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[00:00:00] Announcer: This is the Build A Vibrant Culture Podcast, your source for the strategies, systems, and insights you need to turn your dreams into your destiny. Every week we dive into dynamic conversations as our host, Nicole Greer, interviews leadership and business experts. They're here to shed light on practical solutions to the challenges of personal and professional development. Now, here's your host, a professional speaker, coach, and consultant, Nicole Greer.
[00:00:29] Nicole: Welcome everybody to the Build A Vibrant Culture podcast. My name is Nicole Greer and they call me The Vibrant Coach, and I am here with a beautiful gal who is in her matching pink shirt. It's almost like she got a memo, and we're gonna start our show by reading her beautiful bio. So let me tell you all about Alejandra Ramirez. She is an internal communication strategist and a veteran culture builder. So she's my kind of people. She's worried about building those vibrant cultures. She's got two decades of experience transforming organizations through strategic communication. And I don't know how many times this has happened to you, Alejandra, but here's the thing. People are like, we have communication problems, so this gal can help you. After 15 years of leading communications in Big Law, all Capital Letter, Big Law she founded Ready Cultures where she helps organizations turn their workforce into the biggest differentiator. With expertise in crisis communications, executive communications, team alignment and scaling communication systems, Alejandra brings practical solutions for organizations struggling with misaligned messages. Do you ever have any of those misaligned messages? Shake your head yes, it's true. And disconnected teams-- What? Disconnected teams? Yes. Her proven approach helps leaders build trust, boost productivity, and create sustainable cultural change that impacts the bottom line. So why do anything if it's not gonna make us more profitable? So welcome to the show. How are you?
[00:01:57] Alejandra Ramirez: Hello. Hello. It's so great to be here.
[00:02:00] Nicole: Oh, I'm glad to have you. Where on the planet are you anyways?
[00:02:03] Alejandra Ramirez: I am in Connecticut, Greenwich, Connecticut, just outside of New York City.
[00:02:08] Nicole: Oh my gosh, I'm so jealous. I have a deep love affair with New York City. I love that place so much. Anyway, so what's it like to be able to go to a great restaurant every day of your life?
[00:02:18] Alejandra Ramirez: It is pretty nice. I actually lived I actually lived in the city for about eight years before I moved out here, so any chance I get to go back, it's easy, quick train ride over and I'm there.
[00:02:27] Nicole: Oh my gosh. That's the life I want to live. That's so cool. All right, very good. Well, we want to talk about this cool thing you have, and it's gonna be available down in the show notes. It is the 3H framework for internal communication, and like it said in her bio, she has been doing this for a long time. She's been helping people communicate better, and so it's the 3H framework for internal communication, a practical guide to crafting messages that clarify, connect, and drive action. So first of all, how'd you come up with this thing?
[00:03:01] Alejandra Ramirez: Well, so Nicole, in my experience, clarity is everything. And, in my years of working in house, a lot of what I spent doing was help essentially translate messages for employees and helping everyone understand what that looked like, but also understanding that communication is a shared responsibility. And so I was looking for a way to help others with how best to craft messages that are clear and meaningful and actionable, right? So it ensured that communication not only informed, but also engages, aligns and drives the right actions. And so I came up with this. I can't take credit for the 3H's, which is head, heart, and hands. It is a term used in I believe, academia. But you know, I decided to apply it to internal communications because I feel like it just makes sense when you're talking about culture. And really what it means is anybody that is looking to craft a message or get a message across, they at a minimum should address what's called the head, the heart, and the hands, which is, what are you saying? Right? Is the message clear and to the point? Will people immediately understand what you mean? Are you avoiding jargon? So, for example, instead of saying something like, "We're implementing a new performance management system," say, "Starting next quarter we're rolling out a new review process to help everyone get better feedback on their work." Right? It's a little more detail, but it helps. Then there's the heart. Why does it matter? If they're receiving this message, why should they care? How does this impact their work?
[00:04:40] Nicole: What's in it for me? Right?
