How do you deal with communication channel overload and noise?

Internal Communications professionals today need to have diverse skillsets to effectively communicate with different audiences through various channels. Understanding the target audience and crafting messages that resonate with them requires a marketing mindset. Creating engaging content and designing visuals that effectively communicate the message requires skills in content creation and design. And to execute the communication plan, project management skills are crucial. So overall one Internal Communicator wears a marketing, analytic, project management, design, and media hat at once to overcome the barriers to effective employee communications.

It is not information overload, it is filter failure. Apply the right filters to listen to signals and do sensemaking of the complex world around us.

A common misconception for inportant messages is to use every communication channel available in the hope that people will tune into one of them. In my experience, shouting at people in this way just makes then tune out. One thing to consider is the use of an 'intelligent' digital workplace. Technology is so good now, that they information you need to do your job should be able to find you, rather than the other way around.

Internal communicators need to lead on this. They should act like air traffic controllers for comms in their organisations, pushing back against unnecessary noise, challenging requests and supporting where messages should 'land' (pardon the pun!). It's a simple fact that you can't communicate everything and just because you communicate it doesn't mean the organisation absorbs it and acts on it. Trusted internal communicators will be able to advise the correct channel, at the correct time, to the correct people to get the desired outcome. They'll have this insight from having an overall eye on the comms plan, measurement, surveys, focus groups and sometimes their sheer common sense.

There is a staggering amount of time lost due to hard to find information within organizations. Having a solid channel strategy will do wonders to stop this waste. A great place to start is by identifying each channel with its business usage and audiences reached. Establishing this governance and sticking to it will not only make it easy for employees to find information, but also substantially decrease the noise as 'same message in every channel' behaviour is curbed. A big win for employee experience!

Carefully evaluating all communications before going live is an effective solution to information overload. By ensuring that all messaging is aligned with the organization's strategic narratives and goals, communications can be streamlined and focused, making them more effective in engaging employees and reinforcing the organization's vision and mission. This approach can help reduce the volume of communication, as it encourages a more selective approach to communication, with only those messages that support the organization's strategic goals being communicated. This can help employees better prioritize and focus on the most important information, reducing the risk of information overload.

My personal remedy was using targeted messaging. This involves tailoring messages to specific groups or individuals based on their roles or interests. By sending only relevant messages to employees, you can help reduce the overall volume of communication and make it easier for employees to filter through the noise.

Benchmarking against yourself is far more effective than benchmarking against other organisations. This is because the mix of channels, company culture, and perspectives of employees will vary - impacting the results and therefore the comparison. Benchmarking against others will provide a good starting point, but certainly not goals you should be aiming for - those should be driven by your own organisational needs, expectations, and reality.

The saying "you get what you measure" is an old corporate wisdom that highlights the importance of measuring performance and outcomes to achieve success. This concept applies to communication channels as well - by measuring engagement metrics and analyzing feedback, organizations can better understand the effectiveness of their communication efforts and make data-driven decisions to improve their channels.

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To reach the most people effectively, using a combination of different channels that complement each other including email, internal messaging, and employee intranet may be more effective than relying solely on one channel. It's also important to remain open and flexible to experimenting with new channels and technologies, as communication preferences and trends evolve over time. Part of that flexibility includes regularly evaluating the effectiveness of your communication channels and adjusting your strategy as needed based on feedback and data.

Choosing the right communication channels for an organization requires a deep analysis of the existing internal communications infrastructure, including the channels currently in use and their effectiveness. An audit can help identify gaps, barriers, and areas for improvement, which can then be used to develop a communication strategy that leverages the right channels to reach the target audience effectively.