How can you create an internal communication policy?

Start by evaluating existing communication processes within your organization. Identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Gather feedback from employees at all levels to understand their communication needs and challenges.

Para criar uma política de comunicação interna eficaz, é crucial começar compreendendo a cultura organizacional e identificando claramente objetivos e público-alvo. Defina os canais de comunicação a serem utilizados, como e-mails, intranet e reuniões, especificando a frequência e o timing ideais. Certifique-se de alinhar a política aos valores da empresa, promovendo uma comunicação consistente e alinhada com os objetivos organizacionais. A transparência e a clareza devem ser prioridades para garantir que as informações sejam transmitidas de maneira eficiente e compreensível para todos os colaboradores.

Clearly outline the objectives of your internal communication policy. What do you hope to achieve through improved communication? Common objectives may include enhancing employee engagement, fostering collaboration, disseminating important information, and aligning employees with organizational goals.

When evaluating which channels and tools to use we asked our employees what they preferred. We did this as a part of one of our employee surveys. This solidified what we thought employees wanted, but including them in the process helped bring them into the discussion.

Define the communication channels that will be used to disseminate information internally. This may include email, intranet portals, newsletters, team meetings, instant messaging platforms, and social media groups. Consider the needs and preferences of different employee groups when selecting communication channels.

Prioritize the most critical messages that directly impact daily operations or strategic objectives. Consider segmenting your audience based on their roles, departments, or interests to tailor content accordingly and avoid bombarding everyone with irrelevant information. Establish a regular schedule for communication, but be mindful of the frequency to prevent saturation. Ensure that each communication serves a specific purpose and delivers actionable insights or valuable updates. Utilize various channels such as emails, newsletters, intranet platforms, and team meetings to diversify communication methods and accommodate different preferences.

Setting the tone and style for internal communications in a small business is paramount to fostering a cohesive and professional environment. Begin by defining the organization's values, culture, and brand identity, ensuring that communications reflect these principles. Choose a tone that aligns with the company's personality, whether it's formal, informal, friendly, or authoritative. Consistency is key, so establish guidelines for language, grammar, and formatting to maintain a unified voice across all communication channels. Encourage transparency, clarity, and positivity in all communications to build trust and engagement among employees.

This is one of the most important steps in a communications plan and it is often skipped. It's understandable, communicators need to share specific information vital to the organization, whether employees are interested or not. But understanding your audience is the key to effective communications. That is how communications become strategic rather than just informative. That's how communicators become strategic leaders with the power to improve the organization.

You're not an island. Building relationships and cultivating communications influencers will provide allies that can support change and provide different perspectives. In my book, it is the most important thing you can do to be an effective communicator.

When scaling a communications program and creating policy for the first time, it's common to get push-back while limiting access to all-company channels. This is where your research will pay off! Remember to use real-life examples or pain points from your research to help alleviate this friction (e.g., "Our research says that the average employee gets 20+ mass internal emails per day. With this new approach, we hope to cut this down to five per week!").