Corporate Communication: Everything You Need to Know
Corporate Communication – many employees, upon hearing this phrase, recall complex messages from headquarters that add nothing to their daily routine. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Contrary to appearances, corporate communication doesn’t have to give your team goosebumps. How to achieve this? Learn the four golden principles of engaging internal corporate communication.
1. Corporate Communication and Message Consistency
Concerning consistency in corporate communication, we can discuss it in at least two contexts. The first is corporate and pertains to the communicative identity of your company – encompassing the brand book, tone, and image-related phrases. These are all principles developed at the central level that apply to the entire company.
The second context is internal – if we employ corporate frameworks for our communication, the content must also possess a consistent character. What the CEO says, what HR communicates, and what the headquarters conveys should align. The result of inconsistent information often deviates from the communicative intentions, leading to the emergence of rumors. Therefore, consistency applies to both the “packaging” and its “content” – the company should speak with one voice. This is the only way to gain the trust of employees.
2. Remember the Audience!
In the headquarters, 80% of employees may be white collars, but in your case, it’s 80% blue collars? Try reading the headquarters’ communications while considering the perspective of technical or manual labor employees. We understand that some things simply “have to go,” but don’t be afraid to add your local insights. It’s not just about translating 1:1 from English to any other language. Perhaps it’s worth considering whether a particular word has a more understandable synonym for the audience? Or preparing a checklist at the end of the communication summarizing the actions the employee needs to take?
Let’s not kid ourselves; internal communication in a company should be, above all, understandable!
Also, choose your tools wisely – you probably know which channel is most important for a given audience. If not, it’s time to investigate – our mini-guide can help you with that.
3. Don’t Throw Communications into a Void
According to Forbes, employees who feel heard are 4.6 times more motivated to perform their jobs. Remember that internal corporate communication should – and must – incorporate feedback! Not only should you be prepared for potential questions, but try to anticipate them.
For instance, you can suggest placing FAQs on the intranet to ensure employees aren’t left without answers while also managing your time wisely. Perhaps a Q&A session with the company’s leadership is needed, where employees can inquire about recent decisions made at the central level. Occasionally, directly ask employees what they think about the communication – whether it’s understandable, conducted with good frequency, etc. Collect feedback and don’t shy away from it!
4. Personalization and Benefits for Employees
If there’s a chance that an employee might respond with a “so what?” to corporate communication, it means that personalization should take center stage. Enter the world of personalization and the familiar language of benefits known to all marketers. Strive to explain why (and how) the matters you communicate impact employees. What benefits will they notice? Will it make their work easier, allow them to gain new knowledge, or solve specific problems? If you’re unsure how to personalize the communication for employees, here’s a tip: try starting a sentence with “thanks to this, you will be able to…”. Easier, right?
