A Cat's Guide to Internal Communications

Don't overload me - I'm busy enough already

If you've got something to say, keep it brief!

Communication is useless without an audience

• Building a audience participation is a critical part of effective internal communications.

• Segment your audience so messages are relevant

Schedule Internal Communicationsfor times I am more likely to be receptive

Know your employees and when the best time to communicate to them is.

Don't forget the pictures

Plain old text is tedious. Remember the white spaces and visuals to keep my attention.

Bite sized communications are easy to digest and less distracting

Assumed knowledge can be detrimental

• Employees may have tunnel vision, new employees may not know, old employees may have forgotten.

• Re-communicate things that may seem obvious to you. And avoid Acronyms.

The rise of mobile devices

• Consider mobile users as part of your internal communications plan.

• Tip: don't just send everything, staff may have different information needs when they are mobile, identify what they are and optimize content to suit).

Regular updates can be important, even if there is nothing new to say.

During a situation like an IT outage or during a restructure, regular communication is important. Let employees know when they will next receive an update (even if there is nothing new to say).

There are always some you can't reach… No matter how hard you try

No matter how good internal communications are… There will always be some individuals you can't reach.

Message cut through for critical communications

Keep some communications channels (like desktop alerts and SMS) in reserve for emergencies and other situations when fast and effective message cut through is required.

User Adoption Communication - start simple!

Not everyone is on the same level with technological know-how, so it's important to start simple.

Don't assume us oldies are techno-phobic

We put man on the moon! You may just need to take a little longer to show us how to use new communication tools because we didn't grow up with computers.

Let's get some perspective!

Digital comms are an enabler but face to face will never be obsolete.

Internal Communication is all about the getting messages through to people

So make sure you have a way to measure success of your messages and ask employees if they have any ideas for improvement

The End