Team updates, policy updates, or any form of internal messaging are often perceived as ‘just another mail from the bosses’. When these reach employees’ inboxes, some read it, some skim through it, while others mark it as unread without even opening it and forget all about it.
Does it stop you from sending out these messages? No!
Can you alter your communication to ensure your teams open them? Yes!
So, what is a well-designed Internal Communications Framework worth?
For starters, it ensures that every employee is on the same page, aligned with the company's goals, and equipped to contribute their best to the organisation's success. Just as they are for their clients, your internal communication equips your employees to respond swiftly in times of internal crisis. Moreover, these messages allow your teams to stay on top of market trends, customer feedback, and industry shifts, empowering them to respond promptly and maintain agility. Your internal communications also help your employees upskill as a team and help your company grow.
Now that you have the basics out of the way, here’s the checklist we promised:
Begin With Assessing The Current Communication Practices
Before making any changes, assess your organisation's current communication practices. Conduct surveys, hold focus groups, or solicit feedback to understand how employees perceive the existing communication channels and identify areas for improvement. It should also include segmenting your teams, establishing objectives, and finding the right channels to communicate with them through.
Establish A Communication Strategy
Now that you know who you’re talking to, and why, half the battle is won. Your communication strategy must have what messages you wish to share, with the goals you have in mind. Develop a content calendar to ensure a steady flow of relevant information and announcements. Encourage contributions from employees to foster a sense of involvement and ownership.
Build Advocacy Through Your Internal Communication
Appoint individuals or teams responsible for managing internal communications. These champions will oversee the implementation of the framework, ensuring messages are clear, consistent, and relevant to the target audience. This helps build a sense of advocacy and cultivates loyalty towards the company when your team feels heard.
Monitor and Adapt As A Journey To Improvement
Just as it is essential for PR pros to analyse how well their campaigns performed, you should also regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your internal communications framework. Monitor key metrics such as employee engagement, feedback response rates, and overall communication effectiveness. Use this data to make necessary adjustments and improve the system continually. If need be, you could also rotate the task of creating these communications amongst your teams. This will give you better insights when your employees feel important and acknowledged.
Whether it's internal communications or external PR campaigns, the principles remain intertwined – fostering resilience, unity, and a proactive approach. An engaged and informed workforce is the true key to unlocking your company or brand’s full potential. Be sure to speak to us about something fresh that works for you. If you have more queries, we’re happy to help.
Psst! This blog was made with 💕, lots of teamwork and edited by a human with some help from Generative AI. We’re not ones to steal credit. #PuttingItOutThere