It may be a cliché to say that organizations don’t value internal communication as much as they do external. In the U.S., at least, it’s mostly true, and that’s disappointing.
In past years, you’d read that “this is the year when internal communication comes into its own,” or something similar. It was usually related to some sort of whiz-bang, usually electronic communication tool. Enterprise social media (or networks – ESN) like Yammer and Jive was supposed to be the game changer. For some organizations, it’s been a useful addition. Some, for example, use ESN to replace broadcast email and allow for better segmentation of internal audiences. But others point to a lack of executive leadership participation in these tools and a corresponding decline in overall adoption as a result.
We are excited about the digital workplace tools because they unify the communication and operations functions of intranets. That offers hope for true efficiency leading to saving time and money.
So, yes, we believe we will see positive changes in the perception of value of internal communication. But it will be us–the practitioners–who will have changed much more than our tools.
In most organizations, it’s disseminating information. That accounts for the relatively low esteem such organizations have for the function. In the best organizations, the internal communicators:
Internal communicators are discovering that employee engagement needs a business outcome beyond mere engagement. They’re using research to better understand the connection between engagement and metrics outside human resources to that end. They’re acting as gatherers of business intelligence, fostering knowledge processes, and delivering value well beyond simple message delivery. Sean leads a project for the Institute for Public Relations on establishing standards for measuring internal communication that includes measuring more deeply than mere outputs.
The modern internal communicator isn’t wedded to their communication tactics, opting instead for a flexible approach that shies away from trendy toys not supported by research. They’re answering questions, such as:
As the internal communicator prioritizes subject matter, there’s a clear distinction between nice to do and mission critical. That depends less on leadership sponsorship than receiver utility. They represent for the recipient, always asking, “what do we want people to think, feel or do as a result of this communication?” They’re not satisfied when someone answers that question with, “awareness.”
Consider:
We still will need peerless skills in the world of words, whether as writers or editors, and much as with journalists, we’ll need visual communication capabilities too – still and video photography, multimedia, etc. We will need technical expertise, understand how to dig into the data and glean insights, and apply them appropriately.
As long as we recognize and embrace this shift to a more robust skill base and a stronger business acumen, we will seize the day. We are becoming what we always wanted, and needed, to be.
Let True help you enhance your internal communication program. Find out how we can help.
Note: A version of this article appeared previously on Sean's previous blog.