What data do you need to identify the most effective communication frequency for your organization?

I agree that a solid communications strategy aligns organization objectives and message goals to the audience and the channel(s) used. Message goals, target audience and frequency can also help determine the channel(s) used. Measuring and analyzing data based on the channel - for example email, intranet and video stream - can help determine goal achievement and improve future communications.

I've found that internal communications require a bit more of a "folksy" approach. The strategy and frequency is similar to communicating with your family as opposed to how we communicate with the general public. Employees want to be considered "insiders." Let them in on what you're doing. As a general rule, these messages are much more frequent and certainly a bit less formal. Absolutely include press releases and other external messaging with your employees when your organization seeks publicity, especially when it is expected to generate media coverage. Letting staff know that their employer is going to be on TV or in the newspapers is a great way to include them in your effort. Your employees are your greatest ambassadors.

It's essential to have an overarching communication strategy and goal. This provides clarity on how each individual communication objective should be approached. However, it's also crucial to maintain flexibility within the strategy, allowing each communication to be optimized on a case-by-case basis. Some initiatives might be well-served by a single announcement, while others might demand a series of communications spread out over time. For example, introducing a 'Work From Anywhere' policy might warrant only one announcement, whereas participation in a 'Great Place to Work' survey might call for multiple communications at various stages.

You also need to conduct an internal discovery - what's the current environment in which you're communicating? What's been said before? It's critical to know what's been done, lessons learned and reactions to date before launching on a new endeavor.

The broader goal and specific objectives are as necessary in communication strategy as in any project. The timelines, frequencies, scheduling, stakeholders. All needs to be incorporated.

When segmenting your audience, be mindful of their role and what information is the most relevant for their success. Consider what existing channels - team meetings, departmental newsletter etc can be leveraged to meet each audience where their attention already is.

Utilizing a Communicator's time to craft and send separate emails based on employee preferences might not be the most efficient approach, especially when weighing the effort against the returns. While audience segmentation is logical when the content of the message varies, doing so merely based on communication channel preferences may not yield significant benefits. To guarantee that the message reaches all employees, regardless of their location, the significance of their role, or their preferred method of information consumption, communicators might consider disseminating the same message across multiple channels - including the intranet, digital screens, posters, or roll-up banners in high-touchpoint areas in the office

Look to your HR team for critical data demographics. This will help you in audience segmentation and creating personas based on their different work styles.

When you're segmenting your audience, remember to get direct input and feedback from members of each segment. All too often, I've seen segment personas created based solely on the judgments and best guesses of the comms team. Want to make sure your messages reach the audience? Talk to the audience members.

Daily updates will soon become a burden to maintain. Even weekly communications will become difficult. A good way to segment your audience in terms of frequency is to allow them to "opt-out" of non-essential messages. Chances are, these internal messaging efforts won't contribute to your mission statement, so when bandwidth is limited, priority decisions must be made. Additionally, one should be extra sensitive to change management priorities and other situations that may create insecurities or uncertainties in the workforce. Deal with these communication needs directly, openly and in a timely fashion. Your best resource is your people and you want them to know the C-suite/leadership is acting honestly and professionally.

Way too often, I hear "Comms didn't inform us about this". Sounds familiar? If so, you as a comms professional need to manage expectations. You are typically responsible for the internal communications strategy and plan, and for mass communicating important company-related matters to the entire organization, i.e. through the intranet or town halls. Just as an important part of the job, belongs to the leaders. All leaders are responsible for communicating with their people and direct reports. Comms can give valuable advice on messaging, tactics and format, but you as a leader probably know more about what your people need to understand important company messages and how they impact specific groups of employees.

In a recent job interview, I was posed with a similar question. My response was that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to channel strategies. Crafting an effective strategy isn't an overnight task; it's a continuous process that evolves through experimentation and learning from mistakes. It's essential to pinpoint the right channels and concentrate efforts there. Periodic evaluations of the efficacy of each channel are crucial. Over time, a nuanced strategy will emerge. For instance, leadership communication might best be conducted through an all-hands meeting, culture-related updates can be shared on the intranet, and crisis communications might be most effective via email.

The one size fits all doesn't work anymore newer generations are looking for companies that are invested in their people, and take into consideration their likes and dislikes

To identify the best communication frequency for your organization, you'll want to gather data on employee engagement, response rates to previous communications, and feedback on the current communication schedule. Tracking open rates for emails, participation in surveys, and employee feedback on the timing and frequency of updates can provide valuable insights into what works best for your team. This is exactly when some email platforms come in to your rescue.

