by Ted Saul

Most large corporations these days have a position known as a “communication manager” whose job is to share important company information with employees.  A proper communication strategy is helpful in building awareness and support for new business initiatives and projects as well as keeping everyone informed of changes taking place.  But even in the small and medium size business environment, some type of communication approach should be in place to keep employees engaged.  This may be accomplished using a newsletter either printed or sent electronically, a regular email update that tends to be shorter in length or simply face-to-face meetings allowing for open dialogue on how things are going. 

There are some fun social media methods that may be used as well such as videos, blogs, pictures and private websites.

Being successful at communication is not as easy as it sounds however.  The major challenge is to encourage your employees to read the communication and embrace the information.  They need to understand that what they are reading can serve to improve their ability to do their job while helping the company create more profit.  To be most effective, you need to know your audience.  This means having a grasp on who they are and what interests them.  If you are communicating with employees that are located off-shore, make sure you understand their culture and how what is being written may be perceived.  For all employees though, ask yourself what will be motivating to take time from a busy schedule to read what you’ve sent?  Additionally identify what barriers exist that prevents communicating clearly with them.   Once you’ve found methods to communicate efficiently and who will be receiving the information, the last hard part is developing the content that will deliver your key message. 

Start by asking yourself questions such as:

ü  What do you want to change?

ü  What do you want your audience to know?

ü  What perception do you want them to have about the content?

ü  After reading the article, what do you want your employees to do?

The end result is that your readers should have something to take away and be able to easily find “what’s in it for me.”  

Finally, because the internal communication manager may also be the one to provide the write-ups and releases for external sources it will be important to adhere to company confidentiality. Clearly designate which information is to be only used internally and what is safe for the public.  

Ted Saul is a project manager, business coach and communications manager.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or on TWITTER at TedS787.