Internal communications and engagement
Need some help keeping on the front foot with your internal communications strategy? Looking to add some oomph to your narratives, key messaging and channels? Trust us to be the extra heads – and hands – that’ll power your day-to-day comms.
Why are internal communications important?
They’re the direct route to getting your people fired up, revved up and joined up across your organisation.
We get a buzz out of unravelling clients’ internal communications challenges. Weaving together the golden threads that will inspire, excite and get the best out of people.
That’s the power of internal communications. With science as the backbone of every programme, we blend behavioural theory with creative ideas to grasp attention – and keep hold of it.
We know that every single organisation is totally different from any other. Sure, there are similarities. There are trends. We can recognise challenges that we’ve tackled dozens of times before. But internal comms truly flourish when we discover – and consider – the unique, nuanced character of a company.
So many personalities. Cultures. Geographies. Every business is as unique as the people within it. We partner with organisations worldwide to uncover the messages that matter. Expressed in ways that resonate – in every language.
So for those who may not know, what exactly is internal communication?
Internal communication is the way organisations share information with their employees.
It includes the processes and approaches they use to distribute news, updates, and information, and receive and hear feedback and insights from employees. Good internal communication will ensure employees, wherever they are, know and understand company goals, developments and plans.
Sounds simple? Not always. With a plethora of different internal channels from email to Zoom meetings, Townhalls and everything in between now available in most organisations, it can be a complex choice.
Choosing what to communicate through which channels, and making sure it’s delivered in the right way, is now more important than ever before. That’s internal communication in a nutshell.
Where should I start with my internal communication strategy?
We like to start by getting under the skin of our clients’ organisation with an immersion into your world of internal communication.
So we might recommend a channel audit – that involves accounting for every channel that’s currently being used by your employees, from top to bottom.
This includes all internal communication channels being used by the leadership, middle managers and all employees – we’ll need to know about everything. We’ll need your help to point them all out to us and then we’ll get exploring. We’ll be on a mission to find out how they’re being used, for what and why.
We’ll explore any insights, research, metrics or response levels you may have to hand that will help us paint a picture of what’s working and what might need some more thinking.
And then we’ll link these findings to your goals and objectives and recommend approaches and actions to help you to meet them.
How can I improve internal communication?
So many factors can go into improving internal communications.
We would always recommend setting clear goals, which involves having an understanding of your current internal communication landscape. And then being clear about where you want to get to and why.
Key to powerful internal communication is having a deep understanding of the employee groups that exist in your organisation, their attitudes, behaviours and expectations. You can then develop internal communication programmes and campaigns in a way that’s relevant and engaging to your employees.
We’re also big advocates of internal communication measurement. It’s often seen as one part of the communications mix that’s a tough nut to crack – though we beg to differ! We recommend a number of measurement tools and approaches to our clients that means they always have a clear picture of impact and performance for each campaign or programme.
Every organisation is unique and every challenge that we support our clients with is different. So often, the best place to start is a conversation. Why not get in touch and we can start a conversation about your internal communication and what you’re looking to achieve?
Want people to connect with a new vision and strategy? Then you need them to own it
They involve us in their world and it truly is a collaborative process. I appreciated their honesty, ideas, energy, knowledge and skills.
Anna Harvatt – ARCO
Enhance your employee engagement.
And you’ll be rewarded with energised colleagues who are hungry to bring your ambitions to life.
Ever felt left in the dark or banished to the sidelines? This is how it feels to be disengaged and out of the loop. So let’s create a conversation everyone wants to get involved with.
Giving your people a voice makes them feel valued. And listening to what they say is equally important. It sparks conversations that’ll light up your organisation. From solid thinking and design to digital solutions and gamification, we’ll make your internal communications and employee engagement dazzle.
Get it right, and doesn’t matter where your people are located. If colleagues are office-based, working from home, or a nifty blend of the two – great internal comms will help them to feel connected and appreciated. And that’s good news for managers tasked with inspiring remote teams, too.
Transcending work spaces may be new for many businesses, who have rapidly had to change the way they work, think and communicate. But many of the organisations we work with have long been widely dispersed across sites or global locations. Their people work different shift patterns, speak multiple languages, and might be based in the office, jetting across the world or clocking up miles behind the wheel. Engaging with them all, and making them feel part of one team, has always been a challenge. And some of the world’s biggest brands have built their success on meeting that challenge head-on. We know – we’ve partnered with them.
Our Team
Animators, influencers, designers, innovators, strategists, psychologists, master coaches, L&D gurus, a peacock called Colin … and a toad.
Liz
Client Experience Partner
Nukhet
Client Experience Partner: PRINT®
Moh
Finance Manager
Carla
Designer
Sarah
Client Experience Partner
Helen
People and Operations Coordinator
Lynne
Designer
Amy
IC Manager
Natasha
Marketing & PR Manager
It’s how your people think and feel throughout their journey with your organisation. Give them a reason to relish it.
Check out our internal communications projects.
Anglo-American Case Study – Stand up for Safety
A game-changer for a police force on the move
When five become one. Bringing employees together behind a new single brand
The power of storytelling to unite and inspire global colleagues
Shifting behaviours. Transforming beliefs. Saving lives.
