Look Within

Untapped Internal Communications

A recycling program.  A collaborative approach to Pride Month.  Healthier snacks in the break room machines.  Volunteers at a public outreach event.  Improved awards program.  A smooth transition through and after COVID.  A stronger external reputation.  An increase in organizational trust in annual surveys.

These are just some of the results we celebrated after placing an emphasis on internal communications.   Every organization conducts internal communications.  Not every organization garners these kinds of results.     That is likely because some of the guiding principles are either not crafted or not followed with vigor and discipline.   Or else it could be because some of the tactics are not executed or leveraged to their full extent.

Here are some thoughts for this internal group of readers.

Inreach  Guiding Principles

Constant drumbeat.  Internal Communication cannot succeed on an ad hoc basis. Monthly inreach alone fails.  Weekly does not suffice.  Daily is both easily attained and essential.   

Two-Way Conversations.  If there was ever a time when it was okay to only talk at the team, those days have been long over.   The key to success is to talk with the team, to encourage feedback and dialogue.

Labels.  I used the word “team” above because it is more inclusive than “employees.”  Which would you rather be called?  At the retail department store, Target, they refer to their employees as “team members.”  They also refer to “customers” as “guests.”  I like that.  Words matter.  Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate eliminated the word “victims” overnight in the agency vernacular and replaced it with “survivors.”  It changed the entire mindset and approach of the organization and our relationship with communicates and individuals.

Diversity.  Everyone talks about diversity, typically beginning with hiring.  But does everyone in the organization know exactly what the leadership are doing to achieve greater diversity?  Have team members been brought in the loop to help achieve greater diversity in hiring?  And here is the real self-check – once you have achieved greater diversity, what have you done to adapt internal communications to effectively communicate with a growing diverse audience?

Transparent.  This too can become a baseless buzz word if there are not meaningful, measurable, and visible examples of how this is put into practice.  Where’s the beef?

Inreach Implementation Tactics

Suggestion box.   Wooden and electronic.  Protect anonymity.  You may be surprised what you learn.  Respond to submissions bi-weekly.  Great opportunity for the boss to push out key messages and updates with each response.  

Newsletter.  Every program area should be required to submit an article.  That ensures buy-in, more inclusivity, and more interesting content for the readers.   Add fun stuff too like trivia, crossword puzzles and a kudo board.

Dashboards.  We all deal with different technology, but if you are able to develop a web-based dashboard that is the default bowser opening for everyone, it is a great place to post emerging information, administrative updates, and access to all the organization platforms and databases.

Leadership Meeting Notes.   For that matter, all meeting notes should be made available to every member of the organization.  But the leadership ones are the most important to show transparency.  Some confidential and sensitive personnel information may need to be edited out, but let the whole team see the direction, discourse, and journey the leaders are taking.

All Hands Emails.  Regular, reoccurring, and informative emails from the leadership go a long way.  Just make sure they add value and do not overwhelm or spam the team.   Use the bold, italics, underline, and color enough – but not too much – to get and keep attention.  Brevity and clarity are the keys.  And write these like a human and not like a bureaucrat.

All Hands Meetings.  Different levels of the organization should meet with different frequency, the lower the element, the more frequent the meetings.  Encourage input.  Include hot topics, professional development, and recognition as much as possible.  Make the content compelling enough that folks look forward to them.  

Employee Associations.  Promoting and encouraging various employee associations build trust, confidence, and transparency.   They can be general, social, or subject specific, like a diversity association or a health and welfare association. 

Social Events.  Most companies have an annual holiday party in December.  Why limit it?  A potluck in the Spring, a Cook-Out in the Summer, a Chili Contest in the Fall are all doable and opportunities to engage in more upbeat environments. 

Internal Socia Media.  There are plenty of professional internal enterprise platforms like Yammer, Talkspirit, Beekeeper, Chatter, and so many more.  Or you may have an IT team that can build something simple that meets your needs.  The platform is less important than the opportunity.  This can allow for a more unfiltered multidirectional conversation. 

External Social Media Scripts.  If you have 427 team members, you have 427 spokespersons.  Empower them to help tell the story externally by sharing social media scripts, images, and videos that those who chose to can promote on their own personal social media. 

Influencer and Diversity Connections.  Did you know that one of your team members knows a professional baseball player?  Did you know another one speaks Tagalog.  Another way inreach can help outreach is by pulsing your members on who they know and what they know that can help promote the organization in more ways.

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