Five tips for internal communication 'from home'
Times like these ask for adaptability and flexibility from organisations and their employees. We are forced to look for new ways to work together. The informal talks during lunch, at the coffee machine or in the walkways are not possible anymore. The connection between employees, and their involvement in the organisations is being compromised. That’s why, especially now, good internal communication with employees is very important. But how do you create professional internal communication from your home? These five tips will help!
Tip 1: Communicate frequently
It is important to continue communicating, especially now. Make sure you give internal updates on the current situation frequently. Depending on the number of people in a team, department or organisation you can decide how often an internal update is needed. It is important that everybody stays aware of what is going on and feels involved. These updates will also allow employees to ask questions or express concerns. Develop a digital format that replaces periodical updates and meetings. You may consider doing the updates more often than usual, but remember to adapt the frequency to the amount of people in a team, department or organisation. Hosting a weekly updated for the entire organisation of 300+ employees for example might be a bit too much, once a month might be more realistic. For a team of 30-50 people however a weekly updates will perfect.
Tip 2: Organise digital ‘coffee corners’
It is no longer possible the have that quick and informal chat about private or business matters with colleagues at the coffee corner. These ‘small talks’ are more important than you might think. They contribute to the spread of information, feeling involved and sense of togetherness. To replace these moments you can set up digital ‘coffee corners’. Online meetings, for example using Google Hangouts, where anybody can enter or leave the meeting at any time. The Hangout is always open and it’s without any obligation. What also helps is stimulating employees to organise informal meetings with colleagues they don’t directly work with.
Tip 3: Interact during internal communication!
If you are going to organise digital periodic meetings or updates, you might want to take into account that your audience is sitting behind their screen. To involve them and hold their attention there needs to be enough interaction. Using interaction during presentations or events will ensure that your message sticks. It also gives your audience an opportunity to ask questions. Two easy ways to add interaction to your internal updates are using a social wall for questions or a poll to ask opinions on a certain topic. A good online event is defined by the amount interaction with the audience.
Tip 4: Makes sure you have a good technical setup
To make sure everything runs smoothly, looks professional and that interaction with the audience is possible, there needs to be a certain technical setup. What do you need for a professional online meeting or update?
- Good equipment for the speakers like a microphone, good internet connection (with 4G backup) and a webcam.
- Streaming and content setup that enables you to broadcast online and share content.
- Application for live interaction with your audience.
Tip 5: Appoint a ‘showcaller’ for all online events
One easy way to make sure your online event is successful, is to appoint a so called ‘showcaller’. This person is in contact with all speakers and ‘manages’ the broadcast. The showcaller makes sure there is a smooth transitions between content and speakers. This way all speakers can focus on the story and the interaction with the audience. Ideally appoint someone with technical expertise and knowhow. We recommend using an specialised agency for show calling that has experience with online events