CorpComms Magazine

(1) Conversation rules

Effective internal communication is about an ongoing conversation between an organisation and its employees, not about the senior management team downloading information when they think fit. This has been one of the biggest sea changes in internal communication - when we started as an association in 1949, internal communication was largely about 'telling' people things through staff magazines and newsletters along with often stilted, formal management communications. Now we know that the successful organisations are the ones that manage to maintain a continuous, constructive two way dialogue, and, thankfully, many more methods for achieving this have been identified.

(2) Happiness is not everything

Employee 'happiness' is not a satisfactory end in itself in terms of internal communication goals. We all remember people from our early days who loved going to school but were not that focused on the key work goals; a similar effect can be seen when people are employed. Of course, it is vital to recruit people who are in tune with your organisation's culture and objectives. Building on this, true employee engagement is about ensuring staff know and are committed to current goals, understand and are proud of their part in achieving them, and derive personal fulfilment from the process.

(3) An integral part of business planning

In our early days, our members were not typically involved with strategic planning at board level. The over-riding tendency was for internal communication activities to be tacked on at the end, sadly something that we still see quite a lot today although the situation has improved immensely. We now know that, for maximum effect, internal communication needs to be an integral part of overall business planning at the earliest possible stage and that practitioners should be recognised as and perform as strategists.  Communicators must have an appreciation of general management issues, as well as having strong technical skills.

(4) Focus on the line manager

An organisation will miss many opportunities to engage people if its line managers are poor communicators or not themselves engaged with organisational objectives.  We know that employees tend to trust their own boss more than those higher up the management ladder, and that a disengaged manager also means a disengaged team. Consequently, organisation leaders need to give high priority to the communication performance of their managers. Today's internal communicators have an important role to play as facilitators and coaches, as well as in providing information and materials that help managers to do their job properly.

(5) Don't forget face-to-face

In recent years there has been an explosion in the choice of channels available for communication strategies. Despite the obvious benefits, this can frankly be quite confusing for practitioners, and it is important to focus on what will actually work best in terms of specific objectives. Most particularly, it is vital not to forget face-to-face communication.  People respond best when they have opportunities for immediate feedback and clarification. Leaders, especially the more remote ones, benefit from direct exposure to reactions so they can see what people are making of things.

(6) Listen

Within any organisation, there will be a variety of audiences with different knowledge, interest and attitudes in relation to any type of message, and a communication plan should take this into account. For real understanding, it is important to talk to them, listen and be sensitive to both verbal and non-verbal messages. Communication professionals should have a network of contacts right across the organisation and, in addition to more formalised feedback mechanisms, be attuned to the types of comments being made in casual settings such as by the coffee machine or in the canteen.

(7) Don't delay in giving bad news

There has always been a tendency to hold off on giving bad news for as long as possible; the argument often being that it is inappropriate to make an announcement before all the details are settled. The reality is that much greater damage is likely to be caused by the rumour mill, extreme negative reactions once the news is out and knock-on, unfavourable external publicity. It is better to let staff know as soon as possible that a major change is being considered, the reasons why and then focus on keeping them informed and helping  them as more details become available.

(8) The bigger picture

People are naturally resistant to taking in lots of new information, and this is particularly true for those who are faced with regular, significant change - a common feature of many organisations today. One important approach is to try and create a vivid, bigger picture that gives shape to what otherwise may seem like a series of random events - that is, where the organisation aims to get to in terms of positive outcomes and how it will 'look' in the future. Providing a roadmap of what lies ahead also helps employees to plan while providing reassurance that what is happening makes sense.

(9) Understand  individual styles

Communicators need to understand and take account of their own communication style and the preferred style of leaders and audiences. For example, if someone seems awkward making formal presentations, it may not be helpful to put them in this position. And combining an extrovert leader with a detail-focused individual to give presentations will help to cater for all tastes. It is important to have the confidence and skill to give senior management constructive feedback on what went well and how things could be improved next time - they will appreciate this in the long run!

(10) Keep learning

The IoIC anticipates that internal communication will continue to evolve rapidly as a discipline - in terms of the tools at practitioners' disposal, the volume and quality of available knowledge and research, and accepted best practice. Practitioners need to keep up-to-date with all these developments and take continuing professional development seriously, regardless of the immediate requirements of their current role. This will help them to make the right decisions in the future, achieve positive change in challenging circumstances and support them throughout their career.

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