171 | How to Build Trust & Get Buy-In Through Brilliant Employee Communication (with Nik Nawaaz)
HR Coffee TimeShow Notes
You can design the best HR strategy, introduce brilliant benefits, or roll out an important change - but if people do not understand it, engage with it, or take action, none of it matters.
That is why employee communication sits right at the heart of your impact in HR.
In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay is joined by Nik Nawaaz, Head of Employee Communications at Barnett Waddingham (now part of Howden) to unpack exactly how HR professionals can communicate in a way that builds trust, gets buy-in, and encourages people to take action - whether that is using their benefits, completing an engagement survey, preparing for a performance review, or navigating organisational change.
With over 20 years of experience in employee communications, Nik shares practical, immediately actionable advice — no jargon, no fluff.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why employee communication is the “connective tissue” of an organisation Why HR can sometimes feel like a faceless department - and how to change that The common mistake HR professionals make when writing employee communications Why your message needs to answer “So what?” within the first few seconds How to shift from explaining features to showing benefits Why phrases like “HR is pleased to announce” or “Please be advised” can stop people engaging How to make your communication feel more human, conversational and direct Why reading your message aloud can help you spot corporate language How to use Microsoft Word’s read-aloud feature to improve scripts and written communication Why a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works for benefits communication How to tailor messages for different groups and generations in your workforce Why line managers are so important when you want messages to land How a simple manager toolkit can make communication more effective Why listening for the first five minutes of a meeting can help build trust How to communicate during times of fear, uncertainty and change Why silence can lead people to create their own “horror story” How to be honest when you do not yet have all the answers Why storytelling and real-world proof can be more persuasive than project updates Why employee communication needs support from across the organisation - not just HR
Chapters 00:00 - When great HR work goes unnoticed 03:24 - What employee comms really means 04:20 - Why HR can feel "faceless" — and how to fix it 06:19 - The #1 mistake: writing for yourself, not your audience 08:49 - Quick win: delete your opening line 09:49 - Drop the corporate speak — write like a human 11:35 - The Word trick that makes your writing sound natural 13:04 - How to get people to actually use their benefits 17:30 - Tailoring messages for different generations 20:58 - Line managers as your communication allies 22:59 - The "First Five" technique 24:01 - Communicating through change and uncertainty 25:58 - Use storytelling, not project updates 28:06 - Resource recommendation: Simon Sinek's Golden Circle
Useful Links Connect with Fay on LinkedIn Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme Take Fay’s freeHR Leadership Impact Assessment. Connect with Nik (Nikolas) Nawaaz on LinkedIn Find out more about Barnett Waddingham’s employee communications work Watch Simon Sinek’s TED Talk:How Great Leaders Inspire Action
Helpful Episode to Listen to Next If you enjoyed this episode and would like more support with writing clear, effective communication at work, listen to: Ep 32: How to write work emails that get results, with Kim Arnold
Kim shares brilliant advice that complements Nik’s tips in this episode, especially if you want to make your emails clearer, more persuasive and easier for people to act on.
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