02/ 07/ 2006
by Artunian
When it’s time to get the word out about training classes, company parking policies or holiday parties, are your employees getting the message? Here are some guidelines for improving employee communications.
Consider the medium. Every communication vehicle has its pluses and minuses. Print is a good choice for explaining business strategies and other complex information that take time to absorb because a printed memo or newsletter is portable; employees can review it over lunch or take it home. On the other hand, print isn't always timely or economical.
Electronic vehicles, such as an intranet and e-mail, spread your message quickly. In few clicks, employees can access the information from their computer. But they can also unwittingly ignore or delete these messages, especially if their in-boxes are already overflowing.
Audio communication via a conference call or voice mail provides a personal touch and allows you to convey emotion. But it can be a double-edged sword. Depending on your tone of voice, your message can sound upbeat or negative. Audio messages may also be difficult to reference later.
Video gives you an opportunity to make a personal connection with your audience, and its novelty can be appealing. It can, however, be costly and may be difficult for all employees to access.
Face-to-face communication is, of course, the most personal, direct way to communicate. The primary drawback is that, unless you speak to all employees at once, you can't guarantee that you will deliver the same message to everyone, especially if you don't have a question-and-answer session afterwards.
Make sure that your message is complete. When you announce a new customer service policy, don't just explain how employees should carry out the policy; tell them why you put it in place. That way, employees aren't left wondering what management hopes to achieve.
Don't over-communicate. Announcing the availability of a new health insurance plan through posters, e-mail, voice mail, flyers and meetings dilutes your message and causes confusion. Pick a few vehicles that make the most sense for the message. You might let employees know about the new health plan by inserting a brief memo in their paycheck and following up with posters and an e-mail.
Take into account all of your audiences. Employees in your manufacturing plant may need to be more mindful of changes to the plant’s security system than office employees. If that’s the case, consider creating a separate memo that provides more procedural details for plant employees.
Ask for feedback. Once or twice a year, ask employees to share their reactions to specific pieces of communication. Did they pay attention to the message? Did they understand it? Were they left wanting more information? If so, what else did they want to know?
