The Importance of Overcommunication
Silence breeds conspiracy theories — over-communicate to fill the gaps before your team fills them with assumptions.
One last principle: communicate often and openly — avoid silence. Your team needs to hear from you a lot. It is always better to over-communicate than to under-communicate.
Silence breeds bad stories
When there’s a gap, people fill it — usually with a negative storyline. They start to wonder if you’re mad at them, holding something back, upset for a reason they can’t name. “What did I do? Why isn’t he talking to us?” Our brains crave a narrative, so they manufacture one. Conspiracy theories are birthed from gaps in communication, and those gaps can become a root of gossip on your team.
Answer the questions before they’re asked
You can avoid almost all of this by putting yourself in your team’s shoes and answering what they’re already wondering:
- Tell them what’s on your mind and how you’re feeling about the ministry.
- Tell them how the team is doing — what you’re happy about and where you want to grow.
- Tell them what’s coming next — the projects and dreams around the corner.
The more you communicate, the better things get, and the less room there is for people to fill the silence with stories about how much you supposedly dislike them. So if you want to lead: get out your megaphone, trust the Lord, and speak clearly.