Effective Internal Communications 

At 5 by 5 Design we believe it’s possible to change the world by posing the right questions, listening to the honest answers, and following the path that emerges from the dialogue. Today’s discussion highlights the importance of communicating with internal audiences.  

Dren Briggs is the field engagement manager at MillerKnoll, a collective of design brands specializing in modern workplace furnishings. Before joining the team, she spent several years working as a digital marketing strategist, director of communications, and copywriter.  

We’ve asked Dren a series of questions about how organizations can use internal communications to build connections and strengthen work teams. Here’s what she had to say.  

1. What has been your experience with internal communications?

For a long time, I worked at businesses where I was the only communications person on staff. That meant my workflow included everything from brainstorming marketing slogans or naming a product to writing job openings or vacation policies. In a word, I would say my experience has been varied. Now I manage a narrower scope of communications, but they still span both worlds. I update internal stakeholders about what is happening with our field sellers and dealers, but I also regularly interface with dealers that run their independent businesses. No matter what needs to be communicated, I always start with empathy for my audience. Whether they’re internal or external (or somewhere in the middle), I must understand how to empower them to do their jobs, how to motivate them and their teams to action, and how to connect various audiences so that we all succeed together.

2. How can organizations organize and plan a successful internal communications strategy?

Putting the audience first is always the best way to understand what your strategy should be. But just as importantly, we have to take a hard look at what resources are available and what tools we can use to get the job done. Once you have that complete picture of the who and the how, then you can better analyze what needs to be communicated, through which tools, on which cadence, and so on.

The most successful internal communications teams I’ve seen are ones that have strong and compassionate leaders with varied experience who are supported by management that cares about open and effective communication. These teams must include people who can build strong relationships with the audience and make recommendations based on observed outcomes. Then everyone needs enough runway to put these strategies to work and make the magic happen.

Metrics and feedback are crucial, so the basis for all of this is a content lifecycle that begins with understanding how messaging is developed, distributed, consumed, and acted upon.

Finally, reach out. Find people who will give honest feedback. Identify the people who can be champions for what the audience needs. Engage them, listen, and then reward them for being engaged. And don’t be afraid to change. Maybe the same old tools aren’t working anymore. Maybe you need something that has a better app experience, or you need to refresh a portal or hire a video producer. You won’t know unless you ask, and you won’t know how to change unless you listen and care.

3. How have flexible work schedules and remote work opportunities changed internal communication needs? 

Our number one need is to change quickly so we can meet people where they are. When the pandemic first started, I cut our communications length wherever possible and added summaries and highlights to draw attention to only the most important points. Everyone was fried and doing their best to navigate a challenging and uncertain world. They didn’t have time to digest much information. And even today when we’re nearing two years of pandemic life, we still have these ups and downs, changes to where and how we work, and changes to our daily lives due to childcare and school closures, illness, workplace availability, and so on. That means we must use continuous improvement to always be gathering feedback, always be looking at metrics, and always focusing on the humanity of the people we’re serving. What are their lives like right now? How can we make content more available around the clock? How can we make it easier to find content in case they are looking for something at night or over the weekend or on a different device?

It’s a lot harder to paint with broad strokes these days. There’s so much nuance and so many points of view we have to consider when we’re communicating because people are juggling more, working varied hours, and just not using the same work habits most of us had for so long. It’s not inherently bad, but it means that a lot of policies and procedures should be refreshed, and we need to always keep our eyes on whether we’re being as effective as possible.

4. What is a common mistake you see organizations making when it comes to internal communications?

I think too many people guess at what their employees need instead of having a more direct conversation. My organization has done regular surveying with an outside service so that our leaders can get a large amount of honest, anonymous feedback. They have been very transparent about instituting this process, publishing results, and then acting on what they learned. This is such a great tool and I hope we continue doing it indefinitely. I am amazed, however, at how many companies have never done this. How do you know what people want if you don’t ask?

5. Are there any best practices, tools, or techniques organizations should consider when communicating internally?

One best practice that I have had to employ frequently is to communicate change instead of letting people live with uncertainty. In previous times, we may have opted not to communicate earlier with the audience because we weren’t sure of the exact details. It’s hard to put information out there if you think it might change or don’t have all the facts. But people are willing to extend a lot of grace and understanding if they know that you are working on it and they get advanced notice that something is coming. Honesty and transparency during difficult times is what gives people confidence that things will work out. When they have some information and you have addressed them directly, they feel important and know that they matter.

Communicating often and being consistent has also done a lot to help drive confidence in our teams and give some assurance to our internal audiences that we’re making progress. Even if things are uncertain or subject to change, they appreciate that we are doing our best to keep them informed.

In small organizations, like the companies where I used to work, I think just being transparent can go a long way. People want to know that they’re important, and they’re pretty willing to be forgiving if they can see that you are trying and that you care about their situation. Larger companies should dedicate resources to internal communications and give ownership to someone who can research the audience and the current climate, recommend changes, and then facilitate making those changes.

No matter the scale of the business or the scope of existing issues, the first step is to see what can be done to build or strengthen the internal relationships that will help inform communications strategy going forward.