Internal Comms 2021: Six questions you should ask yourself
2020 was both a whirlwind and a stagnant pond, mixed in with some wholesome gems of human kindness. It’s left many people I know feeling a little dishevelled and scratching their heads about their own priorities and how they spend their time. For me personally, I had my son, Jack, which brought so much joy (albeit with a lot of anxiety bringing life into the world during a pandemic), so I am able to identify many positive memories with the year that’ll be one for the record books. I know millions of people won’t reflect on it so fondly.
Across the globe, there is no one set answer to how businesses should respond and adapt their communications, as the situations differ so greatly - and continue to evolve on a daily basis. Here in New Zealand, we have been lucky enough to lead a somewhat normal life for quite some time. But it is clear we still feel the effects of our own lockdown and subsequent changes to how we live, work and play. Hanging over us is the notion that we could have the rug pulled from beneath us any day too - and this all has such a profound impact on any organisational culture. How could it not?
Internal communications has never been more of a focus. From the most fundamental of messages to keep people informed and safe, through to the adaptations of strategy and rapid changes in company directions - sadly often resulting in a lot of redundancies. Not to mention the huge emphasis on culture and digital channels to keep people connected and engaged. The FULL spectrum of internal communications has been on show.
Many of us - myself included before my parental leave - were operating in predominantly reactive mode and chasing tails with the amount of work required. But the start of the year brings a small opportunity to pause and reflect, lift our heads up and recalibrate.
I don’t have all the answers. I’d imagine they’d vary so greatly from A to B that there wouldn’t be a suitable “cheatsheet for recovering from 2020” anyway. So, instead I came up with some questions you should ask yourself about your internal communications:
How are your people feeling?
How are your employees feeling after the year that was 2020? What mindset might that create? Flat? Fatigued? How are they being supported? Or are they ready to roll? In need of some energising?What’s changed for them?
What working environment changes (remote / changed procedures / limited contact) continue for employees and may be permanent? How does this impact your communications strategy?Why should they care about work?
How are leaders “showing up” in terms of visibility and messaging to kick-off the year well? Is this an ideal time for setting a strategy and looking at the big picture, or is it more appropriate for your organisation to continue with steady, need-to-know communications at this time? How are you keeping people connected to their roles, while acknowledging the continuing chaos in the world?Where are we talking to each other?
What channels are being used and relied on more heavily than before? Are they meeting the needs of your audience? Could the channel (or knowledge of how to use the channel) improve? Are new channels needed?When is the right time to communicate?
Have you measured how and when you’re communicating with your employees? Is there comms overload or are you lacking in the frequency of your messages? Is there an opportunity to have audiences tailor what they receive with opt-in/opt-out preferences for non-essential communications?Who are we talking to?
Have your audiences shifted somewhat? Who might be in need of more communication support? Is there a need for direct support to shape and deliver important messages? Or perhaps to provide a platform for people to communicate with each other? Can you help facilitate conversations (either business or fun-factor to help engagement) to connect some dots across the organisation?
I’d love to hear what comms challenges your organisation is facing in the comments below. Are there key questions you’d add to this list?