[00:04:42] Alejandra Ramirez: Exactly. I mean, human nature, what's in it for me? Right? So how does this impact their work , their experience, their future? Does it acknowledge their concerns and motivations? So, for example, "We're restructuring the team." That is scary. A restructuring is scary. Maybe it's more like, "Hey, look, we know change can be unsettling. We want to make sure you feel supported through this, and this is what we can tell you right now." Again, it's just a simple way of thinking through it. And then the hands is how do you take action? What is the thing that they need to do that applies to them? So what are any next steps they should take? Is there a how-to process? Are there FAQs? Is there more coming? And so, going back to the performance management system, let's say you're rolling this out, instead of saying, "Okay, great, it launches on March 10th," you can say, "Actually, the first step is attending one of our training sessions." And so the more detail, the better, but also the more clarity and context the better. So that's the point of that framework and why I feel like it's so vital to any form of communication if you're trying to build a vibrant culture.
[00:05:46] Nicole: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And so you say in your 3H framework, you say internal communication is foundational to your company culture. Let's establish why that's true. I think that's a hundred percent true. I mean, if the people inside the organization are not talking, not understanding, not getting it, we have big problems. So why do you think that we've gotta get our communication straight? Why is that so essential?
[00:06:13] Alejandra Ramirez: If you want alignment and you want people to work towards a clear direction, you need to be able to explain what and why that is, right? So essentially, in my mind, internal communication isn't just about pushing out messages or checking a box, right? People think internal communication is, let me just write an email, let me just send out some message.
[00:06:38] Nicole: Yeah. Real quick.
[00:06:39] Alejandra Ramirez: But it's real. Yeah, just real quick. And it's such an afterthought, more often than not, when in reality it's about making sure that people are aligned, that they trust what's being said, and that they actually know what to do next. Because internal comms is not just about the message or the words, it's also about the actions, right? So whether you realize it or not, everything you say, don't say, and do sends a message. So ideally you want to be prepared with something that helps get you in the direction you want to go for your business. And there's three if you haven't caught on, I like words that start with the same letter to just kind of fully uh, the 3H, the, but
[00:07:22] Nicole: I'm with you. I love the alliteration. I love the rhyming. I love it all!
[00:07:26] Alejandra Ramirez: Symmetry, my brain just thrives on symmetry. But I always think about internal communication as three sort of core elements that help with a business's performance, which is the people, the process, and the purpose, right? So, for example, if you don't have a clear purpose, there's no direction. Without a good process, there's mixed messages. There's inefficiencies, right? People don't know where to find things. Maybe you don't have a clear way of getting information out there, and so you're just relying on email when you could have Slack channels or town halls or other information. And without people, you've got no impact because they're the ones doing the work, right? And so those are just really essential elements to the success of a business.
[00:08:10] Nicole: Yeah, I love it. Yeah. And you keep using this word alignment, which I love. So here in North Carolina we've got this place called the Center for Creative Leadership. I don't know if you've ever heard of this thing, but they are amazing. And so they spent, I think the story goes, 25 years defining leadership. And so they define it as direction, alignment, and commitment. And I'm kind of hearing those threads in what you're saying. So let's talk about alignment for a moment. So we've gotta have internal communication 'cause it's gonna give us alignment. And to me that's kind of like everybody on the same page? What else do you mean by alignment?
[00:08:46] Alejandra Ramirez: That's exactly it. It's about making sure people aren't left with questions and are clear on what they need to be doing and knowing where to go if they need more information. I also want to emphasize that alignment doesn't necessarily mean agreement. I actually heard a really great podcast, the Adam Grant podcast, which I'm sure many of your listeners and you are very familiar with. And it was interviewing Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, and he made a really great point on that podcast that essentially, I think, drives home what I always like to say, which is that your workforce, your employees don't necessarily have to agree with you, but they have to trust you. And I think that to me, that is sort of an essential piece to alignment because it helps with also identifying what your culture is or isn't. It helps with retaining and recruiting the right people. It helps with ensuring that there are no questions, and instead you've got operational efficiency, you've got clarity. You've got all of these things that are such important drivers to a business.
[00:09:57] Nicole: Yeah. And what you're saying about they don't have to agree. They just have to trust you. And I think if you're an excellent communicator, then the trust, it comes, right? Because I'm not keeping any secrets. I don't leave you in the dark. I don't leave you hanging. I don't surprise you. And I think that's what your 3H framework is gonna help people do is to build trust, which is gonna be through the communication. So I think this is a, just a real winner. So let me read what she has in her document here. It says, "The 3H framework, head, heart, hands," --everybody write that down-- "helps you craft a message that clarifies what your audience needs to know, helps you resonate emotionally to connect and motivate, and then mobilize clear actions to drive results." So, I'm gonna tell you a story real quick 'cause it's about the emotional piece, which I think is essential, because, even in your emails, you need to have emotional intelligence. So I had these two women that worked together. And the one woman had the personality where she used lots of words, right? And the other gal was more of a direct person and was straight to the point and just told it like it was. And so, the one gal who has a lot of words says that she wrote this very nice long email, outlining all the things that she wanted to say. And the other gal emailed her back with the lowercase letter "k."
