way that we ourselves when we walk into a room, is automatically signaling to the people who are inside of that space. This is a positive interaction or this is a negative interaction. This is a positive interaction or a negative interaction. So I want you to think about, as a leader, what is your body saying? What story are you conveying to your team? Number five, listening is key. Listening is key. Now of course, when you talk about communication, you're gonna talk about listening and my humble, humble opinion, listening is the most important communication tool that we have. There's this cheesy saying, you've probably heard me say it before, but if you could pretend that everyone has a sign around their neck that says, Make me feel important, making them feel important would start with listening in the showcase on October 26.
Erin (19:00):
Yes, I'm plugging this so hard, but I want you to know we have tangible exercises rooted at improv that help with negative listening patterns. So I want you to really think about what I said. If you pretend that the person that you are speaking with has a sign around their neck that says, Make me feel important. What do they want to have done to feel important? What do they want to feel? They want to feel seen, they want to feel heard. Heard. That involves listening and there's so many negative listening patterns that we have that we just fall into based on who we're talking with, based on our relationship with that person. But there's so many ways that we can correct those listening capabilities. So I really want you to focus on allowing your team to talk. I have another tip about that, and I'll jump to it at the end, but really focus on listening. Number six is make sure all voices are heard.
Erin (20:10):
So take that example of everybody having a sign around their neck and pretend that everyone in that meeting has a sun around their neck that says, Make me feel important. There's an exercise in improv. It is yes, sand, and you've probably heard me talk about it on this show. I talk about it all the time because it's one of the key tenets of improv and it's one of the biggest philosophies. And what it means is to postpone judgment, to not negate what the person just said, to add something to it, and to create something together so that people feel inspired. Have you ever been in a meeting with your boss and you say, Hey Susan, I have a great idea. Susan looks at you and she's already annoyed and she's like, Okay, what Erin? And you say, Susan, I want to share this idea for holiday party with you for the team.
Erin (21:11):
I've come up with a budget, I've gotten some vendors involved. I've gotten three quotes from each vendor, and Susan looks at you and says, Erin, there's no budget this year. That's it. Do you think I am going to want to share any more ideas with Susan? Do you think I am going to want to do my job? Do you think that I'm going to feel fulfilled and like my ideas matter and keep contributing? I probably will, but I'm not gonna do it to the full extent of enthusiasm that I had. If Susan were to say to me, Hey Aaron, that sounds like a really great idea. Thank you so much for that time. Looking into it. You know, I'm not sure what our budget looks like this year. Let me get back to you on that. Why don't we schedule some time so I have time to look into it and we can have a conversation.
Erin (22:13):
And let's say that conversation comes and she says to me, Erin, I really appreciate you looking into all of this. There isn't a budget, but if you could just save that into a file folder on our Dropbox for next year, I would love to look at it. When we look at parties next year, Wow, I looked at your budget and it looks great right there. Even if it never happens, she redirected my no to make me feel important, to make me feel like my ideas matter. This idea of yes and is something we talk about a lot in our workshops, it is the foundation of our business. It is the foundation of our culture. So again, October 26th, if you come, you will get a high, high level overview of yes and and how you can bring it to your team. Number seven, start and stops.
Erin (23:10):
Start and stops. So I want you to start your interactions, your meetings, anything that involves a group of people coming together and at allotted time with an agenda. And I want you to end with an action plan. We had a guest on this show who said, a line I'll never forget when it comes to virtual meetings. No agenda. No agenda, no agenda, no agenda. And I thought that was so brilliant. My team, when we get on any type of virtual meeting, we each go around, we say the things that we have on our plates for that day, what we need help with. We know that agenda because that's how we run our meetings, our weekly 10 every week. Jenna runs those. She has a rundown of every single spreadsheet that we need to go through together. Our monthly meetings that we have, we have a very sort of guideline, something called the CEO Day toolkit that we use to go through our intentions of the month.