For corporate communications, emails and digital newsletters are the trend these days. However, community channels can be different; awareness campaigns, television, radio, and in-person sessions meetings can be effective too.

To me, the statement "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it is has taken place" is one that I find quite significant. The quote is by George Bernard Shaw and serves as an example of how your message may not reach the groups that you are trying to reach because it is unclear, fails to provide an explaination for "why, what and how" or is shared in the wrong channel. So even if you checked off that you did a lot of communication activities (output), they may not provide the desired outcome. Establishing a test and feedback culuture with members of your target audience is crucial just as well as learn from the data you can gather.

There are lots of tools to gather feedback. But, I also recommend contacting different groups and getting feedback directly. Have conversations with teams and managers. Talk with all levels and various departments. You can get a lot more information in a conversation than an eight-question survey. The surveys are important, but you should also connect with your audience. Direct feedback is always beneficial!

The most effective way to refine your channel strategy and overall communications approach is to solicit feedback from your employees. Establish a routine of deploying a feedback survey after each initiative. Identify key trends and preferences from the responses received, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Conduct Appreciative Inquiry sessions to focus on what is working well in communication. By exploring strengths and successes, you can identify areas to replicate and build upon.

This is very important, as feedback always improves the communication mechanism. Particularly when feedback is qualitative and quantitative. It improvises the next planning of comms strategy.

On a global scale, I've found that some regions respond best to explicit detail while others do best to keep things brief at a headline level. Whether written or presentation based, it can be helpful to keep intercultural awareness in mind when analyzing, adjusting, and establishing organizational best practices around each medium of communication.

It's a crucial part of effective communication. By aligning feedback with our communication goals, we can identify what's working and what's not. This enables us to refine our approach and close any gaps for improvement. Regular monitoring and fine-tuning help ensure our communication remains optimal and effective. Thanks for highlighting this key step!

Sometimes you may think you know where your audience gets their information, but there could be a level deeper that could surprise you. In one communication campaign, we knew that our manufacturing employees got their news best from staff meetings. So, after we prepared TPs for meeting packages, we were surprised to hear some employees weren’t getting the info. We checked that box, right? Well, we discovered the method in which the leaders were receiving meeting packages wasn’t working well, so we had to fix that problem first before reaching our primary audience. Don’t be afraid to dig deeper!

After feedback, an analysis of the communication campaign can be useful. This will reflect the insights and retention of the messaging done and the way forward.

Even the most well-intentioned communication strategies need fine-tuning. The key is to listen to the feedback, analyze it in harmony with your goals, and make the necessary adjustments. In the world of communication, it's not just about what you say; it's about how well it's received and understood by the audience.

It’s all about outcomes. If communication is aiding towards better outcomes it’s working. If it’s not, it needs to change. Things to measure: - is the team clear on decisions and goals? - are deadlines being met? - is significant progress happening at each meeting? If not - the cadence or format of the meetings need to change.

Create a culture of feedback where employees can share their thoughts and preferences regarding communication frequency. Encourage open and anonymous feedback to get honest insights. Make internal communication fun and engaging by introducing gamification elements. Reward and recognize employees who actively engage with your communications. This can drive participation and feedback. Consider the content of your communication. Make it concise, relevant and impactful to prevent information overload.

The most effective communication frequency will show up in a cohesion, team messaging, the ability of your team to speak from the same brand of communication, higher talent retention, and results. People will do great work, when they hear a strong message around things that matter to them. To do that, it's important to find tools to measure the impact of the language being used by leaders, managers and how it filters down to staff. There are now tools that can do this, and assess the effectiveness of communication based solely on the language being used. That's a great starting point. Shorten the enquiry, take action and put a communication training strategy in place. Change your Language, You Change your Company communication frequency.

Communication never really stops. As the saying goes, you cannot NOT communicate, and the same goes for an organisation. Although your formal channels need to be measured and adjusted as necessary, informal channels will (that are naturally more difficult to measure) will continue on: everything from gossip between employees to things former team mates say to their new employers has the potential to have huge impact. Address these and recognise that your role as an internal communicator goes far beyond simply being a town crier.

Most platforms these days have backend analytics where you can track click throughs and engagement level. This is a great way to understand your audience, the trending interest, and also how relevant is your content.