[00:11:19] Alejandra Ramirez: Ooh...
[00:11:22] Nicole: And she showed it to me. She goes, is that nice? And I said, no, that's not nice at all. You know, so basically she was just telling her, thanks for writing me this huge thing, but I'm not gonna pay attention to you. And of course all of this is emotionally charged. So I'm excited to hear what you have to say about the emotional piece because you can set a tone, right? In your communication.
[00:11:40] Alejandra Ramirez: 100%.
[00:11:42] Nicole: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So let's talk about the head. And you call the head the "what," right? Okay. So first thing we need to think about when we're putting together a communication is the head, the "what". So talk a little bit about that.
[00:11:56] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah. I mean, essentially it's the facts. Let's think about what it is you're trying to get out there. I always like to use an example of a new tool that's being launched, right? So thinking through, okay, what is the name of the tool? What does the tool do? How can they find it? These are just basic elements. You know, I always like to say, put yourself in the person's shoes that you're explaining this to, and what are the things you would want to know? Just the baseline facts. When is it launching? All those things. And that's the head, it's just the basic logical element to whatever message you're trying to get across.
[00:12:33] Nicole: Yeah. Yeah. And so, in the framework it says the definition, the facts, the data, the context that people need to know and understand. Yeah. I think sometimes we're just so quick and leaders often forget, I understand what's going on, but these people don't have any background. They've not been in the 12 meetings about the new HRIS system or the employee performance management system. They have no they haven't been in all these meetings, so sometimes we assume, and we all know what happens when you assume.
[00:13:01] Alejandra Ramirez: Well, and that's exactly, and that's why process is such an important part of this, right? Because you can have the world's best message, but if it's in your own head and you haven't thought about how it's gonna go to people, it's gonna go nowhere, right? So being able to explain that is so important.
[00:13:16] Nicole: Yeah.
[00:13:17] Alejandra Ramirez: Never assume!
[00:13:18] Nicole: Yeah, because--- you know, people, you know! Okay, all right? So we put all of our "whats" in there? So I think that's excellent. And then we have to do the heart, right? Because again and I don't know, have you ever heard of this guy, John Kotter? He's written so many books about change. Do you know, have you ever heard of him?
[00:13:34] Alejandra Ramirez: I've heard the name. I haven't read any of his books though.
[00:13:37] Nicole: Okay. Well, he's written a bazillion and he's on the YouTube and all the things, and and he's a big fancy PhD at MIT. But he says all the time, he says, _you have to win the hearts and the minds_. That's how he says it. The hearts AND the minds of your people.
[00:13:53] Alejandra Ramirez: It's so true. I also have a background in marketing, right? I have a degree in marketing and, when you think about marketing, you're thinking client facing, and you're thinking about brand and you're thinking about these elements that, for anyone in marketing, you know, that people make decisions based on their emotional system and not the logical system subconsciously, right?
[00:14:15] The same applies to employees and sometimes it's easy for companies to kind of forget that employees are such an essential part. It's almost like you, once you're an employee, it's like you're this invisible thing that doesn't need... and so I guess my point is the emotional aspect is really important in crafting a message. Because I can get all the facts, but if I'm like, well, I'm too busy to do this, I don't really care, it's not gonna make a difference. Where, going back to the example of this tool, a tech rollout, if it's a new tool that's gonna save them hours each day doing whatever it is they do, mention that. Because if someone sees that, oh wow, this is gonna save me time, I'm in. Or even just showing that, as a leader you care about why this affects them, it's gonna make a big difference and you're going to get more buy-in.
[00:15:08] Nicole: And that is the name of the game. And we're dancing all around change management too, aren't we? When we're talking about this.
[00:15:13] Alejandra Ramirez: Oh, yeah.
[00:15:14] Nicole: I mean, because, here's a change coming and that's the number one thing we gotta do. You know, if you use the ADKAR model or John Kotter's got a change model,
[00:15:23] Alejandra Ramirez: mm-hmm.
