Internal communication: why and how?

Companies and organizations have understood how communication is a resource. They don’t always use it wisely but in any case communication aimed at the outside world (prospects, customers, suppliers, etc.) is rarely questioned. In contrast, internal communication is often misunderstood. Why communicate internally? What message to communicate? To whom and for what purpose?

For that?

A company is a collection of unique people, with distinct mentalities, motivations and values. Therefore, one of the objectives of internal communication will be to harmonize all this, to dissolve individualities into the collective. In your external communication, highlight some values. These, if you want authentic communication, must be found internally. In this sense, internal communication is one of the media of corporate culture. And beyond the internal effect, your company culture should aim to attract candidates, top talent and make them want to join the team and its values.

For whom?

Internal communication, as the name suggests, goes from the company to its staff. It is therefore intended for each of its members. The idea is not to format but to educate, to transmit. In the long term, his work will influence your external communication. A good company culture, supported by good internal communication, must have an impact on the working conditions, well-being and beliefs of its employees (yes, I know, I’m painting a somewhat idyllic picture, but we must always educate with the best possible examples, right?)

The different forms of internal communication

Motivational communication

Keeping your teams motivated, despite the time and difficulties your company may face, is a real challenge. This type of communication is therefore intended to encourage the involvement of your troops. It’s top-down communication.

Contrary to what we see too often in the business world, at least what I learn from my experience is that you have to convey information to engage your teams. In France there is this famous culture of secrecy. We don’t reveal much to our employees and hope that, in exchange, they don’t spread anything about what is done internally. It is also the famous duty of confidentiality of the public official, for example.

However, if you want to empower your teams, you have to keep them informed about your projects, about the future, about what’s to come, otherwise engagement is absolutely not possible.

I remember an executive who asked me to counteract the rumors that were heard in the corridors of the company. There were all sorts of discussions about the future of the company, whether we would be sold, etc. Team morale was at its lowest, the break room had gone dark, and everyone was waiting for an announcement in the days or weeks to come. This framework therefore asked me to oppose these voices, without any material to reassure. I then advised him to silence the rumors, rather than foolishly cultivate secrecy, that it was enough to open up a little and communicate what was really happening behind the scenes.

Francophone leadership is often caricatured: “I am the boss, follow and achieve.” If you want employees and collaborators who believe in you, in your values, if you want this to shine through in relationships with customers, you will have to review this obsolete and very contemptuous diagram.

Operational communication

These are all exchanges carried out internally to communicate the functioning of a system, quality standards, production processes, safety or performance criteria, etc. It is also downward communication.

Interpersonal communication

This communication goes in all directions, ascending, descending, horizontal, in short it is a natural communication between the members of your organization and which is not controlled. It brings better social cohesion among employees and contributes, if positive, to the overall performance of your teams.

Internal communication is at the service of company strategy

As the company evolves and its internal strategy evolves, internal communication will play an important role. In fact, rather than imposing a new will, internal communication will try to explain, to impose through explanation, to convince to guide individual and collective action: «This way of doing things is the best because…». This communication will then pass from the General Management to the managers, then from the managers to the various departments.

How to communicate internally?

Perhaps your way of managing will have to evolve, because it is obvious that to give meaning to values ​​and make them credible it is necessary for them to be applied at all levels of the company hierarchy. Next, try boiling down your organization’s philosophy and identity into one sentence. This will be the slogan of your teams and perhaps also that of your external communication. Here are some examples:

Think different : It is an invitation to customers but also to Apple staff to think differently and overturn the standards. This is a good example of exporting internal communication. Through this message, the public receives the message that at Apple we are trying to produce something different.

A milestone, a team on the road to success : There is a given direction, a team and this together will directly lead to success. Re-motivating slogan par excellence, the objective is clear: to get everyone back in the same direction and rediscover the desire to win.

Working for a better life, for a better world for everyone : Whatever this company’s business sector, we understand that ambitions are important: to make the world a better place.

We can therefore think that internal communication focuses everything on values ​​aimed at contributing to this, and that therefore employees can also benefit from a better life within the company. To spread your message, you can benefit from different channels:

• – Economic newspaper
• – Company blogs and forums (the forum offers the advantage of allowing employees to express themselves. It is better for the company if they do this internally rather than on external platforms.)
• – A brochure
• – The website, with why not, a section reserved for the staff
• – News,…

Corporate culture

This deserves an article of its own because the topic is so dense. Internal communication is the medium, as I said before, but there are several components that will shape it. It is also very difficult, especially when the company has grown in importance, to completely change it. The company culture is based on:

• – the directors of the company and its founders: some brand the company, for better or worse. Mark Zukerberg, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, etc. These charismatic figures have had a clear impact on the company.
• – values ​​and standards you impose: respond within 24 hours, for example.
• – rites: the organization of an event announcing a new product, a company trip always on the same date, etc.
• – the history of the company: the different battles that the company has gone through, the difficult moments, some events that happened within the company, etc. The history of HP and Apple, for example, began in a garage.
• – symbols: the logo, of course, a mascot, etc.
• – quantity of other carriers how geographic and economic location will also influence the color of the company.

The challenges of internal communication are therefore numerous: motivated, involved and therefore more efficient employees, better internal atmosphere, better profits, etc. The company is one of the places where we spend the most time, it is therefore essential that our working life is as pleasant as possible and that we can thrive there. And you, how are things at home?