Is there a "top three" methods of communication?

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Is there a "top three" methods of communication?

The following question was recently posted to The Communicators' Network:

Q: I'm currently reviewing my company's internal communication strategy, processes and tools, prior to presenting it to our board. I'd be interested to find out what other practitioners consider their top three most effective internal communication methods?

A: After 10 years in internal communication, I've come to the conclusion that there's no such thing as "best practice." No right or wrong way – only what works best for your particular business at a particular point in time.

I know this because working for a global organization (we have about 90,000 employees and do business in 180 markets), I've learned that what works in one part of the business can't always be successfully exported. Even the Holy Grail of face-to-face comms is only effective under certain conditions.

What will work will depend – among other things – on your current business model (e.g., centralized vs. decentralized); your culture (e.g., command and control vs. collaboration/networking); your audience (the information and communication needs and preferences of your employees according to their role/grade/location etc.); and the nature of the messages you are communicating (e.g., strategic vs. support). When presenting to the board start with the business problem not with the comms solution or delivery mechanisms. What are your specific business challenges, for example, morale; retention; productivity; quality; etc.? And which have comms solutions that you can implement, for example, strategic message alignment; employee engagement; middle-management advocacy; comms competency development; cross-functional working groups; etc.?

This may provide direction in terms of the tools and processes you may need to develop.

source

Blogged on 2:44 AM by Upay

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