7 ways to improve your internal communication channel

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Slide Notes

Technology has changed the way we consume information outside organisations, and it is natural that we want the same choices within. Companies that incorporate channel choice in their communication mix will win the war for engagement.

Here are 7 ways to incorporate greater choice in your employee communication approaches.

7 ways to improve your internal communication channel mix

Published on Apr 11, 2016

Communication channel choice is important to providing an engaging employee experience. Here are 7 ways to create greater choice. This is based on the article Changing channels: why employees demand freedom of information choice by Jonathan Champ

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

improving IC channels

7 ways to improve the mix

Choice is everywhere

Employees have communication choice OUTSIDE work

Digital channels and the media revolution they enabled have led to major changes in the way people communicate, consume information, and share interests and opinions.

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engaging

providing choice deepens engagement

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1. enable BYOD*

Bring your own device allows flexibility and productivity

Establish BYOD approaches that allow employees to access key communication and resources through tablets and smart phones. At minimum this includes accessing email, the intranet or employee portal.

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2. Mobilization

Optimize sites and apps for mobile and view anywhere user experience

Ensure intranets and business tools are optimised for mobile or turned into apps.

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3. Push and Pull

Ensure there are ways to opt in

Provide communication in a combination of push and pull channels. Employees are able to subscribe to email or SMS alerts on topics of interest, with less ‘all staff’ communication creating noise.

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4. connect your network

Use social tools internally for dialogue and community building

Empower employees to interact, provide feedback, collaborate and share information through enterprise social networks. Tools such as Slack, Yammer, Jive, IBM Connections and Sharepoint provide similar experiences as Facebook or LinkedIn within the company.

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5. Incorporate video

Mobile video means updates anytime
Shared mass messaging and local conversations

Employee channel strategies incorporate video to provide immediacy and credibility. With the growth in digital channels, opportunities to hear messages consistently and in an engaging way become a key part of the mix. Mobile video means employees can watch key updates on or off the job. Live broadcasts with questions from across the organisation ensure the most important messages are shared universally.

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6.Time shift and VOD*

*Video on demand
Second screens

Remote workers, telecommuters, shift workers, and the estimated 15–20% of employees away from work at any time are able to use tools such as enterprise social networks (groups and discussion threads) and video on demand to consume information at times that suit them.

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7. like like SHARE

social sharing is SOCIAL

Making the most of the social component of social media. Providing employees the tools to rate, recommend, comment and share content (such as documents and videos) builds trust and helps manage complexity. Experts within an organisation have a role as curators, sharing the most useful information.

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dialogue for context

Each channel has strengths and limitations
Face to face ties everything else together

The most effective mixed channel strategies:

Incorporate research to understand the preferences and user experience (UX) of employees to discover what will work best for them.
Provide a options for online, offline, mobile and subscription services.
Ensure two-way communication through discussions, groups or other micro-blogging tools.
Recognise the relative strengths of different channels and use the best channel for the outcome, rather than an generic ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Prioritise engaging media such as visuals and video to meet diverse audience preferences.

Photo by Adrian Snood

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