According to Staffbase, effective internal communication can lead to a 40 percent increase in customer satisfaction, a 30 percent increase in profitability and a 36 percent increase in company performance. Sound good? Here are five tips to help you.
- Make it a habit
Habitual communication boosts efficiency and morale. Whether it be weekly meetings or conference calls, monthly online newsletters or the utilisation of online management tools (such as Wrike or Asana), regular employee engagement is key. “As the CEO of a company, I write a monthly update that is transparent and communicates what was accomplished and what’s upcoming. Crucially, we offer employees the chance to ask questions and propose ideas,” says Korey McMahon of McMahon Marketing. “Since doing this, my team have provided amazing ideas and feedback.” - Engage with and encourage your employees
It’s important to allow your employees and colleagues to voice their opinions. Encourage questions and comments, as an open forum will foster stronger working relationships. “Many companies tout an ‘open-door philosophy’, but are often unavailable or uninterested when employees pass through the threshold,” explains Matthew Jonas, Managing Partner of TopFire Media. “Managers must truly care and act upon that feeling. Caring managers encourage employees to share issues and actively pursue solutions.” - Provide a place for information sharing
Your employees will often keep up to date with the latest industry trends and ideas, so why not give them a place to share what they’re reading about? By providing them with a platform to contribute new insights, your employees will feel more energised and eager to communicate. There are a host of applications that you could use, such as Slack. “For internal communication, we use Slack and never use emails,” says Vinny La Barbera of imFORZA. “Slack allows for topic grouping, controlled notifications and the ability to make conversations public when needed.” - Plan get-togethers outside of work
Nothing hinders communication more than employees who have never truly met one another. “Developing better out-of-office relationships will help fuel the in-office communication,” says Coltrane Curtis, Founder of Team Epiphany. “If you can create a personal bond between the employees, then the conversation goes beyond emails between the people sitting next to you.” Try and plan events outside of the workplace, helping to foster a strong team spirit.
- Be creative, be clear
Don’t rely on mass emails or the occasional away day to get your messages across. Different people have different ways of absorbing information, so be adaptable. Craft engaging content for your employees as you would for your clients. However, whatever the format you deliver your communications in, ensure the company’s values and mission are articulated clearly.
With Christmas coming, these top five tips will help you reassess your business strategy and improve your communications. Whether or not you’ll be able to work just one day a year, though, remains to be seen…
Poor internal communication can become a real barrier to growth. If you want specialised assistance on improving your communication – among other important things – our Business Support Workshops are delivered by business growth experts with considerable experience in the field. The workshops are free of charge and will see you work closely to create a winning strategy for your business.
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