[00:15:24] Nicole: or McKinsey's model or whoever's model you're using. This is the essential thing to get the change to go correctly is to have the communication dialed in. Okay. All right? So when you are talking about the heart, it's the "why." It's the emotional connections that ensures your message resonates and builds trust. And then there's a focus, like what do you want your audience to feel when they read this? Relieved, happy, excited, whatever the thing is. And then the key. Yeah. And the key question you have on here is how will your message address the values? Let's poke on values a hot second. Values, concerns and emotions of your people. One thing I see all the time is that leaders don't often harken back to the core values of the company. Like, the reason why we're changing this or buying this or doing this is because it supports this value or this strategy. So I love that. Yeah.
[00:16:17] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah, that's exactly it. And that's why, to me, that internal communications element is so important because it's what bridges the strategy with the action. And if you don't have that bridge, you're not gonna be able to get across. And so, the emotional piece is exactly how you really sell people on it. And having a value on a wall is not gonna do anything. But tying the activities and the strategies and why something matters to that value, and also not just saying it but exemplifying it through your own actions, is essential.
[00:16:50] Nicole: Yeah, I agree. I agree. And then you've got the third part, which is the hands, the "how." So, tell us a little bit about the "how." We've got the definition here: "the clear and actionable steps." And I think that's the leave you hanging thing, right? If you're like, we're doing this, okay, so what am I supposed to do? You know? Focus, what does your audience need to do? And then the key question, what specific actions should your audience take after receiving your message? So talk about the hands and the how.
[00:17:17] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah, so it's exactly that. It's about what are the next steps and what are the things that they need to do either individually or as a team to achieve whatever that goal is. You know, do they know exactly what to do after reading or hearing the message, or are they gonna be asking more questions? Is there a how-to process? And that is essential because it goes back to tying strategy to action. If you're trying to move people in a specific direction, that is the piece. It's the people piece, right? And the people need to understand what they need to do. And without that, you're not gonna get very far at all.
[00:17:55] Nicole: Right, right? Okay. So in the worksheet that you're gonna give to everybody, well it's down in the show notes. Go get it, print it out right now, look at it while we're doing this. So the questions you ask again, when you're gonna do the head, is what key pieces of information do we need to understand the context in the background.
[00:18:11] Now I love that. So I think people in the head part are like, why are we doing this? Not the why should I want to do it part, but like, why are we doing this? I think sometimes the conversations that have occurred that are bringing the change around haven't been made clear to people. So the context and the background. Now, do people, you know, provide that? We write a paragraph about that?
[00:18:35] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah, absolutely. It could even be as simple as we're letting you know that this is happening starting on this day, and there's nothing that you need to prepare for at this moment, but we'll have more instructions at a later date. It could even be that simple, but having something written out that just tells them, okay, I don't have to worry about this right now, or, okay, this is my next step. That's really important.
[00:18:57] Nicole: Okay. And then you talk about how it's important to be concise but impactful. I, I can't remember the quote exactly, but it was something like, if I could write it on 1 page instead of 10 pages, it would take me four times as long or whatever. To be concise, you really have to wordsmith a little bit, right?
[00:19:16] Alejandra Ramirez: 100%. 100%. And that's where not everyone is a natural born writer. It's tough and there's so many tools now that can help you get there. I'm a big fan of AI. I know some people are hesitant. I love writing and even I sometimes will use something like ChatGPT just to brainstorm and say, if you were someone receiving this, does this resonate? And I'm a big fan of, less is more. I always like to use headers. That's like what you need to know, the when, the what, the how. Um, you know, things that draw the eye. And especially now, people tend to read their messages on their phone and there's a best practice where three scrolls and you've lost them, right? So thinking about how you're presenting the information is also so important. And having that conciseness is essential because you're going to land what you're trying to get across. Otherwise it's just gonna get lost in the message. So less is more.
[00:20:16] Nicole: I agree. I have this mentor. I'm really lucky. I have a mentor. Her name is Anne, and she sends me emails and right above where it might say, dear Nicole or Nicole, it'll say, this will only take you two minutes to read.
[00:20:30] Alejandra Ramirez: I love that.
[00:20:31] Nicole: Yeah. Please read, immediately, you know, so she's telling me, nicely, this is important. And even though it looks like three paragraphs, it's stuff you need to know right now. So get on with it. Right? And then, you know, when she sends a big communication out, she says, this is a 20 minute read. Please mark your calendar, she tells you, please mark your calendar a time.
