Why Smart Leaders Speak to the Head, Heart, AND Hands
In our recent survey assessing the current state of People Operations, we discovered something encouraging: Almost 60% of organizations reported that they've created psychological safety with their team through shared norms around communication.
It's a promising sign that so many leaders understand the power of clear, consistent communication. However, it's also true that as orgs grow and teams become more complex, even the best communication strategies can struggle to keep up.
We hear this refrain from leaders a lot: They're swimming in communication, sending company-wide emails, holding all-hands meetings, pinging Slack channels for updates, and genuinely trying to keep everyone on the same page. Yet team members may still feel siloed, confused about priorities, or caught off guard by decisions. The key is to be strategic about how you communicate. When information flows freely but lacks appropriate structure, even well-informed teams can feel misaligned. Here's how to ensure the right message gets to the right people at the right time.
Information sharing is infrastructure
When you think about what makes a company successful, information sharing is the foundation that makes everything else possible. When teams have the right context, they can make better decisions. If they know the "why," they can execute strategy in line with that. When people are clear on what they're responsible for, it's more straightforward to hold each other accountable.
And when communication is consistent and complete, it builds the sort of organizational culture that motivates people to do their best work.
Let's back up a little to understand why information sharing isn't as easy as just telling people everything that's going on. When companies are small, information flows pretty naturally. Everyone's constantly in touch, people are wearing multiple hats, and there are meetings every day.
But as you scale, that flow changes. What worked with 20 people doesn't quite hit the same once you've got 50-100 team members. Here are some common communication gaps that emerge as teams scale:
Over-sharing without clarity: As a continuation of the "early days" we just described, leaders continue sending all comms to everyone, but this overwhelms people who may not need certain information.
Inconsistent sequencing: Some stakeholders hear about decisions before others, creating confusion and potential mistrust.
One-size-fits-all messaging: Leaders send the same messages to the board, the leadership team, and front-line staff, even if they'd benefit from different packaging.
Missing the "why": Comms fail to connect the dots for people and show them why something matters or what they should do with the information they've been given.
When these gaps exist, teams execute inconsistently, and people can feel like they're not in the loop — which is ironic for leaders who feel like they're constantly communicating! As one leader put it, "We're talking past each other, even though we're all in the same meetings."
A holistic framework for communication
Communication will always be nuanced because people process and respond to information in fundamentally different ways. That said, you can increase your chances of successful communication by addressing every dimension of the way people receive information.
At DevelopWell, we use a framework called Head/Heart/Hands to reach different audiences.
Head/Heart/Hands is a simple way to think about communication. When you're sharing decisions or changes, you want to address how people think (head), how they feel (heart), and what they do (hands). We've found that when you speak to all three areas, your message is much more likely to resonate.
Speak to the head with logic and analysis
The "head" thinkers are your cognitive-first processors. They want data, reasoning, and clear logic before they can get on board.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
Why are we doing this?
What is the strategic rationale?
How does this decision fit with our goals?
What are the implications of this?
EXAMPLE:
Instead of saying, “We’re launching a new partnership,” try, “We’re launching a new partnership because this company has access to a new marketing we’ve been trying to reach and aligns with our goal to grow new business by 20% this year.”
If you miss these folks, you'll probably get a lot of questions after an announcement. People will push back because they don't understand the logic behind a decision. To get ahead of that, share metrics and data that informed your decisions, and provide expected implications and a timeline.
Speak to the heart with feelings, values, and motivation
Meanwhile, other people process information emotionally. Heart-first processors want to know how decisions connect to their purpose and values.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
Is this something to feel good about? Why or why not?
How does this align with our values?
How is feedback managed during this process?
What are the impacts on the people of this org?
EXAMPLE:
"I know we've all been busy, and asking you to take on the work around this new partnership may feel like a stretch. But this partnership is a chance to live out our value of connection; we're going to be able to reach communities we've been trying to serve for years. That's why I'm so committed to making it happen."
Leave the heart-thinkers out, and you'll get passive compliance without enthusiasm. People may go along with what you're asking, but you miss a chance to turn them into true advocates. Morale and staff engagement may suffer, even if a decision is objectively positive.
Speak to the hands with behaviors and implementation
Finally, don't forget about your action-oriented team members. They'll want to know what to do with the information they're given.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
What do people need to do next?
What is everyone’s role?
When do people need to act?
What resources or support exist?
EXAMPLE:
"Here's what I'd like for you to do. By next Wednesday, I'm asking all of you to schedule a 1 on 1 conversation with your direct supervisor to talk more about individual responsibilities related to the partnership. You can also bring any and all questions to those meetings, and we'll get them answered."
If you don't address these folks, people may take the wrong next action — or no action at all. Be sure to define clear roles and responsibilities, and let people know how they can meaningfully contribute.
Better communication creates a stronger foundation
Before your next major communication, try running through these five questions to identify who needs to hear what, and when:
1.) Who are the relevant stakeholders?
2.) What does each group need to know? (Pare down the message to what's relevant to each group.)
3.) When do they need to know it? (Does anyone need to hear it first, or do certain people need time to prepare?)
4.) How should I tell them? (All-hands meeting, email, Slack, etc.)
5.) Does my message address head, heart, AND hands?
The goal is to be sure you're providing the right information, at the right time, in the right ways. Strategic communication is foundational infrastructure work, and the beauty of it is that even small changes in the way you communicate can create powerful ripples across the company.
If your team could benefit from more alignment, clearer communication, or a more inclusive organizational culture, we'd love to help you build systems that work. Reach out to us below to start the conversation!