The Douglas/Nordmann/Nobilis has been enthroned in the company for several weeks now, with the inevitable controversies over the disastrous fate of the conifer which will, at best, be recycled. RIP. My beautiful firtree King of forests… If a consensus is found, other discussions will arise on the decorations and then on the organization of the parties. The ugliest sweater is made for 6.1% of employees (Deskeo study, office rental specialist, December 2022). 22.6% have already participated in a Secret Santa (offer something to another person in the company that fate or the organizer has designated). Selfish and stingy others? 70.8% of employees say they have given a Christmas present to a colleague in their life, nearly 40% of respondents have put between €11 and €15 and 68.4% confirm having received a present. The manager, he is especially expected on a speech in the form of a balance sheet of the last twelve months and on his projection for the next twelve. Christophe Pallée, pedagogical director of Whistcom announces the color: all managers must prepare for it.
Never improvise
“An improvised speech was rewritten three times”. The quote is from Winston Churchill that Christophe Pallée takes over. You have to prepare very seriously for this moment, not to neglect its impact. “For some, this may seem like a chore. But above all, it’s a golden opportunity to get your employees on board”. This traditional speech is expected as much by Generation Z, eager for immediate communication, as by all those anxious in a particularly anxiety-provoking period. As for those who seem detached, they will often be the first to want to know everything that has been said before sharing their learned decryption. To succeed in the exercise, the expert mentions three points: start by establishing a positive balance sheet with, for example, new customers or good figures. “But the balance sheet must also be lucid and true,” he says. Being credible means evoking failures. Then, “this is an opportunity to thank the employees for their commitment”. Finally “present your course”. Nothing like taking them into the future that we draw. This is a concrete illustration of shared values, one of the main drivers of employee loyalty: when employees think this is the case, they are 23% more likely to stay for three years or more (Qualtrics XM, experience management company, “Tendances EX 2023”, December 2022).
“Non-verbal communication is essential”
Building your wishes is the ultimate challenge to announce them in the last days of 2022 or, if the timing is a little tight, at the beginning of 2023 around the cake with a rested and complete team. Once this is done, you have to wonder about the form of the speech and position yourself on the “sympathy capital” represented by all the positive verbal and non-verbal signals that you release. “Non-verbal communication is essential,” insists Christophe Pallée. At Whistcom, the “SPORT” method is recommended: S for a smile; P as a stable foot which frees the hands; O as opening; R for gaze and T for delay. A position to work on to convince your audience before you even open your mouth. Once well established, we address an audience that we have identified beforehand. We will obviously not say the same thing to members of his team as to customers. However, both must be convinced. “A satisfied customer is a customer that we will keep. It is the same for an employee”, insists the expert. Don’t sugarcoat the truth or worse, lie. “We shouldn’t hesitate to talk to them about the ‘brakes’, blocking points and even the temperature in offices, linked to energy sobriety. This does not prevent us from being committed, we have a common objective and we believe it”. It remains to find the format. Whether the manager rents the Stade de France or more modestly the local manager enjoys a meeting at the coffee machine with his team, the objective is the same. With one last piece of advice: don’t do the same thing as the year before, even if “it was nice”. “You have to surprise, refuse to fall into habits” so avoid emails that the recipient may forget to read. Finally, “never forget that in speaking, an audience is captive”.