[00:20:49] Alejandra Ramirez: I love that. I love that. The subject line is also a great place to put things.
[00:20:55] Nicole: Talk that.
[00:20:55] Alejandra Ramirez: I'm known for, if I am sending someone an email. And I need their input, I will put it in the subject line in all caps. I'll say "INPUT REQUESTED:" and then whatever it is, because it's gonna catch your eye faster in your inbox than just another email with some generic subject line. So subjects, subject lines are your friends. If you're using something other than email, if you're sending something on Slack. All these things apply! In person, if you're presenting a deck at a town hall, less is more. Right? So the framework applies in so many ways beyond just an email.
[00:21:31] Nicole: Yeah, I agree. I agree.
[00:21:32] Announcer: Are you ready to build your vibrant culture? Bring Nicole Greer to speak to your leadership team, conference or organization to help them with their strategies, systems, and smarts to increase clarity, accountability, energy, and results. Your organization will get lit from within! Email her at nicole@vibrantcole.com and be sure to check out Nicole's TEDx talk@vibrantculture.com.
[00:21:58] Nicole: Okay. So again, we've got the head and that is the what. And then now we have the heart and we're talking about the why. So what does your audience need to feel? And so talk about emotional tone, right? Some people are sitting there going, I gotta do emotional tone too. Yeah. So what we're doing, though, is we're anticipating how these people might feel. And again, that is emotional intelligence, right?
[00:22:26] Alejandra Ramirez: Emotional Intelligence 101. I, first of all, love that book by Daniel Goleman. And
[00:22:31] Nicole: Yeah. Everybody get that one.
[00:22:34] Alejandra Ramirez: It's a good one. So the tone is important because like the example you just gave earlier about the "k?"
[00:22:41] Nicole: Right, right.
[00:22:42] Alejandra Ramirez: It, it's hard to understand emotion in writing. It just is. No matter how much you try to do it. And so using certain words or just even acknowledgement of how someone might feel helps with setting that tone. So if it's a really important message that they need to read right away, you know, "Important, please read right away!" gives a sense of urgency, right? Versus if it's something like, "Hey, just quick Friday update when you get a chance to read this." You know, you can make it more conversational and that also helps give people a sense for what this is and why this matters. And on the heart element it's really important because you talked about change management, and transparency is a big part of that. And being able to say, "Look, we're making this big change," --whether it's new leadership or a merger or restructuring, whatever it may be-- being able to say, "You're probably wondering why we're doing this. And the reason we're doing this is because of A, B, and C. And we understand you may have questions and we're gonna have a town hall." It shows that you care about their input, right? So that tone is really, really essential to a message.
[00:23:56] And by the way, this is coming from a huge introvert who cringes at small talk. Like it's just, you know, I tend to prefer writing because it gives me time to get my thoughts out. But the tone is essential, especially when you're writing.
[00:24:11] Nicole: Yeah. And you know, I've been accused of using too many exclamation points in my life, but you know, if people know you, if you're somebody's leader or coworker and you're enthusiastic, I'm all about letting a little bit of your personality shine through too, you know? And I think I think what you're saying is, I'm not sure what you're gonna think about this, but know that I have thought 10 different things about this and here's where I've landed. You know, it's just kind of like being relatable maybe a little bit too, a little bit?
[00:24:39] Alejandra Ramirez: Exactly. Relatable, human, caring, you know.
[00:24:45] Nicole: Yeah, yeah. I had another gal on the podcast and her name's Irma Neal, and she worked in Washington DC a long time ago under Marion Barry, the mayor at the time. And she's been doing her career for 30 or 40 years or whatever, and she's like, here's the thing, people just want to know you love them. That's what she, she kept saying that, and I'm like, it's true. It's true. And like, even, even, if you're, gonna correct somebody, it's like your mom. You know she loves you. She's only correcting you 'cause she loves you. Yeah. So I think that's good. Yeah.
[00:25:17] Now the other thing that you suggest in the the heart part, the "why," is tell a story right? Or illustrate what you're talking about. You said make sure to pick maybe specific words or stories or examples. I think storytelling is absolutely huge. Like to maybe even say, Hey, this is coming. Lemme tell you a story and then take the time to give the background or whatever.
