Great internal comms – the secret superpower!
By Angela Bensemann
We’ve all worked in those places where doors are shut, secret conversations are held, and no one knows what’s really going on. Morale is low, everyone is suspicious and they’re all just looking out for number one.
Yes, there are times for confidential conversations and yes there are instances where not everyone needs to know everything. But for a company or organisation to thrive conversations need to take place and communication needs to be clear, concise and timely.
As Mark Sanborn says: “In teamwork, silence isn’t golden…it’s deadly.”
Large organisations have to work hard to make sure everyone is across what is happening and know where they can go for more information and ask questions.
You might think that internal communications would be much easier for small companies but you’d be surprised how that’s often not the case. You may fall into the trap of assuming that because it’s in your head and you know it that the rest of the team automatically know what’s expected. Regardless of the size of your organisation or business you need to have good systems in place to ensure communication happens regularly and is a two-way street.
So what are the keys to ensuring internal communications becomes your superpower?
Lead the charge and be approachable – as a leader there is no kudos in being aloof, authoritarian, and difficult to approach
The best communicating big wig I ever worked with used to walk around the building stopping at desks chatting to people to see what they were working on, see how things were going and offer advice and support. His door literally was always open, and his staff loved him. All the second and third tier managers adopted the same approach, and the organisation was cohesive, everyone working with a sense of purpose towards a shared goal.
The worst communicating CEO I ever worked with had a well enforced shut-door policy. If you wanted to have a conversation with him, you needed to submit a memo in a specified type of folder with a specified type of paper clip attaching the specified number of papers together. He was terrifying and we were all terrified of him – no one had any kind of professional working relationship with him – he was an enigma to be feared. And the culture within that organisation; absolutely terrible. Woe betide anyone who ever made a mistake. The culture of fear was palpable on every level of the building and despite pockets of good eggs – there were numerous rotten eggs making work life intolerable.
No surprises!
Maybe we like spontaneity and unpredictability in our personal lives but in the workplace our governance boards, elected officials and senior managers do not like surprises. The first rule of thumb in any internal communications strategy is that the right people find out in the right order. Your CEO does not want to be hearing about the latest share drop, staff scandal or monumental stuff up through the media.
Use communication channels that actually work and are appropriate for the information you are trying to get across
It can be really challenging in large diverse workplaces that find tools that work for everyone and indeed several different mechanisms may need to be used. Nothing beats face-to-face meetings or briefings but if you have shift workers across multiple sites it’s just not that easy. And if you use some type of text based messaging system – is that really the best was to dispersing long and complicated information about the latest implications of the pandemic?
Be consistent
Consistent in how regularly you provide updates, consistent in the type of language you use and consistent in the messages you give out. That consistency needs to permeate through every tier of communications.
Do what you say you will, when you say you will
This is a case of action speaks louder than words. Credibility and respect are earnt when your team know they can rely on what you say.
And if things aren’t going to plan…
Let people know what’s going on, explain the issues and what’s being done to sort things out. If you’re upfront people understand. It’s also a good example of leading by example so your team can be upfront with you in return.
And number one of what not to do!
Don’t drop bad news at Christmas time
There’s never a good time to drop bad news about restructures, layoffs or redundancies but some timing is definitely worse than others. Yes I have had Board members arguing the case for advising people they are being laid off at Christmas time. Terrible idea – why? Because people have forked out thousands on holidays and presents on the basis that they have ongoing employment to cover their costs. It’s a terrible time to be looking for a new job and it’s an awful cloud to be hanging over the family over the summer break.
If you want help with your internal communications get in touch today.
