This week, I share some of my top communication tips, to help your powerful messages go viral within your organisation!
How we communicate with our employees really matters. It can mean the difference between people simply hearing our message or actually embracing and connecting with it. So, whether you’re sharing the business mission statement, policy changes or some awesome company news – the important question is:
How do we successfully share information so that it makes an impact and creates organisational change?
Over the years, I’ve found there are a few awesome communication ideas worth remembering. So today I’m sharing some of my favourites with you! These simple ideas can make a big difference in your organisation! After all, sometimes the simple ideas are the most powerful.
My Top 5 Tips for Communication Throughout Your Organisation
1. Reinforcement, Reinforcement, Reinforcement
Whatever you have to say, say it often using a variety of communication methods.
Why? Put simply, because humans aren’t designed to remember everything forever. Our short memories are all thanks to the infamous ‘Forgetting Curve’. 19th-century Psychologist, Ebbinghaus, discovered that if the information is not reinforced, people forget 90% of what they learn within a month! This means your employees may hear what you say and even agree with your messages, but without regular reinforcement, they won’t remember or internalise the ideas. So, those key messages about the company’s business mission or values learned in onboarding training won’t turn into real-life cultural change if you don’t keep reinforcing them.
2. Others May Never Agree with You 
How often do you assume your employees will agree with your way of doing things in the end? The answer may be more often than you think!
Last week, I came across thought-provoking research which found “most people believe others will eventually come around to their way of thinking.” Although the study looked at political and personal views, I believe this is an important thing to remember when communicating with our employees.
You might be excited by some awesome company news, but the rest of the team may never fully share your enthusiasm. Yet, we can ensure staff understand and connect with information as much as possible. By creating Epic Meaning, you can show how your messages benefit everyone personally, as well as helping the wider company mission.
3. Strong Manager Employee Relationships
Successful company-wide communication starts with strong relationships between managers and their teams. When people can talk to their managers and feel like their voices are heard, they feel more engaged and happy at work. Gallup research shows engagement levels are highest among employees who have some form of daily communication with their manager. When these strong relationships are already in place, it’s easier to spread vital messages and news throughout the company.
So, nurture these valuable relationships by giving your managers the communications training and confidence they need to communicate successfully with their teams. Get your managers talking to their employees. Encourage two-way conversations! This way, they are primed and ready to successfully spread any vital company messages to the rest of the team.
4. Encourage People to Share Knowledge
Whatever powerful message or awesome news you’re trying to spread throughout the organisation, don’t do it alone! Empower your staff with social functionality and let them spread the word. Whether you are raising awareness of the new corporate values, communicating policy changes or simply want to promote the super exciting staff social. Use the tools, such as the LMS message boards, to get everyone talking about the subject.
One reason this works well is that people value their peers’ opinions, often over other forms of communication. Research shows consumers are 92% more likely to trust their peers than advertising. When it comes to internal communication, we can learn a lot from successful advertising campaigns! So, we shouldn’t simply leave it to posters and emails to communicate vital information. Use peer power to spread messages, knowledge and information throughout your organisation!
For example, you can generate conversations and encourage knowledge sharing among employees on the LMS. Invite staff to share their views and their own news on the message board or live chat features. Or why not take it a step further and involve employees by getting everyone to vote online. If you’re organising that super social, hold a vote for the fancy dress theme. If you’re spreading the word about the new corporate values – invite staff to vote for their favourite one on the LMS!
5. Listen
I couldn’t leave you, without mentioning the most important communication tool of all. Listening. We all know listening is important – as they say, ‘we have two ears and one mouth for a reason’. And yet, in the day-to-day nitty-gritty of work, it’s all too easy to forget about listening. Instead, those important two-way conversations get replaced with quickfire, reply-all emails and the phrase ‘open-door-policy’ abounds. Open-door-policies are great in theory but rarely work, without the foundation of company-wide open culture.
Instead, we have to ensure employees know we want to hear their views, value their input and will not judge them for the feedback. We need to create open, inclusive work environments where all employees feel their opinions, views and feedback are valued, listened to and acted on.
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I hope these simple yet powerful ideas will generate conversations within your organisation and help you ensure people don’t simply hear what you say but connect with your message. Let the conversations flow!
– Juliette
P.s. What is your top tip for communicating a powerful message within your organisation?
These themes and more are explored further in my upcoming book about Unleashing Superheroes in your organisation. Sign up to our blog below to stay up to date on all the juicy details.
