How leaders set the right tone for year-end updates

The end of the year is a great time of year to put a metaphorical bow on the progress you and your team have made over the past 12 months. Hearing about the state of the organization from a leader is also an optimal way to build camaraderie and motivation heading into a new year while summing up where the company stands today and where it’s going tomorrow.

But while it might seem like these messages are just part of the year-end task list for leaders and comms pros, it’s better to think of their parts and how nailing each aspect can make them resonate with the audience. That means knowing the words, channels, and tone to strike to hit all the right notes on a year-end leadership message.

Channel and timing impact audience reception

Think about the year-end messages you’ve gotten from top brass over the years. It needs to ring true and be timed correctly. You need to know your audience, tap into your leader’s authentic voice and pick a channel that will help drive engagement.

Karen Testa, director of global communications at Bell Flight, told Ragan that her organization chose to pair the leadership’s year-end wrap-up and holiday wishes with the company’s final town hall meeting of the year. But Testa’s comms team decided the time for a written note from the CEO wasn’t at the end of the year — it was at the beginning of the new one.

“With all the information overload and stress during the holidays, we think a start-of-the-year message will be more effective in setting the tone and engaging employees than one at the close of the year when it is competing with a lot of other end-of-year reminders and messages from multiple senders,” Testa said. “I think a short video message from the leader could also be effective.”

The tone and themes to hit

There’s no strict formula for putting together a year-end leadership message, but there are some broad guidelines that’ll help it resonate more. The following suggestions can help you create a template for winning messages from leadership.

• Pull out the tangible successes and promote unity. Melissa Kanter, head of communications and brand experience, Americas for ING, said that including metrics when talking about the year’s wins can help color in areas for employees who might not have worked on a certain project but still want to celebrate success. “In addition to business wins, showcase examples of strong team collaboration or highlight a non-business win that boosted morale and brought the organization together,” Kanter said.
• Stay away from the jargon. You should be avoiding this anyway, but this is especially true for year-end messages that aim to bring people from different backgrounds and job functions together. “Be genuine,” Testa said. “No corporate speak. It helps to humanize the leader if you can include an example of how they will spend their time off.” She added that any message should also convey support for everyone’s need to unplug for a while before gearing up for the new year. “Anything too canned or too formal will sound contrived.”
• If it’s been a year of change, acknowledge and use language to reflect it. The end of the year is a great time for reflection, and a leader’s year-end message should mirror that sentiment. This is where a deft touch and involvement and investment in people’s day-to-day tasks can come in handy. Kerry O’Grady, instructor of business communications at Fordham University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst said that leaders should look to build bridges with year-end messages that appeal to people in all roles, especially when it’s been a year of shifts. “Connect with the people who are doing the work,” she said. “Speak to employees’ hearts and minds, not just their roles. Show you value their input.”
• Tell the company story inclusively. A year-end message should apply to everyone it’s being sent to — not just a few employees in the company HQ. “Try to be as inclusive as possible, citing examples of progress across the company and not just in certain functions or locations,” Testa said.

Whether it’s a speech in a town hall, a video greeting or an email at the top of the new year, there are a lot of ways in which leaders can reach their audiences to mark a year of hard work and the challenges that lie ahead. But when communicators and leaders can tailor their messages directly to their audiences and acknowledge the factors that make their organizations unique, these messages go from a simple “Season’s Greetings” note in an inbox to an impactful piece of discourse.

Karen Testa and Melissa Kanter are members of the Ragan Communications Leadership Council. For more information on joining the council, click here.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.