occurs between individuals in an organisation
leaders, managers and employees � or peer-to-peer, from leader-to-leader or
employee-to-employee, f
ommitted to achieving business results
improve collaboration, productivity and performance
deliver your business strategy by supporting the beliefs, behaviours and culture
results are very real and measurable.
productivity and profitability rates that are much higher
successful communication in the workplace is achieved by:
Understanding employee audiences and stakeholders, and business objectives and
outcomes, to improve employee engagement.
.compelling employee communication strategy aligned to the business strategy, with
the right structure and skills to deliver these.
.Equipping leaders and managers to shape employee behaviours and attitudes, and
drive business results.
.Choosing channels and messages that educate and inspire each employee to deliver
on organisational goals.
.Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication to demonstrate ROI, secure
and sustain investment, and inform strategic planning.-
Strategic planning
helps ensure your internal communication function stays relevant and responsive
hrough monitoring progress, assessing results and developing new programs.
1. The Present Situation
currently stands and where it is intending to g
A big picture view of the current position
SWOT analysis
2. Learning from Key Stakeholders
Set up Interviews with Internal Customers to Priorities
. Acknowledge the Need:
what your stakeholder has asked for,
Ask Questions to Understand the Stakeholder�s Purpose
what they want to achieve
Uncover Potential Barriers
Making the Change Which actions or changes would make the fastest or most
significant contribution to the aim
Closing the Loop I
3. Vision of the Future
how you want the internal communication function to look, feel and operate a year
from now
key stakeholders to envision the future state of the organisation
Categorise ideas:
? Content, tools and channels
? Structure, processes
? Leaders and managers
? Partnerships
? Metrics
? Internal communication (IC) team
? Reputation and impact
? Role
? Global and other.
Group together three or four similar key themes using a sticky note for each of the
categories.
4. Prioritise the Vision Ideas
Working with the group, identify and review a handful of the items from Step 3 that
are most important to the business and function
ssess current performance
get a clear picture of the success of all key enablers,
ompared to their relative importanc
stakeholders are in a position to decide on the most important activities
items or essential activities that make the initiative a success should be
separated from the outcomes or those items that will be the product of successful
execution of that activity.
Ask each stakeholder to vote on which items or essential activities they think are
the most important for achieving the desired outcomes.
Ask the group to rate the remaining top items on two scales of 1�10:
How successful are we today at achieving this vision element?
How important is this vision element to achieving our desired outcome?
5. Develop the Action Plans
Each should have specific �end points� to allow the measurement of success and
consider available allocated to achieve the goa
focus on closing that gap
each objective is SMART.
6. Develop and Prioritise Potential Strategies and Tactics
Brainstorm a range of potential strategies
Organise strategies into categories and consolidate similar suggestions.
discuss the merits of each strategy proposed
7. Define Metrics, Timelines and Responsibilities
Create the detail behind those strategies and tactics
how success will be measured, the timeframe and who will be responsible
Metrics: How will success on this strategy/tactic be measured
desired outcome from the strategy/tactic?+
Timelines: When should it start and when should it be finished by?
Timelines: When should it start and when should it be finished by?
There are four different types of measurable objectives:
Financial impact on organisational goals
Audience actions
Audience perceptions
Your communication activities.
Through focus groups and manager interviews, identify what your target audience
currently knows and what it needs to know/believe to execute those actions
Ask staff what they would ideally like to know
Ask executives what they believe staff should know.
This helps identify what perceptions need to change to embed new behaviours and
determines who needs to do what.
8. Develop Strategic and Tactical Plans
Consolidate ideas your planning sessions integrate into a document with clear
responsibilities
Work with stakeholders and team members to clarify the finer details of each part
of the pl
9. Implementation and the Future
Implementation is only the beginning of a long process of activity, measurement,
re-evaluation and re-strategising.
determine regular review cycles for all phases of the plan
reviewed in a group meeting once every quarter, a
hange the plan, as necessary, according to these review cycles;
Monitor timing; roles and responsibilities
any particular attention to drawing out �road blocks� and highlight areas where the
plan failed to deliver.
Good staff communication is essential to business success.
Even when the best systems are in place, good communication within the organisation
may still rely on how the message is conveyed. Strive to be transparent and
straightforward about the challenges of your business and even about your
organisation�s financials. This will foster trust and understanding. What staff
must learn and understand is that you must take risks. They won�t be able to
understand the risk until they understand the business.
Informal meetings with the people who report to you serve as excellent occasions to
check on their progress as well as identify problems before they escalate, and so
can be a powerful motivational tool. Another good way to reinforce goals and
uncover potential obstacles is to have a brief meeting (often called tailgate
meetings) possibly at the start of the day. This meeting is often conducted
standing in an open space; it should not last more than 10 or 15 minutes.
The way in which you communicate can often be just as important as the substance of
that communication.
Evaluate your Own Abilities
A dominant, confident individual can probably run a good meeting and offer their
own opinions while keeping people focused. On the other hand, someone who is too
dominant might discourage creative input from others. Personality assessments, such
as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the DISC evaluation, can help managers get a
handle on their own strengths and weaknesses. These evaluations are often best done
in groups so the contrast between types is vivid and the team develops strategies
to work more effectively.
Sharpen Your Message
It is said that individuals usually remember about three to five points from any
message. This is a good reason to keep your message short and sharp. This is
especially true if your message is being delivered by email or memo. Your
conclusions or main points belong at the top as bullet points. If forced to conduct
longer meetings try to keep the audience engaged with a compelling item or action
every few minutes.
Recognise Good Work
If your message is always negative, it won�t be heard. Balance criticism with
compliments. Do this by thanking staff personally for their efforts, and hold up
their behaviour as an example to the organisation.
Prepare for Meetings
Whether your meeting is one on one or in a group, plan what you are going to say
and how you will say it. It�s important to tailor the delivery to the audience.
Understand Unspoken Signals
Body language can undermine a spoken message. Calling a subordinate into your
office emphasises your hierarchical advantage and could affect the dynamics of your
conversation while visiting an employee in his office, on the other hand,
emphasises collegiality and could result in more open discussion.
Follow up
When a message needs reinforcement, follow up afterward with a memo or note that
recapitulates the conversation.
Interpersonal styles
Listening to Your Staff
two-way street.
Create formal feedback mechanisms
Establish a Mechanism for Input
egular two-way dialogue and engaging employees
Take Input Seriously Obtaining but not using staff input can actually make things
worse.
Check Management Attitude
Reward Feedback
Medium
