Internal Communications – what’s it all about?
The requirement for larger organisations to communicate well internally remains as important now as it has ever been.
We’re lucky! Our team here at The Collective is small enough to be able to communicate in a fairly rudimentary manner i.e. get up, walk across the office, have a conversation! Internal communications across larger organisations is not so straight-forward however, with employees in different buildings, out on the road, working from home etc. So how do you communicate and what are some of the challenges you need to overcome, to make sure your employees are hearing the messages you need them to hear.
A cautionary tale
First of all a cautionary note. Many people today have the attention span of a goldfish! So, to hold that attention, you have to be creative in your messages. Use video, images. memes, animated gifs, dancing animals – basically anything that will engage your audience long enough to get the message across to them.
Secondly you have to use a multi-channel approach – just sending emails, or just holding weekly meetings, isn’t enough. Decide which messages are best communicated via each medium, and then stick to a process that people can get used to.
Length does make a difference! Use sound-bites to communicate important information, enough to draw your audience in and encourage them to want more.
By personalising messages, and tailoring them to individuals, you can forge that feeling of inclusivity amongst your employees which also helps with diversity. Remember, people will interpret messages in different ways and it’s up to you the employer to address this in a sympathetic way. Consider how you can come across as an advisor to build trust, and not just a vehicle for imparting information.
Different comms tools
There are all sorts of different communication tools available, so explore the options. For example, what about an App developed for your staff so they can a) be reached at all times (not necessarily always a good thing) and b) choose to receive notifications or not. With staff spread across the country, or indeed the world, mobile comms are to be embraced not shied away from.
Is good, good enough? Sometimes yes it is. So live streaming and home-made videos are ok, just make sure the sound is sorted out. For some messages however, have it done professionally to create gravitas and demonstrate you are serious. For example, we have recently created an animation for a multi-national company who are opening a new flagship warehouse and they wanted something to demonstrate to their employees what it would look like when it was completed. The only thing they could see today was a building site, so by creating a video using animation to show how it would look, they were able to demonstrate to their employees the extent of the investment and what it meant to the company.
Enable, Engage and Empower
With all your internal communications, the challenge is to create a strong connection between you the employer and your staff. Done well, internal comms has the power and potential to enable, engage and empower employees.
If you would like a conversation about your current internal communications, please contact us on team@thecollectivegroup.co.uk