What sales figures? Fred's in Hawaii and I don't know how to reach him!

Good internal communications are an essential ingredient of business success. Companies that might be very good about communicating with suppliers and customers often fail to give their internal communications the same degree of attention.

Communications need to flow between people who are coordinating projects and managers to ensure the success of the business. They also need to flow from those who manage the business to the people they manage. Internal communications impact on three important areas:

Decision making: all levels of management need accurate, timely and complete information to make the best quality decisions about the business
Interdepartmental coordination: individual departments need to communicate with each other so that interrelated functions (like sales and manufacturing) work smoothly together
Team information: keeping team members informed about company activities is an essential tool for motivation and retention

In internal communications between co-workers the emphasis is on the presentation and interpretation of facts, requiring an interconnected system of communication methods that enables easy sharing of information.

Effective communications should be linked to the objectives and culture of your business. These are the four steps to developing an internal communications strategy for your business:

Identify the strategy's objectives
Audit current communications practices
Identify the communications audiences
Determine the communications methods to be used

Identifying objectives

The objectives of your internal communication strategy will depend upon the culture of the enterprise, its business goals and the particular challenges it faces. Typical objectives could include the following:

To ensure that team members understand the organisation's objectives and values and share in its culture
To share information between members of management and between management and other team members
To enable communication with all personnel at all times, regardless of location (including while traveling on company business)
To enable on-demand access to company information with password protection for sensitive materials

Auditing current practices

Once the objectives have been determined you need to audit current communications systems and identify what additional pathways or technologies need to be introduced to meet them. Those who use the system and depend on it are well placed to assist in this task. Form a committee made up of team members from various parts and levels in your company to conduct the audit and make recommendations for improvements to the communications systems. Issues that need to be considered in the audit include:

What methods of communication are currently being used?
What information is being communicated in each channel currently being used?
How well do present systems fulfill the communications objectives?
What additional resources are required?

Target your audiences

Different methods of communication may be needed for different groups within the company. Some sections will require specific information not needed by other parts of the business. First, identify the various audiences - senior management, production personnel, sales and marketing for example, and the types of information each requires. Then determine the communications methods each audience needs to both send, and receive, this information.

Set up the right communications methods

Thanks to developments in technology there is a wide range of communications methods you can use. The list includes fixed telephones, cellular phones, faxes, the internet, a company intranet, e-mails, regular meetings and the traditional printed pieces such as memorandums and newsletters. All business organisations use a variety of methods to communicate, and it's highly likely that most, if not all of those listed, have a place somewhere in your company.

Good internal communications will only come about through an investment of time and money. Information is a powerful business tool and making it accessible to those who need it is part of optimising your business opportunities. Take the time to do a thorough evaluation of the communications methods and systems that will give everyone in your company the information they need, when they need it, and in the format they require. Then get some professional advice on the technology and equipment for the job.

For more information contact your RAN ONE business professionals at
Academy of Business Excellence Limited