When communication in the workplace is smooth and effective, the workforce feels a decrease in friction and resentment, and employees tend to feel more engaged and inspired. This then means that coming up with a plan to make sure that communication is as open and efficient as possible should be an organization’s top priority. After all, good communication is a pre-requisite of success.
Some companies go through shifts that make them re-evaluate the way they communicate with their employees. If your organization is going through changes, or if you simply want to revamp your corporate communication strategies, here are some of the ways you can do so:
1. Think simple, meaningful messaging.
Simple, straightforward messaging ensures that your readers are able to understand what you are trying to say. While messages should be kept short and concise, make sure that they don’t lose their meanings. Create messages that are short, but meaningful. Make sure that you create content that reach and touch people, that create a positive impact on them, and that urge them to move and act. Remember that content is only as effective as when it stirs up something in a person. Without meaning, words are simply jumbled up letters placed beside each other. On the other hand, corporate communication strategies that revolve around concise and meaningful messaging create change.
2. Tell a story and remove your “corporate” hat.
Create messages that people can relate to. Tell stories. Remember that not only do people tend to retain information more if details are told through stories, they hit close to home when the humanity of the storyteller is included in the content.
While corporate talk is certainly appropriate to use when making presentations to clients, remember that putting on your “corporate” hat when you are trying to open lines of communication with employees may appear hollow and detached. Instead, use language in your corporate communication strategies that people can relate to. Be human. Tell a story that shows your genuine intent to connect and communicate. Remember that your employees are more likely to open up to you if you are approachable and relatable.
3. Utilize a framework.
Remember that not all messages are the same. Some may be more important and urgent than others, and should be prioritized as such. In order to do this, utilize the framework Inspire, Educate and Reinforce.
Inspire
Content that are inspiring are important, especially when it comes to employee motivation and engagement. Messaging should revolve around progress against goals, and should be presented in such a way that gets attention and signals importance. The feelings and emotions that are left by content that inspires are extremely vital. They don’t only build up interest and motivation, it builds up optimism, and creates memories that that last and can be tapped into in the future.
Educate
Once your staff members have been inspired, you can then educate and inform them of the organization’s strategies and how you plan on implementing these tactics.
Make sure that the information you give them includes job-specific tools as well as detailed data that they can use in their daily tasks. Remember that it is better that information is delivered through dialogues rather than monologues, as to open lines of communication between yourself and your employees. This allows for clarification as well as immediate feedback, which then results in an increase in creativity and productivity.
Reinforce
Remember that corporate communication strategies have to be implemented consistently. It is not simply a plan that is implemented once. In order to fully help people understand what the company is about and what is has as its objectives, messages have to be consistently repeated.
