Six Tips for Effective Employee Communication
Right before the holidays, Lori found herself on the phone with six different Flower Clique members in a single week — all of them prepping for a big pre-holiday staff meeting, all of them needing a little clarity or a little courage. Then she remembered: she and Vonda already recorded a whole episode on this. So this week is a replay of Episode 42 from 2020 — their third "C" episode, after conflict and comparison — covering the biggest C of all: communication. It's one worth playing for your whole team, whether you're gearing up for Christmas or rolling straight into Valentine's Day.
Be clear and concise
Your common sense is not your employee's common sense — it comes from experience they may not have yet. Floral jargon that feels natural to you ("I'm going to create a Biedermeier arrangement...") can leave a new employee or a customer completely lost. The hosts share a member's story about asking a new hire to wash the buckets: to the employee, cleaning a bucket meant what she did with the one in her backyard. The owner had to check herself — she'd assumed knowledge that simply wasn't there. Simplify your language, spell out the end result you expect, and never assume everyone shares your background.
Set the tone at the top
Match your actions with your words. Vonda, a former shop owner, knew that if she expected somebody to do something, she needed to model it. Lori tells the story of a family friend who co-owns steel companies: he has done every job in the mill, from custodial work on up, so no employee can bring him a complaint he can't genuinely say "I've been there" to. And the flip side is the "do as I say, not as I do" trap — like Lori's great aunt Ramona, who chain-smoked in the front seat while warning her never to smoke. If you lay down a rule about gossip or cell phones and then get caught breaking it yourself, it backfires. Before you set any rule, ask: is this a rule I'm willing to follow too?
Understand your employees
Lori draws on her years teaching school: every student learns differently — auditory, visual — and a good teacher covers all the bases. A shop owner has the same job. Vonda adds the introvert/extrovert lens: extroverts will tell you when they don't get it, but the quiet designer in the back might seem fine and still be unsure. Pay extra attention to your introverts so they understand the work and feel like part of the team.
Notify your employees first
Making a change in the business — say, stepping away from big weddings? Your staff deserves to hear it from you first, and they need the verbiage to gracefully redirect the bride who walks in for a consultation. You might even learn something: an employee who loves weddings and will work weekends could change your mind. The same goes for smaller announcements — if you tell Tuesday's crew about Petal It Forward or a virtual open house, your Monday-Wednesday-Friday part-timers shouldn't find out from social media. A group text or staff email keeps everyone in the loop.
Train often — and communicate regularly
Tips five and six go hand in hand. Continual education — floral, sales, technology — grows your people and makes them feel valued and invested in. And communication has to be consistent: a weekly all-staff email, a regular staff meeting, one-on-one check-ins. When you check in, the hosts suggest one powerful word swap: don't ask for feedback — ask for advice. Feedback feels risky to give a boss; being asked for advice makes an employee feel valued, and it opens real two-way trust.
Consistency also means overcommunicating. It's far better to tell people something twice than to hear "you didn't tell me that." Put important guidelines in writing. And heading into the holidays, don't assume your designers can just work more — ask now. "I know you don't always work Saturdays, but before Christmas I'd love to count on you every other Saturday" is respect; springing it on them in the moment is a surprise nobody enjoys. Asking also opens the door for the employee who's scared to request time off to speak up.
Key takeaways
- Skip the jargon and spell out the result you want — your common sense isn't everyone's common sense.
- Model every rule you set; "do as I say, not as I do" always backfires.
- Learn how each employee learns, and check in extra with your quiet ones.
- Tell your staff about changes before customers or social media do.
- Ask for advice, not feedback — and confirm holiday schedules now instead of assuming.