[00:25:42] Alejandra Ramirez: Mm-hmm. Yeah. The story piece is-- people connect to stories. You know, fairytales and all these things, it's sort of part of the human experience, right? And so having a story gives people that extra element of connection. And a story can even be as simple as, " We're launching this new tool. And it happened because one day I realized that when I was talking to people, this thing happened and it really frustrated me and I..." right? It doesn't have to be a huge thing, or it can even be, "Hey, we really care about this, and to make sure that it works, we decided to bring together a group of people to test it, and it made us realize that this one piece was missing." Just anything that brings this storytelling element to it just naturally connects better with people. So it's an important piece to communication and being a good leader and also just building a great culture.
[00:26:41] Nicole: Yeah. And and I think sometimes people do read emails and go, what are they thinking? You know? And so you could put in here, "and so here's what we're thinking, we're thinking this right now." And I think, too part of this heart part is maybe a little vulnerability too, in that like, we're not sure it's even right? But this is what we're trying!
[00:27:00] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah. I worked with a client that was updating their Microsoft systems, right? So they were going from 365 to Microsoft 11, or Windows 11, I don't remember the exact version.
[00:27:11] Nicole: Right? All these numbers, who can keep track?
[00:27:14] Alejandra Ramirez: And I thought something they did really well was that there was an email that came from the company's leader saying This is happening, this is when it's happening, it's gonna be phased out. All of these things. But what resonated with me and with a lot of other people was at the end he added almost a postscript that said, "PS. Have patience with the tech team. There will be some fumbles, we're all going through it together. Just give them compassion and raise any flags and help us get this done well, together."
[00:27:46] And I thought that was so good because it showed that he wasn't just like, "Figure it out, talk to the tech team," or whatever. It was a, "This is a company effort and it's change is hard, but just let's practice some compassion and get through it together." And I thought that was a really great message.
[00:28:04] Nicole: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, sometimes people have to be reminded, dare I say this, how to behave! You know? Well they're changing my software. It's like, well, yeah, 'cause you work for this company and you're not entitled to be upset. You need to practice compassion. And that message, just think about the tech team too. They're like I work for a solid guy. He's got our back. Right? Yeah. And trust goes up. All the things.
[00:28:29] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah. Exactly.
[00:28:30] Nicole: Fantastic. Yeah. Okay. So we've done the head, the "what," we've done the heart, the "why," and now we're gonna give people directions. And I think that this is huge, 'cause you don't need to do anything or here's the three things you need to do. Right? So it's tell 'em something. Okay. So what do you want your audience to do after receiving this message and next steps? So how do you format that or what do you suggest for all those things?
[00:28:55] Alejandra Ramirez: I always like to start with just brain dumping when you're drafting, right? And just like writing down everything you can think of and then just putting it into groupings with clean headers. It could be as simple as a header that says, these are the next steps. Or this is what we need from you. I mean, the simpler, the better. And it just is essential to being able to get people moving in the direction you want them to. And it's essential to helping drive that action. And again, taking that concept of a business strategy and turning it into actionable steps that people can connect on.
[00:29:35] Nicole: Yeah. And you were talking about in the next steps too about like where to find stuff. And, I don't know, I bet you you find the same thing I find when I go in companies. It's like, we have a X drive and a J Drive and a Q Drive and a Slack channel and a Teams thing and a Google Drive and a hundred other things, you know? Well, where'd she put it? Where do I get access to it? You know?
[00:29:58] Alejandra Ramirez: Yep. Exactly. And that goes back to why process is so important. If you're delivering your purpose, you need to have a process to help people understand where can I find this? Is it on the intranet? Can you link to something? Is it available in a future email that you're sending? And maybe it's available in many ways because also just like in marketing, there's different people and they receive information differently. And so being able to account for that is also really important. And it's having that guidance and clarity of where and how to find things.
[00:30:33] Also saves everyone time and there's always gonna be someone who replies with a question that's answered in the email. It happens, people are busy. Which is why, again, less is more. And the more you can outline or bold or underline, the more their eye will catch those essential elements.
[00:30:51] Nicole: Yeah, I love that. Okay. All right, so we've done all three parts of the 3H, right? So now we want to do like a, like you want to have a little nice close on there, like the final thing you say. So give us some advice on how to kind of wrap this up. I've got my what, I've got my why, I got my how. Now what do I say to tear it off, be done.
