Internal communications: A cohesive communications culture
Internal communications: A cohesive communications culture
Wikipedia defines internal communication as:
“Internal communication is the communication that exists within a company, between and among employees. It can take many forms, such as face-to-face casual conversations, formal meetings, phone calls, emails, memorandums, and internal wikis. Communication within an organisation is key to success.
An organisation’s adaptability to external changes relies on efficient communication internally
The function of an Internal Communications department is to ensure a cohesive communications culture throughout the organisation. Internal Communications may be labeled Employee Communications, Engagement Communications, Communications, and other variants. The key theme running through these titles is communication, in whatever format, among a firm’s employees.
Here are some ideas to consider for effective internal communication:
Be creative
Avoid the urge to use expected, bland, robotic communication and off the shelf framed posters of handshakes, globes and keys . Every email, blog, webcast, podcast, intranet page and poster needs to creatively reflect and build the values of your company’s brand.
Be clear
Your employees are your target audience. They’re your consumers. They’re constantly distracted by up to 3,000 messages a day. Find unconventional ways to get their attention but don’t feel you need to be silly or shocking.
Be relevant
Your employees probably use social media at home and at work. So why not get to know the media they relate to such as facebook, twitter, instagram, YouTube etc. and incorporate it into your internal communications programme.
Use internal creative guidelines
These will help ensure the look, feel, tone, and values are conveyed in everything you produce to communicate to your employees.
Embrace digital communities
With tools like the intranet, blogs and chat rooms, employees who are physically separated from one another for any reason (sales teams, retailers, offices) can collaborate and learn rather than focus on carving out their turf. Viral communities are remarkably more efficient and effective than video conferencing and air travel.
Emotionally connect
Tap into the emotions and aspirations of your employees by bringing your communications to life through video, or webinars.
Whether you have an initiative to launch internally, or just want to improve communications we can help. We are also experienced in achieving the Investors in People standard.
