Attract, convince, and retain. There you have the Holy Trinity for ensuring your workplace has good people. Within that third part, effective internal communication plays a vital role. We present five building blocks that literally any company can start using.
Internal communication is no easy task. There are several reasons for this.
Firstly, because in SMEs it often falls between two (or even three) stools. Is it a matter for marketing, HR, or office management? To be clear: there’s a case to be made for all three scenarios. But it does highlight that internal communication is typically something extra. On top of the actual expertise of the marketing, HR, or office manager.
We often notice the very best of intentions, but simply too little time. Especially if you still have a lot to figure out and roll out within that limited time.
Secondly, because there is no blueprint. You cannot simply copy another company’s formula for success.
A law firm of 15 is a different story in terms of internal communication than a construction company of 200 with two locations and a mix of office and site workers. Different channels. Different tone of voice. A different mix of formal and informal.
And yet. Whether internal communication is viewed through an HR or marketing lens, across all that diversity of sectors, locations, and workforces, we see certain common threads.
So here are the V’s that ensure the mayonnaise sticks (or in English: that everything clicks):
Let’s zoom in on each of these V’s together.
The quarterly meeting. The half-yearly company update. In an ideal scenario, you have a fixed moment where the business owner takes the (proverbial) stage. To look back on the past months and look ahead to what’s coming.
Landed big clients? New projects on the horizon? New people on board – and perhaps even more new talent on the way? What else is happening within the various departments?
Tip: create a short report with the main points. So that everyone is (back) up to speed in a minute.
Frequency on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥
Formality on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥♥♥♥♥
In its simplest form, a standard questionnaire that you email out. A video production, if you want all the bells and whistles. The common thread: an employee speaking. They talk about their job. The project they are most proud of. Hobbies.
In an ideal scenario, this provides a conversation starter among colleagues: ‘I had no idea you climbed Mont Ventoux last year!’
Tip: ensure a balance between the colleague and the person behind the colleague.
Frequency on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥♥
Formality on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥
Everyone has their own role, yet we all work together towards a certain goal. Highlight the steps towards that common goal, however small they may sometimes be. Are you insisting on efficient processes and heading to market for an ERP? Share it. Are you focusing on customer experience and have you sent all customers a small gift? Share it.
Tip: what claim do you make to customers and/or employees? How can we back up that claim?
Frequency on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥♥
Formality on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥♥♥
Internal communication is also about sharing your successes. The moments where you excel as colleagues. A team effort where different departments have contributed. The designers who have successfully completed a training program. A customer satisfaction survey with great results. A project that has won an award.
Highlight all those achievements – it’s precisely those successes that give people the drive to go for it.
Tip: think small and large.
Frequency on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥♥
Formality on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥♥♥
The regular news flow. Everything your colleagues need to know to be fully up to date with the daily ins and outs of the company. From new employees and a new sandwich supplier to births.
The big challenge here for efficient internal communication is to correctly gauge the weight of the news. If you work with 200 colleagues, you don’t want to receive three separate birthday updates every day.
Tip: the larger your company, the more news there is. And the greater the need to bundle those updates.
Frequency on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥♥♥
Formality on a scale of 0 to 5? ♥♥♥♥♥
Curious about which companies we’ve already helped to communicate better internally? Click through to our cases.