Erin (24:12):
So each meeting, we know when we're jumping on what it's about, how it's gonna run structurally, there are no surprises. And then we have couple check-in points throughout the week, which are, again, each one of us knows we need to go through what we're working on that week, what we need help with, and continue the conversation. So having that agenda in place is huge. That ending with an action plan is also huge, especially if you're allowing each person to share, Here's what my next steps are. Because once they clarify those next steps, they've said them out loud, they have some accountability within the team. You as a leader know what people are working on. You feel confident that they know what they're working on and they feel confident knowing that collectively you're all working on something greater together. This idea of yes. And so start and stops is huge.
Erin (25:06):
Finally, tip number eight. Tip number eight, Make it great. Ask a question, then wait, improve it. Peeves. I did not mean to do that. Rhyming. Seriously. I will consider wrapping. I will consider becoming a poet. But truly that was just a beautiful mistake. No mistakes only give. So asking a question, then wait. Now I'm not talking about just waiting. You know, I like an acronym. So wait stands for something, W A I T. Why am I talking? Ask a question then. Wait, I'm pausing dramatically here. You're not gonna respond to me. But that's what I want you to do is ask a question, then wait. Hands up right now. If you are a leader who likes to hear your own self talk, put your hand in the air. If you're driving, put one hand on the wheel. My hand is raised, I have a podcast for a reason.
Erin (26:20):
This is something that does not come easy to yours. Truly. This is something I work on every day. She is not perfected it. No, she has not. Ask the team, she talks a lot, ask a question and then allow a response to happen and ask a lot of questions. That's how we have conversations. That's how we build together. That's how we make sure all voices are heard. So let me recap these eight tips for you. Number one, bring your own energy. So set that tone for yourself, then set the tone. Literally set the tone for expectations. When we have our weekly meetings, we're on Zoom, our cameras are on. If we're in person, we're in the room. Our no laptops are allowed, and your phones are supposed to be face down. Number three, be cognizant of your tone, your written and verbal communication. Number four, remember that your body language tells a story.
Erin (27:25):
What do you want to say? Number five, listening is key. Number six, make sure all voices are heard. This idea of yes. And number seven, remember your start of the meetings in your stops of the meetings, your agenda, no agenda, and then ending with an action plan. And then number eight, ask a question. Then wait. So good at rhyming. These tools, my friends will give the bobs of the world the structure to stay in the moment, to stay present, to stay with us. Now, you heard me mention my toddler. I have a three year old, and let me say this, he has it had a firm schedule since he was three weeks old. Some people say it's crazy. I say it works for him and it makes him comfortable and it works for me. I know what to expect. He knows what to expect. And collectively, we can run our days on those expectations.
Erin (28:35):
Humans, adults, we need to know structure, and we need to know expectations because if we don't know how to measure success when it comes to communication, then we're always going to underperform. What are the communication successes that you wanna see within your team? So here is your homework, my friends. Number one, I want you to ask yourself and then ask other members of your team, what does successful communication look like to you? Define it. All right, What does successful communication look like to you? And then define it. Number two, I then want you to go back through these eight tips to help you create your own communication structure within your team. So what does successful communication look like to you? And then number two, how can you use these tips to help your team? And number three, here's your final piece of homework. Go to the show notes.
Erin (29:46):
Click on the link to our workshop on October, 2026. And it's not a workshop, I should say, virtual showcase on October 26 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Eastern. It is free and I would love to see you there. I would love to introduce you to members of the Improve It! Team, and I would love to share more in depth tips and tricks and tools using improv to help you communicate more effectively and be the best leader that you can be. Improve it peeps. You know what I'm about to say? Number one, keep improving. Number two, keep failing because the world needs that special it that only you can bring. I hope I see you on October 26th and I'll see you right back here next Wednesday. Bye. Hey friend, did you enjoy today's show? If so, head on over to iTunes to rate and subscribe. So you never miss an episode. Now, did I mention that when you leave a five star review of the Improvement podcast, an actual team of humans does a happy dance? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. That's right. So leave a review for us on iTunes, screenshot it, and send me an email at info learn to improve it.com. I'll send you a personalized video back as a thank you. Thanks so much for listening improve it! Peeps. I'll see you next Wednesday.