Prioritise Your Internal Communication

Communication is a tricky thing and can be easily mis-managed by management, team members and even external stakeholders.

Companies are getting increasingly better at communicating effectively to external parties, but whilst eDMs, newsletters, social media posts and social events are easily organised and well maintained, internal communication can tend to suffer.

How do you avoid this?

The first thing is to be consciously aware that it could be happening and identify how and where to fix it.

Some tell tale signs of broken internal communication can consist of the following:

Divides between departmental teams
Divides between staff - when one staff member in a team knows everything and others are left out
Ineffective customer service - customers being aware of special promos, events, opportunities etc before staff

These broken links can stem from a number of different areas including:

Out dated communication methods
Management and leading team members not communicating with wider teams post meetings/catch-ups/de-briefs
Too many chiefs with conflicting messages (think Chinese Whispers)
Focus on external messaging outweighs any internal communication
‘Too busy’ environments.

These things could even be happening without you knowing, so take some time to listen and watch how communication is circulating throughout your business.

What is the solution?

Get good at communication. Make it a priority amongst other static tasks you undertake weekly. By identifying where the gaps are, you can tailor your remedy.

Ideas include weekly team huddles with purpose, clarity and goals, internal messaging which could look like an eDM. Smaller team meetings post management or higher team meetings, even simple communication amongst teams on what the priorities are for the week, what the outcomes are and who needs to know, will get you started.

Effective internal communication enhances a better culture, makes people feel important and ensures everyone is on the same page. Happy teams are productive teams!

For assistance with any internal or external communications, you can contact me! Email emma@ducksoupcommunications.com.au to get started today!