It's all in the delivery: finding the appropriate style for your message.

To paraphrase an old maxim, it is what you say, and it is how you say it. For employee communication, both are equally important. There is a broadly established consensus about the relationship between style and substance in communication--an unsuitable style could well render any communication ineffective, regardless of its substance.

Style is probably one of the most abstract, multifarious and profound elements of human communication. What makes for a good and appropriate style for a particular communication? It's difficult to answer without appearing somewhat presumptuous, for style is, on many levels, personal.

There is, however, another aspect to style, which pertains to the realm of norms and conventions, and of what is widely accepted, customary and expected in the context of culture and tradition.

The ideal communication blends the two aspects seamlessly: It gives way to individual style and personal expression while employing appropriate elements of style conventions to generate an effective message.

"Style personifies who we are as individuals, but it is also a communication tool," says Rachel Antman, a PR account supervisor with the LVM Group in New York. "It can therefore be weighed in terms of what best serves a particular intent or purpose in any given situation."

It's true that style is so fundamentally diverse that it encompasses countless forms and nuances. There is a variety of common styles out there that can be generally defined, classified and analyzed. Furthermore, many communicators agree that it's important to promote a better understanding about which style, or amalgam of styles, would most likely suit their message, and what implications to consider in their choice.

The following characterizes a handful of familiar ranges of style and explores some of the factors one should consider when applying them in employee communications.

1. Formal versus relaxed

How is your communication styled to approach its intended constituents? "If a message is from one human being to another, it should feel like there's a person behind it," maintains Tom Milligan, a first vice president for HR communications at Merrill Lynch and a proponent of conversational style with a personal touch. "In some respects, formality is too stilted and reserved to allow room for that."

Milligan points out Merrill Lynch's orientation for informality in different ways at the office, which sets the stage for a relaxed communication style. "For example, we address our executives by their first names--employees refer to our CEO as Stan and to the head of HR as Terry. It's a style that's embedded in our firm's culture, and it comes across in various communication mediums, from our executive speeches, internal periodicals and e-mail to the features that we post on our company's web site."

So when is formality more appropriate? "There's really no universal rule," Milligan replies, "but formality can work effectively in situations where little context is needed. A purely instructional message relating to a perfunctory matter is one example. It can be a call for action, like when requesting an employee to complete a requirement, adhere to a regulation or fill out a questionnaire. It can also be a company announcement. Whatever the case, concise formality makes the message clear-cut, quick to absorb and therefore effective."

2. Serious versus light

Employee communications don't always have to be serious. Even in relatively conservative organizations, they vary from serious to light--and when a communicator chooses to get a message across in an entertaining way, employees can appreciate it if delivered appropriately.

"Certain topics are communicated more effectively through amusement and humor, especially when used to spice up a serious but otherwise dull subject matter," explains Judy Jones, director of employee communications at The New York Times and a former manager of HR communications at Dun and Bradstreet.

3. Factual and literal versus symbolic and emotional

Facts are vehicles for reciting information. They are powerful and persuasive in bolstering an idea and in lending legitimacy to an argument.

Symbols and emotions are catalysts for interpreting and demonstrating the facts. Symbolic communication may include illustrative or representative elements ranging from storytelling, metaphors and drawings to ceremonies and awards. Emotional communication is Based on anything that connects or appeals to feeling or passion.

According to a Harvard Communication Letter article by Theodore Kinni titled "Loosen Up Your Communication Style," relying on facts alone is a doomed strategy--despite their strength. When a communicator focuses solely on facts to get a message across, the receiver is given more latitude for personal interpretation.

Making the human connection is vital, and symbols and emotions do just that: They can amplify a message, make it more comprehensible and help employees relate to it.

When an arbitration panel decided to fine a large firm following discriminatory conduct that had occurred in one of its offices a number of years earlier, the chairman and CEO addressed the matter in an e-mail to employees. Rather than attempting to diminish the gravity of the event by reciting dry facts to imply that the occurrence was unusual, his letter was poignantly heartfelt and empathetic: He expressed how offended he was that this conduct had ever occurred and emphasized his personal determination to ingrain a culture of fairness, equality and meritocracy in the firm.

Consider the following factors when deciding what style is appropriate for your communication:

The communicator. "For a message to appear genuine and sincere, its style has to play to the communicator's strengths," says Lorrie Hecker, director of employee communications at American Standard Companies. "Any style that's chosen should bring out the voice and personality of the person delivering the message."

The organization's international scope and cultural heterogeneity. Just as employees vary in their national, ethnic and religious backgrounds, so does their perception of style. Learning about the customs, beliefs and practices that make up a foreign culture's fabric can lead to a better understanding of what different styles mean for different people. Yet it may be difficult to discern countless cultural distinctions--some of which are subtle--to determine what style would be most appropriate for a particular message. "For this reason, top management may often choose to delegate communication to regional managers, who then style their messages in a fashion that best suits local culture," Hecker says, citing American Standard's management as an example.

In other instances, management may wish to address employees directly in a uniform fashion without differentiating styles, such as when issuing a personal note from an executive to all employees or when communicating highly important matters with companywide implications. It is important to develop the message and its style around common denominators found in the shared values and culture of the workplace.

In his book "Beyond Culture," anthropologist Edward T. Hall distinguishes between low-context and high-context communication. His analysis finds that people of low-context cultures verbalize much of the background information explicitly, since they are not as well informed on subjects outside their own interests. In high-context cultures, a great deal of the background information is implicit and requires reading between the lines, with the assumption that message recipients are well informed on many subjects.

