Maximizing Internal Communication

It may sound like a lot of work to create your own style guide. To make it a less daunting task, start by just typing in rules for the top 10 words you use in your organization. Then, add to the document as word situations arise. Within a month or two, you’ll have a pretty good guide.

Can employees access e-mail from home?

One way to get out in front of your work, and establish yourself as a strategic communicator and executive counselor as described in Chapter 2, is by conducting interviews and a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis with appropriate executives and key internal clients. This common business analysis technique can be easily applied to strategic communications and make you a better business partner.

if feedback mechanisms aren’t integrated into all communication processes and if the feedback collected isn’t meaningful to the organization’s leaders, then such organizations aren’t really engaging in a dialogue.

They listen to understand, not to respond. A

“Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.”
– Joseph Pulitzer

Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.”

Dunn, B. (2009) “Engaging Employees.” International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), San Francisco. June 10, 2009.

“Playing it safe is the riskiest thing communicators can do,” said Dunn (Dunn, B. 2009).

Some organizations encourage their employees to participate in external social media channels as a way to extend their brands. For example, Best Buy encourages every employee to be actively engaged on Twitter. Former Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn said the reward his company reaped by allowing his employees to Tweet far outweighed the risk of them saying something inappropriate.