Establishing the Roadmap

for a high performing Internal Communications team

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Effective internal communication is a critical pillar in driving an organization’s productivity, performance and pride. Now more than ever, there is an increased organizational need to have this function thriving - by reaching remote teams, mastering multi-media and multi-channel content, and finding the right balance between information and strategic inspiration.

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Understanding the health of your internal communications can make a huge impact on where you focus your time and attention for the greatest impact, but with a never-ending to-do list, taking time to understand the bigger picture can often fall to the wayside. 

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Whether you are a seasoned internal communicator, people leader, or a generalist taking on internal communications responsibilities; how do you know how effective your communications channels and systems are.

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A Communications Pulse Check is the key to engaging with your stakeholders and unlocking a cohesive, focused, and measurably successful internal communications plan.

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Step 1. Know Your Internal Communications Channels

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How well do you know the channels you can activate to reach your audience?

 

Undertaking a detailed diagnostic review of the communications channels used within your organization, including those owned by other divisions (e.g. Human Resources, IT, Facilities Management), provides an insight into how effective they are, and whether they should remain active, be refreshed, or carefully retired.

 

You may be surprised at how many different channels have built up over the years, or where there are gaps resulting in certain audiences being under-informed.

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It is also worth uncovering any other spaces where your employees are having a conversation or looking for information – you may discover it is outside of your organization (e.g. team member administered Facebook group).

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Step 2. Listening Sessions and Feedback

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Are your employees engaged with your channels, and are the messages landing?

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There are several ways to find out, depending on what suits your organization; 1-to-1 or group listening sessions, online polls, surveys, pre-existing data from employee engagement surveys or metrics captured from your communication platforms (e.g. click-throughs, views).

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Mining and interpreting this qualitative and quantitative data is critical to the success of the review – as great communication always starts with effective listening.

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Note: ’Two-way communication’ often comes up as a topic during this phase, and it is important to be clear about what this means to your employees. For some they may want to feel listened to by their direct manager and team, for others it may mean a two-way social media platform. Without clarity, you may end up on the wrong path.

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Step 3. Understanding Your Audience

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Defining your internal audience groups and their unique workplace characteristics, provides a greater level of insight to define your most effective communication style and methods.

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During this stage, any barriers to engagement can be identified (e.g. language, technology), as well as the channels and leadership voices used for each audience group.

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Remember, while the organization will have shared goals and values, how and where diverse internal audiences engage with company announcements and information, may be spread across a broad spectrum. Clarity in audience identification is key to effective engagement.

 

Step 4. Content Analysis - Information vs Inspiration

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In addition to understanding the effectiveness of the channels that you use, analyzing what is being said and by who, provides greater insight.

On the surface it may feel that communications are focused on culture and business performance, only to find that an abundance of process or policy-driven messaging is instead overwhelming.

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Understanding who your employees are hearing from most, and whether all your leaders have the right share of voice is critical.

 

Step 5. Review, Analysis and Recommendations

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Expert interpretation of data and insights gathered enables the development of a clear plan for how to focus on what is important to your organization and rebalance the resources if needed.

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By taking a step back to see what is working and what is not across channels, messaging, branding, measurement and reporting, gaps can be identified, and recommendations developed to focus and improve your communications, increase engagement, enable teams, and promote an authentic organizational culture.

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Mastering internal communications is one of the first steps to creating a high-performance organizational culture. The key to effective communications, is always effective and accurate listening and this starts with a Communications Pulse Check.

 

Not quite sure what your internal communications function should be focused on? Check out our Case Note on the role of internal communications.

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CBCP Group is here to help you. Contact us to conduct a Communications Pulse Check tailored to your business and its distinct internal communications characteristics. CBCP Group will provide you with a range of recommendations and a clear plan for high performance. 

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