Internal Communications Fundamentals

Welcome to the Introduction to Internal Communications Fundamentals online training offering by Intraskope. My name is Aniisu K Verghse and I am an award-winning internal communications leader, author, speaker and trainer with over 20 years of experience with global and Indian organizations. My mission is to help organizations and individuals discover their best selves through effective communications. Since 2006 I have blogged on this topic at Intraskope (www.aniisu.com) to help practitioners, academicians and students get stronger with this subject.

In this course we will explore the basics of internal communications and what it means for the organization, practitioners and employees. Companies that communicate effectively are much more likely to report high levels of employee engagement than firms that don’t. There are simple to understand chapters, lessons and hands-on exercises apart from quizzes and insights to help you gain insights on this evolving function.

In this presentation we will cover what internal communications means, the purpose, how it adds value and what are some of the trends in this domain.

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Irrespective of the size or form of the organization you work with or have interacted you may have already experienced pieces of internal communications – be it messages on a noticeboard, the posters on the walls, an e-mail, a newsletter, a message on an internal social platform or a mobile app for sharing updates and news.

Over the years internal communications has evolved as a practice – from a traditional domain which publishes information to that which embraces technology and involves employees to partner and support communication within the organization. Internal communication is known to deliver effective business results though implementing practical models, strategies and policies. It is a function just like public relations, investor relations, corporate social responsibility, branding or marketing.

In the State of the Sector study, communicators have called out their role in highlighting the corporate strategy and values, enhancing two-way dialogue, driving change and sharing corporate messages are crucial actions in their everyday work.

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Internal communications is among the fastest growing functions in the public relations/corporate communication domains. According to the Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) study by Strategic Communication and Public Relations Center at University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, the function is gaining in strength.

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Strategic internal communications has a significant impact on the organizational bottom-line. From improving team cohesion to connecting employees to the purpose, driving engagement to enhancing the work environment, the strong relationship between internal communications and corporate performance is established.

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Internal communication has many purposes - it helps create understanding of strategy and direction, supports organizational change, encourages 2-way communication, keeps employees informed of company news, builds company pride, enables employee voice and helps employees to live the values. These are just a few of the many reasons for conducting internal communication. Is practiced because research points to the fact that employees who are committed to the organization, identify personally with it and are concerned about the future of their workplace are more likely to be loyal and pursue its success. Internal communication today is more about dialogue as compared to just getting the message across. It is about including all stakeholders in the process of communicating and also measuring the value and impact it makes. There is an increased appreciation of the role of employees in internal communications. In fact, it is understood that every employee — active or retired — is involved with public relations in some way or the other, and therefore their role is crucial for the success of the organization.

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Internal communication teams are able to keep employee informed and those organizations which had teams were able to substantially increase understanding of company plans, people practices and policies, connection to the purpose and much more

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There is a science and art behind the progression for internal communicators to become trusted partners. It takes time, consistent effort and a range of skills to be demonstrate value and gain the respect of stakeholders and be credible for your work. Based on the extent of need and the extent of solutions provided, internal communicators go through an escalator of roles – from distributor to craftsman, from technical advisor to consultant and finally a coach. The journey expects the internal communicator to be gaining experience, seeking challenges and engaging stakeholders consistently.

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Among the key skills needed by internal communicators are strategic thinking, business acumen and influencing capabilities. The expectations are that the core foundational skills of writing, presenting and creativity will be a given.

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Internal communication relates to any form of communication within an organization and examples of that include posters on noticeboards to social media interactions internally. Even gossip or watercooler conversations are also considered as internal communications. Mapping initiatives and prioritizing them based on impact and effort can help improve effectiveness

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The commonly accepted roles of the internal communications function is to develop a sense of trust, respect, commitment and belonging. It is also expected to gain buy-in and effectively communicate the purpose business goals and engagement. Research by Gartner indicates that effective internal communications which connects employees’ goals with the organization’s plans can increase productivity by 10%

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• In sum, internal communications is crucial to the success of organizations. It is strategic and impacts how organizations perform, improves culture and drives engagement. Internal communicators need to be valued partners and invest in growing skills and competencies. All employees are communicators and stakeholders and their role is essential for the success of internal communications

Read Article | Trust, Involve and Get Out of the Way

Organizations worldwide are struggling to cope with dwindling levels of employee engagement. Just 15% of working adults feel engaged at the workplace. Reasons for this trend include their inability to change with how the world is shaping, limited understanding of technology and social upheavals taking place, globalization of markets and the inability to gauge the expectations of younger employees, who continue to be a sizable part the workforce worldwide. Trust across platforms continues to slide and CEOs believe their top priority is to rebuild trust among stakeholders.

However, that is one part of the problem. Erosion of trust cuts both ways – with not just employees losing faith in organizations. The rise in internal fraud and white collar crime has resulted in organizations viewing employees with suspicion. 55% of cases of fraud occurred at companies with fewer than 100 employees and the average loss is about USD 1.3 million, according to an estimate. For example, in the United States, the biggest area of retail store fraud remains employee theft with a survey conducted citing it as the number one area of store loss.

Another factor is the deep state of conformity that exists in organizations – where employees are expected to toe the line and not be authentic at work. About 49% of employees surveyed in a study feel they need to conform in organizations. Also, just 10% of employee who participated in another research study felt that companies encouraged non-conformity.

Does employee involvement lead to better results? Why care about it?

Read the attached pdf to know more.

Welcome to the Key Principles segment of the Internal Communications Fundamentals online training course offered by Intraskope.

In this module we will explore the key principles, what are the nuances of it and how can practitioners and leaders gain from elevating the function.

In this module, we will cover how internal communications works, what a plan looks like, how are audiences and channels mapped and also some cases to reflect on.