[00:31:11] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah. You know, I think that goes to personality a little bit, right? Depends on who's sending the message. It's not a one size fits all. You have to have that element of personality. And so, if you're very formal, maybe you sign off with a simple thanks. Some people, will say, see you later. Right? And that part, I think. I don't want to say it's less important, but it is where you can add an extra sense of personality. And so I would just say how would you naturally communicate with people and build that in to show a little bit more of your personality in there.
[00:31:45] Nicole: Yeah. Yeah. And so if you download, if you go down below to the show notes right now and download it, you'll see she's got a whole example that she's put together, which is fantastic. And so here's kind of the end all in terms of finalizing. So she's got the what, the why, and the how. And then at the end it's "We're here to help if you have questions or need assistance. As we get closer to the launch, we'll share more details, including troubleshooting tips, opportunities to join workshops, and to make the most of Task Flow Pro." So it's kind of just like telling people, don't worry, we gotcha!
[00:32:17] Alejandra Ramirez: Exactly. That's exactly it. And the framework that people can access is meant to be a worksheet, and you can use it anytime you're crafting something new. It's got the sections where they can type in. It'll give you prompts, it'll say, what are you trying to say? So it gives you something that you can work from to then turn it into an email. And like you said, there is an example. If anyone feels stuck, they can go through it and read it and see, you know, how it flows and comes together.
[00:32:43] Nicole: Okay. We spend so much time on that stinking email, so that's so helpful. But we've got just a little bit of time left. I wanted to maybe ask you, a lot of leaders get very nervous when they have to present, right, in front a group. And they have to be the public speaker or the motivational speaker. So do you have any kind of-- I mean, I can see how this would flow right over to preparing your words. Do you have any other suggestions for like, when I'm live in front of the group? I'm not emailing. How I might be better at that alignment in my verbal communication in meetings, stuff like that?
[00:33:17] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah, absolutely. I think I would take a quick step back to say that to me, leadership --and I don't mean leadership, just the CEO, it's at every level, whether it's the manager to the employee, whoever it is-- to me, leadership comes down to communication. It's not just talking, but really communicating in a way that moves people, right? Whether it's inspiring them or giving them clarity so they can do their jobs well. And for people who are nervous with presenting, this framework works really well, because the next time someone's about to communicate something important, ask yourself, is this clear? Does it connect, does it drive action? And you can use that same framework to write some bullet points that help guide your conversation and read it back to yourself, and practice it. But that framework still applies because you can use it to emphasize the key points.
[00:34:11] And so when you're speaking, you know, and you can if you have your notes for your speech, you can say "Head," and this is why this matters. And you can underscore and there's ways to present that emphasize key points. And so at the end, if you want to recap everything, you can say, "Okay, so we talked about this and I just want to emphasize this is really important because you play a role in this." And whatever it may be, the framework helps you prepare. Again, whether it's presentation, whether it's written, whether it's some other format, like a Slack message. A Slack message can be three bullets, but it could be like the why, the what and the how.
[00:34:46] Nicole: Right, right.
[00:34:47] Alejandra Ramirez: So it's just as useful. Great internal communication isn't just about keeping people informed. It's not just information flow. It's about moving them in the right direction. And with this framework, you're able to define and develop that message in a way that drives that alignment and brings people together towards a shared purpose and a shared goal.
[00:35:07] Nicole: Yeah. And again, I can't emphasize any heavier what she's saying about, you've gotta be a great communicator. It's foundational, it raises the trust level. And here's the thing, if you have great trust with your people, they're almost okay if you leave them in the dark a little bit. Not 'cause you're trying to, you just don't have the answers. They're like, Nicole's working on it. I know. 'cause she communicates with me. Right, right, right.
[00:35:29] Alejandra Ramirez: Exactly, exactly. The transparency. People think that transparency means you have to have all the answers, when in fact, it could be as simple as, we don't know the answer to this yet, but we're working on it. That's enough.
[00:35:42] Nicole: And they know your work ethic and they know you are working on it, so that's good.
[00:35:45] Now, one of the things that you sent me said that you had a title of Chief Dot Connector. And I think that is so great, first of all because my dad used to say that all the time, you need to connect the dots. Like he's trying to say, get it through your head, you know? And, and so, I have a program called the Vibrant Culture Toolbox, and I talk about how leaders help people connect the dots. And that's actually one of my slides. So will you talk about connecting dots and why that's so important?
