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If a CEO communicates often through regular town halls, emails, and company updates, yet employees still feel disconnected from the organization’s purpose and priorities, the issue may be about substance and strategy, not just frequency. To create true clarity and two-way dialogue, leaders must rethink when, where, how, and why they communicate with their teams.
When a message resonates, it invites conversation and builds shared meaning rather than merely filling inboxes and marking off checkboxes. Below, members of Forbes Coaches Council explore shifts leaders can make to move from simply broadcasting information to genuinely engaging their workforce.
Integrate Employee Feedback Into Live Dialogue
Leaders should weave employee survey data into the town hall to show real concerns. Include a Q&A in which each department submits one question on purpose and priorities to ensure broad input. Since not all priorities will fit, leaders must reinforce key actions within their teams. A post‑town hall survey will gauge the success of communications and set the path for ongoing improved outcomes. – Jamie Griffith, Echelon Search Partners
Lead With Authenticity And Shared Purpose
As a CEO, form a clear mental picture, visualizing the difference between affectation and naturalness. Think about your topic, challenge, or message. Think about how you want others to respond, and deliver your message in an authentic, natural way. Be challenging, frank, and clear on the work and the rewards. Whatever road you are on, and however you choose to navigate, you are travelling it together. – Thomas Posey, POSEY ASSOCIATES LLC
Shift From Advocacy To Inquiry
Shift from advocating to inquiring. Many leaders are more comfortable confirming their plans and decisions, sharing their ideas, and influencing others. But when you ask questions, you’re able to reap these benefits: Learn how others think and present their points of view, hear different perspectives and new ideas, explore diverse concepts, spark your creativity, and challenge the status quo. – Liz Guthridge, Connect Consulting Group
Tailor Messages To Resonate Across Audiences
Communicating clearly has to be your biggest asset. To be effective, you have to speak in a way that resonates with different levels of your audience. For example, don’t use financial jargon on frontline employees. You must also be equally effective in every setting—from one-on-ones to small groups to departments to the entire company—and across all media, from PowerPoints to memos to videos. – Perrin DesPortes, The Next Level Executive
Explain The ‘So What’ Behind The Strategy
Transition from simply conveying information to fostering understanding. CEOs often communicate the “what,” but true engagement occurs when we address the “so what.” Replace one-way presentations with collaborative participation by asking your team, “How does our vision impact your day-to-day work?” This approach transforms staff from passive recipients into active contributors. – Lori Huss, Lori Huss Coaching and Consulting
Create Meaning With Clear Anchors And Feedback Loops
Shift from messaging to meaning-making. Stop broadcasting updates and start creating alignment. Lead with three anchors: what matters now, what it means for you and what “good” looks like this week. Build a two-way cadence: Ask one question every time, listen for patterns and close the loop within seven days. When teams see their input shaping priorities, communication becomes engagement, not noise. – David Ribott, Ribott Partners
Co-Create Meaning Through Open Conversation
The shift is simple but hard: Move from broadcasting updates to co-creating meaning. Don’t just say what matters—ask how it lands, how people feel, what’s unclear and what it means for their work. Engagement grows when CEOs stop “communicating” and start creating conversations for shared sense-making, not one-way messaging. – Manbir Kaur, Manbir Kaur
Share Personal Stakes To Build Connection
Inspiration and engagement happen when CEOs risk a little personal truth. I coach leaders to pair updates with a brief personal stake: “why this matters to me,” “what I’m wrestling with” or “what I’m learning.” When leaders connect the work to their own values and pressures, it gives teams permission to do the same. Meaning beats messaging every time. – Mel Cidado, Breakthrough Coaching
Move From Telling To Involving
One shift leaders can make to engage their workforce is moving from telling to involving. Instead of broadcasting updates, they should explain the “why,” then discuss what it means for teams and roles. Asking for perspectives, concerns and ideas turns communication into a two-way exchange and builds clarity, ownership and genuine engagement around priorities, not just awareness. – Kathleen Shanley, Statice
Frame Change Through Structured Sense-Making
Shift from “telling” to “sense-making.” Stop pushing updates and start framing meaning: What changed? Why does it matter? What stays true? What do we need from you? Then, close the loop. Ask for signals from the front line, reflect what you heard and adjust priorities in public. Engagement rises when people see their input shape direction. – Patricia Burlaud, P. Burlaud Consulting, LLC
Build Communications On A Foundation Of Trust
Communicating frequently does not equate to mission, strategy or clarity. This is one of the most misunderstood concepts about communicating from the top. Communications built on a foundation of trust will go farther than those aiming for frequency. Anyone can write an email or send a message. It’s what’s behind the message that matters. – Michelle Martin Bonner, AMMEMPOWERMENT
Invite Dialogue Around The Bigger ‘Why’
Many leaders mistake frequency for connection. They share updates but don’t create dialogue. One powerful shift is moving from talking at people to inviting them into the conversation by asking for input, listening actively and connecting messages back to the bigger “why.” When employees see how their work ties to purpose and feel heard, communication becomes engaging instead of just informative. – Chantée L. Christian, My Best SHIFT
Connect Individual Roles To Purpose
CEOs can struggle to engage their people despite frequent communication. One approach to achieve more engagement is to tie communication to purpose and priorities. Ask people to consider how their work and involvement contribute to purpose. Share how you see people can make a difference. When people are personally connected and understand their role and impact, they are more engaged. – Cheryl Breukelman, Epiphany Coaches Inc.
Personalize Communication For Smaller Group Dialogues
The shift should be from one-size-fits-all, one-way broadcasts to adaptive communication for smaller groups. Move from telling to listening and engaging, ensuring a two-way dialogue that brings context to their world. Act on what you hear. Genuine connection happens when leaders personalize and show they care. That’s when teams align with purpose. – Alex Draper, DX Learning Solutions
Step Closer To The Front Line For Real Feedback
The shift is from broadcasting to connection and becoming relatable. Many CEOs sit too far from the front line to know how their messages actually land. Real engagement requires courage: stepping out of the ivory tower, inviting honest feedback and changing course based on what’s heard. Leaders who keep communicating the way they always have shouldn’t be surprised when nothing changes. – Sinja Hallam, Sinja Hallam – The Power to Transform
Pay Attention To How Messages Truly Land
A key shift is moving from delivering messages to paying attention to how they land. Many CEOs communicate often but don’t pause to notice tone, timing or emotional impact. When leaders read the room, invite response and adjust in real time, communication becomes a shared experience. It’s how information becomes shared direction and purpose that people can feel. – Kimberly Jackson, Coach Kimberly International
