How to improve internal communication: 3 keys to success

For the past 25 years, I’ve focused my work on helping companies reach their external audiences. But more recently, I’ve shifted more attention toward internal communication. The reason is simple: the first step toward improving messages targeted toward your external audience is to improve communication with your internal audience. When you have informed internal stakeholders, they are better able to focus on what’s most important and align their actions with expectations. And when internal communication is lacking, there’s not much hope for effective communication with customers and others outside the organization.

Improving internal communication isn't easy, but it starts with three priorities the organization's leaders must commit to, as follows:

Clarity: In today's fast-paced world, it's tempting to focus on quantity of communication--saying as much as possible--over quality. However, there are so many messages competing for attention that only the most carefully-crafted ones will stand out. This starts with a focus on the specific audience you're trying to reach. Who are they? What do they know about the issue you're communicating? How does it impact them? What is their communication style and what approach might work best for their needs? Stopping to consider these questions makes it much more likely the message will be received well and prevent the need for unproductive follow-up.?

Considering the audience is just the first step, however, with more tools at our disposal, we also must carefully choose the right channel to communicate the message. Will tone of voice or body language be critical to conveying tone? If so, an email or text message may not be the best choice. Would a video conference be beneficial to build relationships or is a phone call sufficient? There's no one right tool for every job and a lot can get lost in translation if we don't think things through.

There's one other aspect of clear communication to consider: choosing the right words to accurately reflect our thoughts. Too much business communication is overly formal and bogged down with jargon. A conversational approach is almost always better, and less is definitely more in today's environment. Yes, grammar and style still matter, but using terms that are easy to understand mitigates the chance that the message will be misunderstood. Don’t overwhelm the audience with too many details, and communicate to inform, not impress.

Credibility. We're in crisis today when it comes to credibility. Laura Penny explains this well in her book, Your Call Is Important To Us: “Never in history have so many people uttered statements that they know to be untrue. Presidents… reporters, corporate executives, and countless others have taken to saying not what they actually believe, but what they want others to believe.” Earning trust begins by acknowledging that it's severely lacking in today's communication environment at large and specifically in the American workplace, where study after study shows limited faith in leadership and a disconnect between what leaders say and what frontline workers experience.

To be perceived as credible, leaders need to start by listening: striving to understand what's important to the team, learn where they face challenges, and hear their ideas. This makes it much more likely they will be receptive to what’s shared from the top down. In addition, leaders must be willing to have difficult conversations, while doing so respectfully. If the team is underperforming and leaders don't acknowledge the deficiencies, it casts doubt on any good news or positive affirmations that are shared. And if individual employees are underperforming in a way that holds the team back, leaders are obligated to address issues. This is especially important in today's competitive hiring and retention environment. Not addressing problem employees is the best way to lose high performers.?

Collaboration. As implied above, your entire workforce should be engaged in conversations about the organization. Too many times internal communication is driven almost solely by the C-suite, which virtually ensures that what's communicated will be ignored by your employees. One example is meetings. Most are led by managers, with much of the conversation driven by those at the top of the org chart. Meanwhile, the other participants understandably check out almost entirely, catching up on email or scrolling their smartphones until they’re free to get back to work. If this is what meetings look like in your organization, it's time for a different approach. It's critical to remember that most customer interaction is going to occur with those on the front lines, so they’re the experts when it comes to improving your business.?

If you're giving these imperatives little attention in deference to customer-facing messages, take some time back to reprioritize, emphasizing clarity, credibility, and collaboration. Not only will your employees be grateful, but you'll see a significant difference in the way they respond to those you serve. As it turns out, investments in better internal communication are actually investments in an improved experience for your customers.