The organization's customary cultural practices. Every organization has its own unique culture based on the traditions and value set of its members, which come across in their beliefs, attitudes, priorities and behavioral norms. Employee communication should reflect that culture as the voice of both the communicator and the organization.

In their book "Riding the Waves of Culture" (McGraw-Hill, 1997), intercultural experts Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner characterize all organizational cultures in terms of equality versus hierarchy and orientation to the person versus orientation to the task. These two dimensions combine to create four general types of culture: the "incubator," emphasizing the secondary nature of organizations to the self-fulfillment of individuals; the "family," distinguished by personal, face-to-face relationships; the "Eiffel Tower," promoting hierarchy and the bureaucratic division of labor; and the "guided missile," an egalitarian culture in nature, but one that is highly task-driven and impersonal.

Communicators can give thought to where their workplace falls among these definitions when deciding upon a suitable style for their organization.

Organization's size. Conventional wisdom has held that in large organizations, where downward-cascade communication from management to employees is commonplace, there is more room for formality than in the collaborative and familial environment of smaller organizations.

Many large companies, however, are beginning to reconsider their cascade approach. "We're observing more town hall meetings, roundtable discussions and direct, two-way dialogue with employees instead of one-way communication through the traditional 'chain of command,'" notes Don Greenhouse, a senior consultant with the global consulting firm Towers Perrin. "Companies realize the need to further involve and empower employees with the knowledge and liberty to make business decisions. This goes hand in hand with a more conversational style of communication, and business leaders accept that."

Other factors

When determining an appropriate style for your message, consider its content and context, the style conventions of your industry, and the medium you're choosing.

Supplement written messages with verbal communication, as there are certain catalysts to the style and diction of human speech, such as body language and voice intonation, that may better convey your sentiments in particular situations.

Ask yourself whether you've maintained a tradition of style throughout your practice. If so, consider departing from it when you wish to signal a new direction for your group or organization.

Overall, the topic of style is large in scope and cannot be easily framed by definitive rules. It is ultimately incumbent upon the communicator to exercise individual discretion on a case-by-case basis. Whatever your chosen style, remain true to the voice of the communicator and that of the organization.

RELATED ARTICLE: 8 quick tips for style.

While no rule for style can be carved in stone, consider these quick tips to help you derive your style in communicating to employees:

1 Demonstrate civility and respect, even if your message is firm or harsh.

2 Present ideas in a clear, concise fashion. Support them with facts, exhibit the logical flow in your thought process, and if warranted, draw a conclusion.

3 Decide whether you're communicating on behalf of a person, an organization or both, and use the appropriate language ("l" versus "we").

4 To make your message more personal, consider addressing your audience in the singular form (e.g., "Dear Colleague")--and if technically possible, address each person by name.

5 When communicating to a culturally heterogeneous audience, aim to differentiate the style of your message for each culture individually, and consider delegating communications to the business leaders of each region to achieve this. If it's impossible, or when you wish to address everyone directly and collectively, maintain your focus on common cultural denominators that are found in the shared values, interests and culture of the workplace.

6 Maintain authority while avoiding antagonism. For example, instead of stating a command ("you must" or "you should"), consider repositioning your statements ("we must" or "we should")--particularly if referring to a team effort.

7 Get serious if you need to, but don't fear lighthearted style or unconventional creativity, which bring refreshing energy and are well appreciated.

8 Style is infinite in scope. Think of other style tips that work for you and your organization.

--A.K.

RELATED ARTICLE: American Standard: styling for culture.

With 60,000 employees, manufacturing operations in 29 countries and a listing among the S&P 500, American Standard Companies is a global manufacturer with market-leading positions in air conditioning systems and services, bath and kitchen products, and vehicle control systems.

About two years ago, the company introduced the following values and communicated them to employees worldwide: customer orientation, employee acknowledgement, integrity, excellence and delivering on promises.

Considering the cultural diversity of its work force, American Standard concluded that to ingrain its values most effectively, it should communicate them in a way that provided both consistency and flexibility.

A global effort presented the values to employees worldwide. In addition, regional managers were assigned communication toolkits and online resources, such as templates, tip sheets and other vehicles, which were used for communicating the values in styles that best reflected local practices and cultural norms.

For example, in regions that favor formality, managers planned official group meetings with employees to communicate the values in formal presentations, for which they had prepared well-structured talking points in advance. According to Dr. Geert Hofstede, a former psychologist at IBM, formality is prevalent in regions such as South America, the Far East and Asia, where some national cultures embrace the distribution of authority and adhere to formal channels. Therefore, this style of communication was expectedly more suitable.

In contrast, other managers approached value communication in a more informal manner, such as lunch-and-learn discussions, team meetings and one-on-one conversations.

All employees received a printed, one-page handout and a laminated, wallet-size reference card containing the company's value statement as a prelude to face-to-face communication. It was then up to the regional managers to interpret and apply the values, so that employees could connect better to their leadership within the framework of their culture.

In an employee opinion survey conducted shortly after the launch, the majority of respondents identified with American Standard's values and mission. The company finds that its values play a vital role in business success.--A.K.

Assaf Kedem is a senior employee-communications consultant at Merrill Lynch and has served a similar role at J.P. Morgan Chase. He can be reached at [e-mail].