7 Steps to Create an Internal Communications Strategy

Are you frustrated with miscommunication and a lack of alignment within your team?

Imagine a world where everyone is on the same page, information flows seamlessly, and employees feel connected to the company’s goals.

Wouldn’t it be great if your internal communications were so effective that it boosted morale, increased productivity, and fostered a sense of community?

This blog post will outline 7 simple steps to create an internal communications strategy that will transform your workplace.

What is Internal Communications?

Internal communications are held internally amongst the employees of an organization. Internal communication facilitates the effective and successful flow of conversation between teams and individual employees.

It ensures that everyone is informed about company goals, policies, and changes, facilitating collaboration and alignment. Effective internal communication enhances employee engagement and supports the smooth operation of the business.

Purpose of Internal Communications

1. Build a Strong Company Culture

A strong company culture is not built in one day. It takes time to build the momentum of trust within an organization.

Building a strong company culture through internal communication involves consistently sharing the organization’s values, mission, and vision with your employees. This helps align team members with the company’s goals and fosters a sense of belonging.

By openly communicating achievements, recognizing contributions, and encouraging feedback, internal communication reinforces cultural norms and supports a positive work environment.

Effective internal communication ensures that everyone understands and contributes to the company’s culture, driving engagement and cohesion across the organization.

2. Create a Healthy Work Environment

Creating a healthy work environment through internal communication involves developing transparency, respect, and open dialogue among your employees. By regularly sharing important updates and encouraging feedback, internal communication helps build trust and reduces misunderstandings.

Promoting a culture of recognition and support through internal channels can enhance morale and job satisfaction.

3. Improve Employee Retention

Improving employee retention through internal communication involves keeping employees informed, engaged, and connected to the organization’s goals.

Regular updates, recognition, and transparent communication help build trust and job satisfaction. By addressing concerns, providing feedback, and fostering open dialogue, internal communication creates a supportive environment where your employees feel valued.

This reduces turnover by ensuring your employees are aligned with the company’s mission and are motivated to stay and grow within the organization.

7 Steps to Create an Internal Communications Strategy

1. Evaluate your Current Situation

Evaluating your current situation in internal communication involves assessing how effectively information flows within your organization.

Start by reviewing existing communication channels and tools to identify any gaps or inefficiencies. Gather feedback from employees about their experiences and challenges with current communication methods.

Analyze how well messages are being understood and if they align with your organizational goals. This evaluation helps pinpoint areas for improvement and ensures that communication supports your team collaboration and productivity.

2. Know your Audience

Knowing your audience is fundamental to crafting effective internal communications. It involves more than just understanding basic demographics; it requires a deep dive into the unique characteristics, preferences, and needs of your employees.

Different groups within your organization may have varied communication preferences—some might favor digital platforms and instant messaging, while others might prefer detailed emails or face-to-face interactions. Recognizing these preferences allows you to tailor your messages for maximum engagement.

Accounting for varying levels of technological proficiency ensures that communication tools and content are accessible to all employees. By thoroughly understanding these elements, you can create a more nuanced and effective internal communications strategy that enhances clarity and engagement across your organization.

3. Define Clear Goals

Defining clear goals is a pivotal aspect of creating an effective internal communications strategy. Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals provides a focused direction for your communication efforts and ensures alignment with overall organizational objectives.

For example, if your goal is to improve employee engagement, you can set a target to increase participation in internal surveys by 20% within six months. Clear goals help in prioritizing communication initiatives and determining the content and channels that will best support these objectives.

Without clear goals, internal communication efforts can become disjointed or misaligned, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities.

4. Craft Clear Messages

Crafting clear messages is crucial for effective internal communications, as it ensures that information is conveyed accurately and understood by all employees. Clear messaging involves the clarity of language, simplicity, and relevance of the content.

For instance, using jargon or overly complex terms can lead to misunderstandings and disengagement among employees who might not be familiar with the terminology.

Clear messages should be direct, concise, and tailored to the specific needs of the audience, avoiding ambiguity and ensuring that the intended action or response is straightforward.

Research shows that employees spend up to 30% of their workweek seeking clarification and additional information due to unclear communication.

Crafting clear messages minimizes confusion, enhances understanding, and supports more efficient and effective internal communications.

5. Choose the Right Channels

Choosing the right channels is essential for effective internal communications, as the success of conveying information hinges on selecting platforms that best fit the needs and preferences of your employees.

Each communication channel—be it email, instant messaging, intranet, or face-to-face meetings—has its strengths and ideal use cases.

For example, while email is useful for detailed updates and formal announcements, instant messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams are more suitable for quick, real-time interactions and collaborative discussions.

Studies show that 60% of employees prefer receiving important updates through their company’s intranet, as it centralizes information and provides easy access to resources.

Conversely, research indicates that 70% of employees favor instant messaging for informal, day-to-day communication due to its immediacy and convenience.

By aligning your communication strategy with the right channels, you enhance message clarity, improve engagement, and ensure that information is delivered in the most effective manner for your audience.

6. Develop a Communication Calendar

Developing a communication calendar is crucial for organizing and timing internal communications effectively. By scheduling regular updates, meetings, and announcements, a calendar ensures consistency and prevents overlaps or gaps.

Organizations with structured communication plans see 25% fewer missed deadlines and 30% higher employee engagement.

This proactive approach allows for better resource management and alignment with organizational goals, ensuring that key information reaches the right audience at the optimal time.

7. Foster a Two-Way Dialogue

Fostering a two-way dialogue is vital for effective internal communications as it promotes open exchanges and feedback between employees and management.

Studies reveal that companies with strong two-way communication experience 20% increase in employee satisfaction and a 15% boost in productivity.

By encouraging employees to share insights and voice concerns, organizations can address issues promptly and build trust.

Interactive tools like town hall meetings and surveys facilitate healthy dialogues, enhancing engagement, collaboration, and overall workplace responsiveness.

Endnote

An effective internal communication strategy is key to unlocking organizational success.

Setting clear goals, crafting precise messages, and selecting the right channels boosts engagement, productivity, and collaboration

Investing in robust internal communication not only streamlines operations but also builds a cohesive, motivated workforce that is ready to achieve collective goals.