The 4-Step Process for Internal Communication
Internal communication (IC) isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it function. It’s all about continuous improvement. And there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. What served us yesterday may not serve us today or even tomorrow. That’s why I take a four-step approach:
Audit
Strategy
Plan
Repeat
Let’s break those down.
Step One: Internal Communication Audit
An IC audit evaluates the effectiveness of your organization’s IC by reviewing how you engage with and communicate with employees. A full end-to-end audit should typically be done once a year or every other year.
When I’m new to an organization, the first thing I want to do is get the lay of the land. I start with my audience. Yes, they’re all employees but what kind of employees? Deskless, desked, hybrid, remote, on-site, a combination? I want to understand their routines, their behaviors, and priorities. What does an average day look like for them? What matters most to them?
Then, dive into the channels currently at play. How many are there? Who can use them? When and how are they used? How frequently is new content shared? What’s the process for posting?
It’s also important to gather feedback through a series of one-on-one interviews with key leaders, as well as focus groups with a diverse mix of employee type, tenure, and department. To get larger audience feedback, I like to issue my own IC-specific survey that can really drill down into what’s working and what’s not.
And last but not least, measurement. I want to understand how any IC predecessors have been measuring success and what baseline measurements exist today. I want to get a sense of reach and employee understanding, diving into both outputs and outcomes. All with the intent to see what’s working and what could be enhanced.
Step Two: Internal Communication Strategy
After an audit, I’m ready to begin developing a strategy. A strategy needs to answer the “why” and the “what” before we dive into the “how.” I start by understanding an organization’s business objectives.
Why does the organization exist?
What’s it trying to achieve?
How does it make money?
What are its key objectives?
All this information is my guide to developing an IC strategy. I use the SMART objective format to develop my IC strategic objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time dependent). Then, with a strategy in hand, we’re ready to move into tactics.
Step Three: Internal Communication Plan
A plan covers the “how” of achieving a strategy. Organizations often mistake a “plan” for a strategy. There should only be one strategy but numerous plans. A plan includes six things:
Objective—What’s the end goal here?
Audience—Who are we communicating with?
Channels—How will we reach them?
Purpose—What do we want the audience to know, think, and do?
Key Messages—One to three tops
Measurement—We need to check for understanding and action (i.e., outcomes and outputs)
Step Four: Repeat
This is where you circle back to the audit and work your way back through all the steps again. To be effective in IC, the status quo isn’t an option. Keep learning. Keep iterating. And keep moving forward.
