You’ve probably encountered a business with clear internal communication gaps before. It’s easy to spot. Employees don’t have answers to questions, practices are changed with no notice or you receive conflicting information from different employees. That’s one aspect of internal communication. A second aspect focuses on communicating essential information about the operational, internal workings of business. No matter the amount or types of messages you need to share with your company, having a plan and a strategy behind doing so is crucial. 

Well-informed employees are better engaged, feel empowered and share in an overall sense of success. Not having a plan or communicating differently to your team than you do with external audiences is a recipe for…well, not success. Internal communication plans can sometimes be difficult to develop when considering scale, industry and communication barriers. That is where Obsidian can step in. Our firm has assisted many clients who come to us saying, “Please help wrangle our internal communications!” It’s a solid way to begin a relationship with a PR agency – laying a foundation internally will almost always lead to successful external campaigns. In the meantime, following these dos and don’ts can help keep your team informed so they can succeed in their individual roles. 

Do: Develop a strategy. A communication plan of any type must be strategic and include your goals and objectives for the outcome you want.

Don’t: Send out random messages through a number of channels on an irregular schedule.   

Do: Align internal and external messages.

Don’t: Say one thing to your team and something altogether different externally.If your internal messaging constantly focuses on the negative, that negativity will eventually make its way to your customers. Similarly, your positive brand messaging should shine from within.

Do: Establish a routine cadence. 

Don’t: Send multiple short bursts of information here and there. Establish a regular schedule, which could include multiple channels, such as team meetings, emails or a messaging app. 

Do: Use appropriate communication channels.

Don’t: Send messages to platforms your team doesn’t engage with. If your team is mostly mobile and isn’t tuned in to email, consider a text platform.  

Do: Fuse internal communication with culture. Internal platforms are excellent places to promote positive business news, happenings and culture announcements. 

Don’t: Strike a wrong or inconsistent tone. Knowing your internal audience is just as important as knowing your external audience.  

Do: Provide channels for feedback. Employees want to be heard and feel like their ideas and opinions are valued. 

Don’t: Repeat the same messages over and over without evaluating if they are still relevant.