Internal communications encompass all of a company's communication initiatives aimed at its employees. Its aim is to circulate information and encourage dialogue between employees, in order to unite them around a common ambition. To communicate results, cultivate employees' sense of belonging, strengthen ties with their superiors or enrich the general atmosphere, communication remains a motivational and management tool. Find out more about the challenges and benefits of improving internal communications.
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Why improve internal communications?
Communicating well internally is a real challenge: the hybridization of work is turning the organization upside down, between telecommuting and on-site employees. To manage the dissemination of messages and integrate all employees, internal communication has become an area in which it is essential to invest.
Team-building
Improving internal communication remains essential, since employees are the driving force behind a company's success and the reflection of its brand image. Teams are more connected, albeit dispersed; employees remain more loyal, motivated and fulfilled, resulting in lower turnover. Whether on site or telecommuting, they get the same level of information and feel integrated: because the aim of internal communication is to foster commitment, by uniting people around shared values and objectives.
To add value to your company
Communicating is essential to the smooth running of a company, both internally and externally. Improving internal communication helps to establish a genuine corporate culture, enrich the company's identity and promote a positive employer brand. And better communication means a better quality of life at work: everyone feels important, aware of their role to play, and this is reflected externally.
To boost performance
Improving internal communications is the key to combating employee disengagement and declining productivity. Regardless of the size of the company, its activity and the budget allocated to communication, it is possible to deploy a strategy adapted to the expectations of employees, the main recipients of these actions. These measures will have a clear and significant impact on employee motivation, and even on results.
How can we improve internal communications?
There's no secret to improving internal communications: you need to invest human and financial resources. Discover the steps to follow to set up an effective and engaging internal communications strategy.
Conduct an audit to define clear objectives
What actions have already been taken and what actions need to be initiated? What tools and channels are available? To improve internal communications, a strategy needs to be drawn up, preceded by an assessment of the current situation. Since internal communication can only function with the commitment and involvement of employees, it is essential to survey them. Once the areas for improvement have been identified, it will be much easier to draw up a step-by-step plan.
Distinguish between different types of content and communication channels
Good communication relies on the right message being sent to the right audience. Not all information is useful for everyone, so it's essential to define the characteristics of your message and the most appropriate way of disseminating it. The idea is to avoid drowning your employees in mountains of irrelevant information. The next step is to select one or more channels, depending on the content and its tenor: written, oral, audiovisual, electronic communication or even the organization of events... Because everyone communicates in their own way, it's important to take into account each person's habits and the generational aspect to ensure that your content is relevant to each medium. Knowing your audience is the key to structuring your strategy, choosing the right channels and improving internal communication.
Encouraging dialogue and developing team spirit
Effective internal communication needs to be all-encompassing, to create a climate that encourages employees to talk to each other. Leaving room for informality is just as important for building cohesion: employees who know, meet and like each other are far more likely to communicate. So it's essential not to limit ourselves to one-way communications, and that's why top management must set the example by actively participating in these moments of sharing. There are a number of tools that can easily be mobilized toimprove internal communication:digital signage is an ideal channel for connecting and reaching all employees instantly. This technology enables content to be displayed on a number of screens simultaneously, quickly and centrally. Whether on site or working from home, employees can learn about a communication campaign using digital workplace tools, without having to worry about geographical or time constraints. The Cenareo solution offers power and virality to the messages that communications teams want to share: the power of attraction of digital signage can be applied to screens of all sizes, in the field or in the office. Multi-channel, the Cenareo solution connects all employees, providing them with the same level of information, making exchanges more fluid and encouraging dialogue.
Monitor your strategy's success indicators
No strategy is complete without an analysis of its actions: which channels generated the most engagement? What information was brought to the attention of the greatest number of people? Which actions proved most effective? To do this, you can use measurement tools to assess the commitment generated, and above all, don't hesitate to regularly take stock of the situation and question employees. Depending on the results, you can adjust your actions and innovate in terms of content form or distribution channel: testing different formats and channels will help you develop a long-term strategy.
Demonstrate agility
Corporate communicators' greatest fear? It's hard to get employees on board. Why is that? Perhaps because messages are irrelevant, or the wrong communication channels are used... Or perhaps because employees don't understand the benefits of improving internal communications, even though their buy-in has a major impact on the effectiveness of actions taken. You therefore need to educate them and encourage dialogue so that they appreciate the benefits of doing so, by being flexible, listening and adopting a test & learn attitude.
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The Cenareo solution dedicated todigital signage, your partner for attractive, relevant and contextualized in-house communication. Connect your staff wherever they are, with an application that lets you broadcast multimedia content at the click of a button. More than just software, the Cenareo solution revolutionizes the way companies communicate, turning any screen into a powerful communication channel.