Today, there are a plethora of tools that an organization may use to communicate with employees. These include email, company intranet, video conferencing solutions like Zoom, instant messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft teams and more.
Creating an internal communications strategy, including guidelines for how to use tools, can benefit communicators in their efforts to share information with employees effectively. A strategy will help deliver important information to employees in a timely and effective manner, which can improve collaboration, enhance employee engagement and drive better business outcomes.
When putting together a strategy for internal comms, it’s important to keep these key points in mind:
- Outline objectives and goals. When creating a strategy, it’s critical to define what you want to achieve. Do you want to improve employee engagement? Streamline communication? Foster a more collaborative work environment? All the above? Once you know your objectives, you can then plan accordingly.
- Develop your plan. Clearly outline the steps necessary to implement the strategy, including defining a timeline and milestones and determining the resources and budget necessary to execute the plan. Additionally, consider who your stakeholders are, such as leadership, HR or communicators involved in internal messaging. Identifying stakeholders early on will ensure that everyone involved understands their role and can effectively contribute to the success of the plan.
- Define roles and responsibilities. Assign communicators, such as internal communication, PR or marketing teams, or other team members with specific roles and responsibilities, including administrators, content creators and/or project managers. Designating team roles from the beginning can help drive success and better communication. For example, a company intranet is a key tool for sharing company updates, business performance, leadership changes and more. Having a defined intranet team will ensure that they coordinate to gather and share information quickly and accurately.
- Consider the advantages and disadvantages of communication platforms. Think about how tools integrate with your company activities, such as team meetings, town halls, employee and team recognition programs and other business-related activities. Another consideration is the message itself. Is it relevant to all employees or a select few? Is the platform’s format (video, email, etc.) the right fit for the message’s intent? Timeliness is also crucial. Messages should be sent at the appropriate time, considering time zones and working hours, so some messages may be better via email than instant messaging platforms.
- Develop content creation guidelines. To implement your strategy successfully, it’s important to ensure all employees are aware of the processes and standards. Develop guidelines for employees that include the following: purpose and goals for the channel, best practices and etiquette for publishing content, the content approval process, and the platform’s owners and their role. Establishing clear content creation guidelines, accessible on the platform, can effectively communicate expectations and foster engagement.
- Provide training to employees. Consider training employees on how to use the company’s communication tools to their benefit. This can promote familiarity with a tool’s purpose and reduce discomfort and increase knowledge sharing and collaboration.
- Measure effectiveness. Evaluate the impact of your communications activities on your organization and employees and adjust your internal comms strategy and processes as needed.
Having a well-defined internal communications strategy can be a game-changer for companies. Companies can more effectively get their message across to employees, helping people feel more engaged, self-sufficient and satisfied. It all adds up to be a more productive and connected workplace, leading to improved overall outcomes for the company and its employees.