The Manager’s Waggle Dance. Communication and the Honeybee!

Last week I opened a communications workshop for managers by talking about Honeybees!  Yes, you did read that right… Honeybees!

Honeybee’s have communication nailed.  They locate flowers for nectar and let everyone in the hive know exactly where to find them.  How?  They do a waggle dance!

The Waggle dance is a fully researched phenomenon.  After gaining the attention of the hive, the Honeybee positions itself to the correct degree away from the sun to indicate which way the other Bee’s need to fly.  Then they waggle!  The distance of the waggle will indicate how far to go and the velocity at which they waggle will indicate the abundance of flowers when they reach their destination.

How does any of this relate to Manager’s communication skills?  Well, let’s break it down;

1. They know their purpose for communicating
2. They know who to communicate with
3. The are clear on the direction everyone needs to head
4. They explain how long it’ll take to get the results
5. They help motivate by explaining the potential yield

Just think what would happen if ALL Managers could be this clear with their communication! 

Whilst this may not appear to be the most highbrow introduction to the topic, it did make it fun and memorable, which is of course what makes learning stick… or should I say sticky, like Honey… see what I did there!   

(See it for yourself in this video from the Smithsonian)

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