The first thing to note is that in order to carry out strategies that improve internal communication, the results of an assessment of the work environment must be available.
There are three components that the communication strategy must contain (Paul Capriotti):
Attribution of responsibilities
It is recommended that the dircom (director of communication) be the one to exercise it when the company is large, however in medium and small companies it must be assumed by an executive whose relationship is either to the personnel management or to the communication management, although said Alternatives present advantages and disadvantages as we see below.
Responsible linked to the Personnel Management
Advantage:
- It is known terrain: it is based on a good knowledge of the employees. Area of parallel activities: personnel management and internal communication pursue complementary objectives.
Disadvantages:
Potential conflicts: your efforts and your priorities will not necessarily be consistent.
Balance:
You must plan with a double condition:
- That internal communication is not treated as a by-product of personnel policy That is not limited to the gross dissemination of information
Responsible linked to the Communication Directorate
Advantage:
- A more seductive style: the proximity of a communication service is more attractive than that of a Personnel Department, often austere. Harmonization of messages outside and inside the company.
Disadvantages:
- Danger: the company runs the risk of practicing a second-hand policy, contenting itself with applying internally designed operations to the external.
Balance:
- Good solution in the framework of a large company sufficiently mature in terms of communication.
The main function of this person in charge is to encourage the participation of people with the highest prescription within the company in communication processes.
The conception of the messages
Internal information must take precedence, any community action abroad must be preceded by communication within the company. For this, in addition, the information that will go abroad is recommended that it be disseminated by internal channels two or three days before being made public.
The keys to making the message effective are:
- Communicated with diligence, to eliminate the informational deformation generated by the rumor. Simple, to guarantee general understanding. New, if it is to attract interest. Selective, to guide you towards the facts that really motivate your communication.
The choice of instruments
For this, three variables must be considered:
- The content of the message, considering its complexity and length. If it is complex and long, audiovisual supports offer good results to the extent that they allow structured narration and also when incorporating graphics. Also for these cases, written supports are useful as long as the target audience is considered, as well as their ability to understand and their reading habit. If the nature of the content is more social, it is best that the channel be oral. The recipient's profile: which will help us choose the appropriate medium for internal communication. The segmentation of the audience is directly proportional to the effectiveness of the communication: the more homogeneous the groups of receivers, the more specific the communication may be, not only in its conceptual aspects but also in its formal ones. The desired effect, considering five priority effects: the correct understanding of the content of the message, deformation or risk introducing communicative noises, memorization, preserving information for a long period of time and the economic cost of communication.
