Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Internal Communicator’s Dilemma
Internal communications can be frustrating. After a full-court communications effort, employees still say "I didn't know about that...."
It seems the more you communicate, the more employees seem to miss the message. Perhaps it’s time to step back and look at the bigger picture. Here are some tips:
1. Instead of more tools, try research
An external audit of your internal communications is an excellent idea, but also consider research that tests how well staff are receiving the messages you send. This is a better approach than relying on anecdotal comments. Segment your research by department and find out who you're not reaching through traditional channels.
2. Consider cascading messaging systems
A structured, cascading messaging system puts the burden on management to communicate to staff. Follow-up measurement can help determine how well employees receive messages, and can identify who the problem children are.
3. Push back
"Really, you didn't hear about that?” Probe employees on their communication habits and how they missed your messages. When employees say, “I didn’t know about that,” try -- in a pleasant way -- find out why. And ask, “How would you like to learn about important company news?”
4. Consider if you're communicating too much
There is such a thing as communicating too much. Doing so makes everything seem equally unimportant. Cutting out the clutter can make the important stuff rise back to the top.
© 2009 Warren Allan Johnson
Posted by Warren Allan Johnson @ 8:00 PM | Permalink | |
It seems the more you communicate, the more employees seem to miss the message. Perhaps it’s time to step back and look at the bigger picture. Here are some tips:
1. Instead of more tools, try research
An external audit of your internal communications is an excellent idea, but also consider research that tests how well staff are receiving the messages you send. This is a better approach than relying on anecdotal comments. Segment your research by department and find out who you're not reaching through traditional channels.
2. Consider cascading messaging systems
A structured, cascading messaging system puts the burden on management to communicate to staff. Follow-up measurement can help determine how well employees receive messages, and can identify who the problem children are.
3. Push back
"Really, you didn't hear about that?” Probe employees on their communication habits and how they missed your messages. When employees say, “I didn’t know about that,” try -- in a pleasant way -- find out why. And ask, “How would you like to learn about important company news?”
4. Consider if you're communicating too much
There is such a thing as communicating too much. Doing so makes everything seem equally unimportant. Cutting out the clutter can make the important stuff rise back to the top.
Labels: Internal Communications
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by e-mail or RSS.© 2009 Warren Allan Johnson
Posted by Warren Allan Johnson @ 8:00 PM | Permalink | |
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