Internal communication is a term that many businesses are focusing on nowadays. But what exactly is internal communication? Why is it so attractive? How can internal communication be effective? The following article will shed light on these questions.
What is Internal Communication?
Firstly, let’s understand the concept of internal communication together. Simply put, it is the dissemination of information between departments within an organization, whether it’s a for-profit business or a non-profit organization. This process requires involvement from all levels and units within the organization.
Which Department is Responsible for Internal Communication?
This is always a contentious issue between the PR and Human Resources departments. Both have their own specialties related to internal communication. The PR department is undoubtedly the most knowledgeable about communication and is specialized in promoting communication activities to achieve the highest effectiveness. However, a contentious issue arises because, although the PR department may not have full expertise in communication, the HR department manages the information of all members within the organization, holding the emotions and needs of employees within the business. So, ultimately, which department is responsible for internal communication?
According to survey results, 53% of respondents believe that internal communication is one of the tasks of HR and is a human resources campaign.
Perhaps this is the truth because the core task of the HR department is still centered around employees. For the PR department, it’s different—sometimes, employees in this department may be unfamiliar with the voices and actions within the organization.
To excel in internal communication, organizations should have a designated person responsible for this task. This person must have deep understanding of the organization, knowing the internal issues within their own business. Additionally, they must be influential among all other employees, enabling them to contribute to the decision-making process of the entire company from the outset.
Common Misconceptions about Internal Communication
Internal communication is the culture of the business
We need to distinguish clearly between internal communication and the culture of the business. The corporate culture is an asset, the essence, and the image of the company. Employees are the ones who contribute to showcasing these cultural aspects. Internal communication, on the other hand, is the dissemination of these cultures to employees, helping them to maintain it.
Internal Communication and In-House PR are the same
In-house PR is understood as the PR team of a business. In-house PR is used to differentiate the PR team of the business from external PR companies or teams. Internal communication is a part of all the tasks of the in-house PR team.
Unclear distinction between internal communication and HR management activities
HR management includes tasks such as recruitment, data management, candidates, and employees within the organization, employee training plans, office supply management, etc. Unlike HR management, internal communication involves building communication campaigns within the company to create cohesion among employees, organizing events, and circulating publications within the organization. Simply put, HR management is about recruiting and managing employees, while internal communication is about conveying information and connecting those employees.
Internal communication is organizing events or arts for employees
Of course, to have effective internal communication, events or arts for employees are indispensable. However, this is just one part of the internal communication process. In addition, communication skills or soft skills related to relationship building will help create many benefits and be more suitable for your business.
Key Points in Internal Communication
Listen to Employees
One way to increase the success rate of your internal communication programs is to know how to listen. Listen closely and intimately to your employees. You can create after-hours stories to erase the distance between employees. Additionally, listening will help employees have a more positive attitude towards contributing ideas to leaders, contributing to the development of the entire company.
Identify the Right Communication Channels
In addition to communication goals and content, identifying the right communication channels is also a crucial decision. To optimize communication effectiveness, you need to identify your own communication channels. In addition to channels such as the company’s website or the Enterprise Portal, you need to explore more external communication channels that help employees easily access and receive information quickly.
Face-to-Face Meetings
Meeting face-to-face is one of the best options you can choose. Meeting face-to-face allows us to create better connections with our teams, and face-to-face meetings also help reduce the risk of misinterpretation and help employees clearly perceive their attitudes.
Publicize Common Goals
Publicizing the goals of the company, teams, and individuals within the company is crucial in creating motivation for employees. Each employee in the company needs to see their own goals and others’ goals to be able to increase interaction between employees, strive together to create value for the company.
Increase Two-Way Interaction
Internal communication is not just about employees bonding with each other, it’s also a tool for leaders to understand their employees’ thoughts and feelings. Effective internal communication in a business is demonstrated through communication and two-way interaction between leaders and their employees.
Especially in the current context of information technology development, social networks will help reduce the time spent on interaction in the company. Thus, managers have more opportunities to understand and adjust activities suitable for overall development.
Effective Tools for Building Internal Communication Plans
Build Communication Channels for Smartphones
With the development of information technology today, especially smartphones, companies should pay attention to developing additional communication channels to help employees quickly access information via smartphones. Especially with the habit of using phones regularly, developing a communication channel through smartphones will help employees access information anywhere, anytime, and the effectiveness of your internal communication programs will increase significantly.
Utilize Videos
Videos are usually very attractive to viewers, and they are also a place where you can effectively convey your message. It would be very difficult to find a better communication tool than videos right now. You can use videos to replace boring text information to increase the interest in your internal communication messages.
Use Online Communication Tools
Employees are no longer required to participate in long business trips or meetings to update information. Instead, it’s online meetings and conferences. This is one of the ways you can save costs for communication and ensure accurate information is conveyed.
Some online tools you can refer to include Skype, Google Meet, or Zoom.
Use Internal Social Networks
You might be quite surprised because you don’t know what benefits social networks have in the workplace. But workplace social networks like Slack or Facebook Workplace are very effective places for employees to communicate and interact with each other at work instead of sitting all day waiting for emails.
Organize Internal Events
In addition to traditional communication methods, word of mouth is one of the ways to quickly and effectively communicate news. However, if employees in the company don’t know each other, the information won’t spread. This is the key. Employees need to interact and socialize with each other to make the information spread. A party, a trip, or a dinner date after work can be all you need to create opportunities for your employees to interact and bond with each other more.
Above are some essential information about internal communication. A strong collective is a cohesive, united group. So why hesitate to build an internal communication plan for your organization now? Good luck with your upcoming plans.
