Tips to enhance your internal communications

By Matthew Collis |  matthewdcollis@gmail.com

Matthew Collis gives a variety of scalable solutions to internal communications pitfalls or roadblocks you might experience. 

Don’t overlook the value of good internal communications. Effective internal communication is instrumental in influencing employee engagement, productivity and satisfaction.

According to Gallup’s 2017 State of the Global Workplace, 85% of employees are not engaged at work and The Conference Board found that disengaged staff cost organizations $450-500 billion each year. Furthermore, a Gallup employee engagement assessment discovered that business units with the highest levels of engagement were 21% more profitable than their counterparts.

In this article I’ll go through four ways you can ensure your communications are working best for your organization. If you’re looking to improve your internal communications or kickstart your results, read on.

1. Track, measure and optimize your efforts

IABC says that up to 60% of internal communicators are still not measuring their communications. This is unfortunate because tracking and measuring results are key to ensuring you achieve your goals and make refinements that could lead to improved performance over time.

Test which communication tactics work best for your audience and which they prefer. Analyze the performance of these tactics and your content and look at measures like reach, engagement, behaviour and impact.

Survey staff to understand their preferences. Where do they prefer to see your communications? And do they mostly view them on their desktop computer or on their mobile device? Do certain messages resonate more than others? The answers to all of these questions can determine the approach you take.

2. Be clear, concise and transparent

Make certain your audience clearly understands the what, where, why, when and how. This is especially imperative when communicating changes that are taking place. IABC reports that only 21% of communicators say they keep their language simple and jargon-free. Ask yourself: Is my content “skimmable” and as clear and concise as possible? Eliminate words that don’t add value to the message or aid in understanding.

Make sure your organization’s goals and objectives are clear in your communications and that you’re open and transparent with key information. Withholding information can lead to employees making assumptions or judgements, which usually does more harm than good. Transparency creates an open and trustworthy culture where open lines of inter and intradepartmental communication are encouraged and appreciated.

Relevance is also important. If you’re part of a larger organization, you may wish to communicate different key messages to different areas of the company so the messages are tailored to them. Similarly, you may want to think beyond traditional communication channels to ensure your communications reach all groups and departments.

3. Leverage managers and staff ambassadors

Managers can help you communicate and reinforce important messages throughout your entire organization so leverage this crucial group when possible. As well, consider designating staff ambassadors to help you disseminate your communications.
Both of these groups (managers and staff ambassadors) should be thoroughly briefed on key messages and fully understand what you’re communicating and why. They can then share those messages with their team and the rest of the company, as well as answer questions staff may have. It’s a good idea to develop a toolkit for them with all the materials they’ll need, including commonly asked questions and answers.

As well, be sure you get buy-in from managers and ambassadors and that they lead by example. Stay in close contact with these groups so they can relay any employee feedback and reactions to you. In some cases, you might want to adjust your communications plan as a result or bolster your toolkit in a particular way.

4. Make it easy for employees to provide feedback

To promote open communication and collaboration and to be sure that employee needs are being properly addressed, make it easy for staff to ask questions and provide feedback. Organizations are better off when they wholly understand how staff feel about a particular situation or initiative and the questions they have. Encourage queries and make it clear that all ideas and comments are welcome.

You can seek questions, comments and suggestions through surveys, focus groups, informal lunch and learns, team meetings, town halls, and more. Also, consider providing an online platform, or having a dedicated area of your company intranet, designed for knowledge sharing and voicing points of view.

It has been found that most employees say they would work harder if they knew they were appreciated and recognized. Part of what factors into appreciation and recognition is seeking employee feedback to understand their wants, needs and concerns, and then acting on that feedback.

Make sure your communication strategies create room for input and concerns. And consider the fact that when staff feel that they play a valuable contribution in helping the organization reach its goals, they’re more likely to want to openly communicate their points of view.

Organizations that prioritize good internal communications have the ability to set themselves apart and foster a positive work culture and environment with engaged, productive employees. Don’t forget the importance of ongoing, effective internal communication and keep the above four tips in mind as we move forward in the new year.