4 Quick Ways to Spark Employee Interest in Your Internal Communications

Information overload is crushing your employees.

There. I said it.

Especially if you work in a heavily regulated or highly technical industry... so much is asked of employees when it comes to absorbing communications materials.

With a wide range of projects and initiatives on the go, everybody is fighting for their spot at the table to share all of the information they feel is necessary.?

While much of it is genuinely important and in most cases, intended to be helpful for employees, the fact remains that there’s a limit to how much content one can retain.

It’s a harsh reality, but only so much of what gets put out really sinks in.

So how do you ensure that the most critical information resonates with your employees?

What are you doing to try to capture employee attention - and hold it?

Because there certainly?are?ways to pique curiosity, develop regular reading or consumption habits and create a genuinely two-way conversation with your employees that keeps them coming back for more.

Let’s have a closer look at a few of the ones that I feel are most effective:

Ask them what they want

As communicators, we all know how impactful it can be for employees when we shine the spotlight on them.

It’s empowering. It’s validating. It’s a great way to show appreciation and recognition for a job well done.

From a communications perspective, it’s really no different.

Your employees?want?to be heard. They want their ideas to be?seen. Employees thrive on all of these things, because it shows that you’re invested in?them.

So why not ask them?

Providing your employees with the opportunity to share their feedback is a must if you want to grab their attention with your communications materials. By encouraging them to offer up suggestions on how a particular process or initiative should move forward, you allow them to shape the conversation and in turn, get a better feel for what topics are of most interest to them.

It’s a great way to establish that two-way communications system which will provide both you and your employees a clearer sense of what’s working, what’s not and where you should be focusing your efforts.?

But be forewarned: if you do ask for feedback from employees, the follow-through is absolutely critical. There’s nothing more discouraging for employees than taking the time to share their thoughts and ideas, only to have their leaders or company turn around and do nothing with it.??

Make it a point to clearly illustrate how you’re using their feedback to make improvements or move forward with a new policy or program. It will go a loooong way - and also increase your chances of receiving more employee ideas down the road.

Focus on the WIIFM?

No, that’s not me referring to some fancy new 5G signal or even hearkening back to the days of FM radio.

I’m talking about the?What’s?In?It?For?Me?

You’ve got to make it easy for employees to understand why whatever you’re communicating matters to them.?

What’s going to change in their day-to-day?

How is this information or update going to help them?

What improvements or changes are being made to make their lives easier?

Now of course, the WIIFM isn’t always easy to pick out. In some cases, there may not be an obvious one due to the nature of the message or update.?

But most of the time, there’s an element in there that will be meaningful to a large number of people.?

Sometimes that means drilling down and getting into granular details. Something that may not seem like a big deal at the project planning level might mean the world to an employee who is boots-on-the-ground or working directly with your customers.?

It’s all about perspective.

When you view things through the lens of the employee first (putting your objectives second), you’ll be surprised how often your messaging doesn’t include or fails to focus on the WIIFM.?

With so much material and information heading their way, your message can really stand out if you make it crystal-clear how it’s going to benefit your employees.

Go where they go

Choosing the right medium for your communications seems like a fairly straightforward exercise.

But no joke, it can be a legitimately make-or-break decision.

In most companies, there are a number of tried and tested platforms which have proven to be effective and trusted by employees. Some of you may even have survey results to back that up.

And yet, there’s still a desire from many to go “outside the box” or look to the next ‘bright, shiny thing’ platform because it feels different or cool or whatever.

The bottom line is this: your communications need to be accessible to your employees.

You need to use platforms and devices that employees have access to and best case scenario, ones they’re already familiar with. Whenever you decide to go off-road and communicate using new tools, it’s absolutely critical that you make sure your employees are well-versed in how to access them, how to use them, and so on.?

Otherwise, they just won’t bother.

One more thing to point out is that going where they go also means not just relying on technology.

Capitalize on in-person transferal of knowledge and information as much as possible. Not only does it provide employees with more opportunities for real-time feedback and the chance to ask questions or raise concerns, but it also gives you time to gauge their response and appreciate how the news lands. Sharing messaging in-person provides unique benefits and can show you who’s actively listening, participating in the conversation and generally engaged.?

Give them the time

Let’s bring things full circle.

Your employees are more than likely facing a mountain of information most days.?

And to be honest, sometimes there’s just no way to avoid it.

The demands of your business likely call for constant change and shifts in policies or processes and that means your employees need to be equipped with the most up-to-date information - no matter how recently you may have communicated with them.

That’s why providing adequate time for them to read and process your communications is an absolute must.?

And I don’t just mean sending something to them and expecting them to have a look at some point throughout the day or their shift.??

Building time into schedules to read important updates or watch video content is a great way to foster learning. It creates structure around the process of receiving, absorbing and enacting information in the workplace. By giving your employees the time needed to catch up on communications they may have missed, you’re also showing them how important the materials are.?

Now sure, you might be thinking “hey, it’s obvious that we’re sending this out because we need you to know this.” But if you then turn around and make it next to impossible for employees to read through or consume the information while they’re at work, there’s a disconnect. It’s hard for employees to appreciate the importance of something if you don’t make it feel that way from the start.

By creating these pockets of time for your employees to review your communications, it also helps improve the odds that your information will be socialized amongst colleagues. If you know more people have consumed it, it’s more likely that it will be an item that comes up in conversations.?

What other strategies do you use to grab your employees’ attention? How do you spark interest in all of your communications efforts? Let me know in the Comments below!?

-MB-