Course Content
1. The elements of communication
2. Internal communication plan
3. Metrics
4. Conclusions
Communication 4.0 represents a challenge due to the enormous speed of digital transformation. We have reviewed external communication processes with an emphasis on the digital tools needed to effectively communicate our ideas and reach our target audience, stressing the creation of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. We have also seen the need for a digital marketing strategy that allows us to define our objectives and the subjacent principles that govern any marketing proposal. On the other hand, we have seen the creation of an internal communication plan, highlighting the most remarkable features and the need for open and fluid communication between employees. We closed our module with a brief approach to social media metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of our communication strategies. In short, we focused on practical creation, promoting a step-by-step vision of development and implementation. We hope this module can contribute to achieving your goals and help you to lead your future communication strategy. Remember that adaptation is a fundamental competence of the creation process and, therefore, we want to encourage you to be updated on the trends of communication 4.0 and to make the most of your efforts.
Why internal communication?
An internal communication plan is used when organizations want to improve their internal communication. Good internal communication has many benefits such as:
- Reduction of time wasted while searching for resources, tasks, or other characteristics precise within the content of the workplace.
- Improve the trust and confidence in both sides, employer, and employee.
- Facilitate teamwork and effective communication across the members.
- Provide feedback and concreteness to the tasks to be completed.
- Create a sense of community.
George Bernard Shaw once said:
¨The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place¨.
From this quote, we propose you a self-reflection task
Task: 10 min
1. Write 5 benefits of introducing an internal communication plan.
2. Explain the problems derived from poor internal communication
Now and then, we found ourselves in a process of confusion and misunderstanding while working. Sometimes, we expect the other person to clearly understand what we meant, and days after, we realized that the person understood something completely different. Well, an internal communication plan permits you to effectively create a well-ground strategy for setting the internal communication of your workplace and therefore, improving the internal dynamic of the work process.
Do I need an internal communication plan if in my workplace there are only three people?
In every circumstance, the assets of having an internal communication plan are significant. Internal communication is not only about communicating with others but to keeping a record of everything that is taking place. In addition, it can be a great opportunity to safely create spaces where the information can be found easily or store important deadlines you may desire to not forget.
We have highlighted different ideas for effectively running or improving your internal communication
The following case studies are examples of how some companies successfully have improved their internal communication and have had a meaningful impact on their business[1].
[1] The case studies have been extracted from FirstUP.IO. For further information: https://firstup.io/blog/internal-communication-examples/
We have seen the importance of having an internal communication plan and how to create an internal workflow. Moreover, different examples of tools have been highlighted and their main characteristics and functionality. On the other side, the case studies represented practical examples of how the use of an internal communication plan has achieved positive results, in different areas such as brand identity, time efficiency, and information management We have emphasized the creation of Trello due to the accessibility and easy-to-use platform which is more flexible. Now, is time to reflect on what items you want to highlight in Trello to improve your work management and internal communication.
Task: 30 min
1. Watch the video and create your project management tool with Trello.
To finish with internal communication, to touch and reach the areas it might exist within your workforce, Yeomans et al., (2017) refer to the purposes of having internal channels to:
- Push out information such as news, company results, or changes to policies and procedures.
- Allow staff to pull out information as they need it.
- Benefit understanding because we often want to check what we think we heard or get help to see tee the personal implications of an announcement from head office.
- Promote community; helping people feel that they are part of something and perhaps able to seek support or ideas from their colleagues.
Internal communication helps to get a better understanding of what is happening in your workplace. Embracing a trusting community and a collaborative space may help you to build a safe and active workspace