[00:36:16] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah, absolutely. I would say that a great leader is a very horizontal thinker in an enterprise, right? So they're not just thinking top down, they're thinking every direction. And connecting those dots is so important for having a thriving culture because it takes the guesswork out of things and it helps people understand how they play a part in the bigger system. And connecting the dots can be as simple as sending an update to a group of people. Again, I like to use the example of a new tool rollout, but it could be anything where it's like, send an update that just says, this affects you this way, but we're waiting on this person to do this thing in this other team.
[00:37:03] But it also is about translating, right? If you work at a company with engineers or with lawyers or with very technically knowledgeable people, how they communicate is very different than sort of your layman person. Right? I come from a background in Big Law. I work with many lawyers that are writing contracts and writing things for a litigation, a trial. And, being able to take what they're saying and distill it down to something that everyone understands and translating that language into more sort of common language. That's a big part of connecting the dots as well. And so anyone who can do that, I think helps bring that culture together or build that culture in a better way.
[00:37:49] Nicole: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. That's fantastic. All right, we have given you a fantastic tool for your toolbox and I am so delighted that you have been on the Build A Vibrant Culture podcast. So tell us where-- we can get it in the show notes, but if I want to get ahold of you and I want you to come help me with my internal communication plan and you do this thing called an audit, right? Like you'll come in and around and take a look. Okay. Well, tell us about that real quick. What would that be like to have you come audit? Sounds very serious, but you can tell from her voice, she's lovely. So what would the audit look like?
[00:38:22] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah so the audit is, essentially I come in and look at where there might be a disconnect between leadership and employees. I look at your processes, I look at your messages. I look at all of these elements that are essential to effective internal communication. And I look at data. Is there a feedback loop? I have sort of this set list of questions I address, and by doing a survey, I can see where leadership is ranking something on a scale of one to five, they're ranking it a five and employees are ranking the same thing as a three. Well, okay, how do we bridge that gap through better communication?
[00:39:00] And so the audit is meant to identify where there's opportunities for improvement. And then I develop a proposed strategy, an action plan for how to then execute on that. And then from there, depending on the company, they can, have their in-house team go ahead and start implementing it. Or they can, alternatively work with me to help make sure that that then gets applied to help improve their culture.
[00:39:23] Nicole: That's fantastic.
[00:39:24] Alejandra Ramirez: Yeah. And where to find me. So LinkedIn. I'm on LinkedIn, Alejandra Ramirez. I also have my married name at the end, which is Wells because it was the only way I could verify my my profile. Exactly, exactly.
[00:39:39] And more importantly, I would say my website, which is readycultures.com, it's spelled as it sounds. You can find the framework on there as well. You can find a way to contact me and book a call if you want to talk some more.
[00:39:51] Nicole: That's fantastic. That's fantastic. Okay, so at the end of every podcast I ask, you know, I often imagine people are like, wait, she's gonna give me one more nugget, one more tip, one more strategy, one more thing. A quote, something, I don't want her to go! So would you leave our group with one more last thing that would kind of send us off excited about improving our internal communication?
[00:40:13] Alejandra Ramirez: So my challenge to listeners and my takeaway is think about what you want to say and why you want to say it. Put yourself in the shoes of the person you're communicating with. And remember that communication is not just about the words, but also the actions. So think about that and how those two connect and you'll be in a much better place and a much better culture.
[00:40:35] Nicole: That's right. All right! It has been another episode of the Build A Vibrant Culture podcast, and this was a good one. Go down and get your free 3H framework, okay, people? And then also do this. Leave a little love note for Alejandra. Oh. And I love the way you say your name. Say it again.
[00:40:52] Alejandra Ramirez: Thank you. Alejandra.
[00:40:53] Nicole: Alejandra. So good.
[00:40:54] Alejandra Ramirez: It's hard for me to say it any other way.
[00:40:58] Nicole: No, no. I love rolling the Rs. I love it. I love it. Okay so give her some love. Go down there and put some Rs in the thing. Say we love you when you roll your Rs, your beautiful name. Yeah. So, leave us some love, give us a thumbs up and share this with somebody who needs to do a better job of communicating. (There must be only like 28 people in your department that need this framework. Yeah. So let's share the love.) All right, thank you so much for being on the Build A Vibrant Culture podcast.
[00:41:25] Alejandra Ramirez: Thank you.
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