February 28, 2005

Promote the Value of Your Communication Channels

Not too many years ago, it was easy for employees to understand and navigate their organization’s formal communication channels. But companies have become more complex, and communication choices have proliferated. So it’s no wonder that many employees are confused about what all those vehicles (print, e-newsletters, intranet sites) are for. Internal communicators need to take a cue from external media, and explain the purpose and promote the value of communication channels. Here’s how:

The problem
Whenever we conduct focus groups or other qualitative research about internal communication, employees share feedback like this:

• “I don’t understand why I get all this stuff. It all seems so similar. What’s the difference, for example, between ‘Business Update’ and ‘News Brief’?”
  
  
• “Where does all this communication come from? What does it mean?”
  
  
• “Much of the information is helpful, but I have to work too hard to figure out what’s what.”

Although information overload is certainly a factor, it’s only part of the problem. Most communication vehicles are designed as if employees intuitively understand their purpose—the assumption is that every employee has worked at the company for years, has read every issue of, say, the publication, and that he or she perfectly comprehends its value.

That is simply not the case. And with every new employee you hire, and every new vehicle that’s introduced, the problem gets worse.

A new approach
You need to take a new approach to communicating about your communication vehicles. Start with this question: If employees had to pay to subscribe to one of your vehicles, what would you do differently? Assume for a moment that you have to convince employees to take out their credit cards and buy what you’re selling. Just to increase the degree of difficulty, also assume that employees have a limited budget, so they can’t subscribe to every vehicle offered; they have to make a choice.

Your first step would be to learn everything you could about how external media companies sell their wares, and apply those same techniques to attract and retain your “subscribers.” For instance, you would:

• Explain, clearly and prominently, essential information about the channel, including: Timing (“posted every other Monday”). Target audience (“For field sales representatives in the XYZ division”). Content focus (“Explaining the business of ABC Company”). And you’d do so in every issue or edition.
  
  
• Develop a value statement about the channel. You’d answer these subscriber questions, “Why should I pick this up or open it? Why should I read it? What will I gain? What’s in it for me?” You’d make sure this statement is prominently displayed and shared.
  
  
• Not be shy about improvements or achievements. If you added something new and nifty, you wouldn’t just publish or post it—you’d trumpet the new feature. And if your vehicle won an award or received other recognition, you’d tell your subscribers about it.
  
  
• Cross-promote. You’d always be thinking about ways to use your print and electronic newsletters to drive people to the intranet, and vice versa.

And, most of all, you’d never assume that employees are a captive audience, just waiting for the next issue of your vehicle. You may not be asking for employees’ money, but you are competing for an equally precious commodity: their time. You need to convince employees that their time is well spent on the communication vehicles you create.