Creating communications that captivate colleagues first requires proof of what your people want, what they need and how they feel; that’s how you’ll make the biggest impact.
Enter the internal communications (IC) audit – the perfect tool for collecting data from your organisation and people, so you can make smarter decisions and craft more engaging comms. This is exactly what I’ve been doing with the Great Western Railways (GWR) IC team for over half a decade.
Now six years on – and six audits down – we have some surprising insights to share.
Does it really work?
Half a decade of audits have highlighted some big lessons; not least that they work.
Since our very first audit together, how colleagues perceive GWR across its channels – both in terms of content and IC – and their focused engagement scores continue to rise. It means the data-driven decisions they’re making are working.
What’s even more astounding is that they’re doing this in an increasingly tough workplace climate.
Gone are the days of your people asking for podcasts and videos. Those treatments have their place, but face-to-face communication is becoming more important now.
Yes, they’re smart, strategic and focused, with a pragmatic approach to communications, but equally, the GWR team understands the power of acting upon the insights gathered throughout our audits.
Rhian Moore, Head of Internal Communications at GWR explains: “As comms professionals we always have an idea of how to drive engagement, but the key is knowing that our actions align with what colleagues want and need to do their job, so they can deliver the company objectives.
“An annual audit of what colleagues think of our internal communications is a key part of our focus on delivering for our colleagues and the business.”
So what else have we learned and how can our findings help you engage your people? Here are seven key insights you may find useful.
1. Authenticity inspires
People love seeing the genuine article, and they want that in the workplace. They want honest messages from the business that they see every day, and anything disingenuous in your comms will make your people switch off.
Authenticity inspires problem solving and learning; share the bad as well as the good, so that people colleagues can learn and take charge of development.
2. Quality must meet accessibility
It can be challenging to make your communication channels work effectively, especially for front line and on-the-move employees. Now more than ever, there’s a need to get on top of your digital presence.
Your content must be high quality and accessible. That’s how you’ll land a message to all colleagues, no matter where they’re based.
3. Get back to basics
Gone are the days of your people asking for podcasts and videos. Those treatments have their place, but face-to-face communication is becoming more important now.
Your people want a relationship and they value their manager most of all. Managers need that ability to communicate and to share those vital messages. Make sure they’re equipped to do that.
If you can tie branding and purpose together, then you’re onto a winner.
4. Print is alive and well
We found that front line colleagues are five times more likely to prefer printed materials to their desk-based counterparts. Is this really surprising, however, when they don’t have the same digital access as their desk-based colleagues?
Remember, print media is key, but only when it’s part of a holistic channel mix that can reach all of your colleagues no matter where they are.
5. Branding matters, as does purpose
The channels at GWR have clear names that colleagues actually use which, from my experience, is a real rarity. When it comes to branding a channel, do it for a reason. Who knows, maybe it will catch on?
Without a strategy, any audit is just another fact-finding mission without a map; a misplaced effort without any goal.
Equally, in our research, we found that colleagues at GWR are clear on the purpose of each channel and – when it deviated from that purpose – we noticed the engagement in that channel dropped. If you can tie branding and purpose together, then you’re onto a winner.
6. Storytelling is here to stay
IC teams have been leaning on the power of storytelling for a while now, but there’s a good reason behind that: we know it works.
From our findings, people say they’re not interested in the strategy, but when you tell the human stories behind the strategy and contextualise it for their role or function, they better understand how their role connects to the strategy and want even more.
Remember, storytelling is more powerful than ever. It isn’t going anywhere.
7. It all starts with strategy
If your IC team has a clear strategy, one that aligns with the organisation’s goals, then you know what data you want to capture, how to interpret it and how to act on your insights.
Without a strategy, any audit is just another fact-finding mission without a map; a misplaced effort without any goal.
Remember that insights are always actionable; they’re not something that should be written down in a report and left in a drawer. They can help you to make the right decisions, meet your goals and engage your people by creating captivating content and comms.
If you enjoyed this, read: Communications skills: How to learn your employees’ languages of connection.
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