If I could wave a magic wand and solve one problem for the founders and executives I have worked with over the years, it would be to place more emphasis on internal communication.
Creating a company starts with a bang — an explosive idea that traverses the mind day and night at breathtaking speeds. It's exhilarating and mission-driven, which means that it is often frantic and chaotic. As the company wobbles into reality, this is the very time that communication processes need to take a starring role.
Unfortunately, as many of you know, communication is often taken for granted in growing organizations. Internal updates are blasted through Slack, half-written in project management software, buried in meetings that get off track and distributed through a smattering of calls, emails and texts. In those efforts to communicate are processes that are stressful to the receiver and may leave people never really feeling like they have a handle on what is going on.
But there is a better way, and it all starts with a solid foundation. Here are five fundamental strategies to help you improve your company's internal communication processes:
Get your employees on board.
Your communication processes may need a complete overhaul. However, if you are going to make companywide changes that will impact your employees, you will need to get full buy-in. There are countless project management and collaboration platforms out there. Whatever you choose, make sure people are comfortable with using it and using it respectfully. It also doesn’t hurt to put together a quick starting guide or tutorial for those who are new or technologically challenged. The last thing you want is for someone to not get the full benefit of a tool because they are stressed about where to begin.
3 Effective Ways To Improve Your Internal Communication To Boost Employee Engagement
Remember that words matter.
Before you can change how your team members communicate with each other, you need to be certain that you can explain your thoughts and intentions to your team