Establishing effective internal communication within the company is an essential part of running a successful business. It is especially important today when many business owners manage office-based and remote teams simultaneously.
Fortunately, many software tools, such as Weave Communications, help make this process easier and enable gathering customers’ insights, analyzing teams’ progress and automating business operation processes.
However, integral communication should remain every business owner’s top priority until they have got it running like clockwork. Here are a few tips for improving it!
Setting the Expectations
In order to improve the communication system within the company successfully, it is crucial for business owners to determine what their expectations toward communication processes are.
Preparing a step-by-step plan for transforming the internal communications, assigning employees responsible for each step, and identifying their tasks and objectives will enable working on improving the communication system most efficiently.
It is crucial to discuss the action plan with the team and share important information at the beginning of any stage of the project. Implementing a calendar of events (both regular and occasional ones) and tracking the progress will help monitor crises and solve issues as they appear.
On top of that, it would be beneficial to centralize all the company’s internal communications and separately distribute specific information regarding individual tasks.
Ensuring That Communication System Reflects Company’s Values
A business owner should ensure that internal communication and events are based on the company’s values and its brand identity. Identifying and describing the company’s voice, communication style and key messages will allow business owners to create a unified communication within the company, regardless of the method — emails, chats, video conferencing or in-person communication.
It is also essential to ensure that the company’s voice sounds the same for both the external audience (clients, partners, suppliers) and the employees.
Moreover, reviewing the company’s brand book and making it accessible and understandable to all employees will help broadcast the organization’s key messages to the target audience. One of the most convenient ways to share it is to upload it to the cloud alongside all the templates, SOPs and guidelines for creating branded presentations.
Structuring an Internal Communication System
First of all, it is essential to remove the responsibility for the communication with employees from the organization’s leaders who are not involved in the communications department. It would be more beneficial to focus their attention on shaping their leadership and establishing effective communication within their own teams.
Secondly, business owners should organize the topics and messages they want to convey to employees using, for example, the message house method. This is a technique for structuring information that resembles the elements of a house — the main thesis is the foundation, arguments are the house’s floors, and the main point to convey is the roof.
Another interesting tool that will help better understand the team members and their needs is creating the employee profile. It can be created based on a survey or a personal SWOT analysis, both of which can help determine the employees’ professional and personal qualities, interests, preferences and values. This information can be used to organize effective team-building activities and corporate events, as well as define the company’s culture.
It is also crucial to analyze the communication channels — by conducting a survey, for example — to determine which channels are practical and convenient for the teams to use, and introduce new, alternative communication channels if the old solutions no longer meet internal communications needs.
And the last step in structuring the company’s communication system is to determine the appropriate forms of communication — meetings (both online and in-person), calls, surveys, internal company newsletters — along with their regularity, form and timing.
Creating a Content Plan
Creating a content plan for internal communication channels will enable business owners to keep their employees productive and engaged as well as facilitate the process of delivering the latest company and industry news.
A content plan can include profile news, case reviews, novelties, articles and interviews with experts, a selection of educational opportunities of the month, a list of interesting books and documentaries, charities, and information regarding psychological support.
A weekly digest or regular letters with helpful information from team leaders will help boost teamwork, maintain motivation and strengthen the corporate culture.
Allocating Time for Educating the Employees
Every business owner understands the importance of educating their employees and learning new skills alongside them. Thus, implementing internal mentoring programs should be the next step in improving a business’s internal communication system.
In addition to that, it is necessary that business owners remember about data security, implement data security measures, establish regulations and rules regarding this matter, and educate the employees on the subject so they can understand them and adhere to them.
In Conclusion
An effective internal communication system will help build and maintain a strong team spirit, keep employees motivated, and allow them to evolve within their specializations, making the company’s business goals easier to achieve.
To sum up, every business owner will benefit from continuously implementing innovative approaches to internal communication, using efficient software tools and developing internal communication channels in the organization. When all is set, the success will not be long in coming!
Phil Cord is a freelance content writer. He loves exploring new solutions and their impact on business. Currently, he works with a group of specialists fascinated by the broadly understood subject of work. Their areas of interest include topics related to the future of work, offices, technology in the workplace, HR specialists’ competencies, health, communication and a wise combination of professional and private life.
