With so many communication tools available to us, like Slack, Microsoft Teams, emails, SMS, Zoom, we can easily find ourselves communicating less effectively if we’re trying to use too many of them. Here are eight ways to effectively communicate internally and increase employee engagement.
1. Understand which tools are for what
An easy way to try and understand which communication tools are right for your company is by creating a list of how you communicate online and offline.
Online communication
- Slack – instant messaging
- Email – for corporate announcements
- Company wiki – for shared knowledge
- Google docs – for information sharing
Offline communication
- Daily kickoffs
- Weekly team meetings
- Monthly company meetings
- Quarterly update meetings
- Annual retreats
2. Decide on transparency
When it comes to sharing information, transparency is a decision based on many company factors. Depending on your industry some information may be out of compliance if shared too broadly, for some it is a cultural decision.
At Display.Stream we’re as transparent as possible and for us we found Slack to be the most effective tool for our communications. We’re able to categorize different channels (#HR, for example), and pin messages to the top. Individuals can be notified by tagging them, and we can decide if a channel is public or private.
3. Information to share or capture
Keep in mind there is sharing for quick communication, share once and never reference again. And there is information you may need to reference again later on. Tools like Slack and Skype are not the most effective means to keep and organize files, so building a culture of structure for managing knowledge is important to communicate effectively.
4. Modern vs classical ways of sharing information
Older generations in the workplace may be stuck on emails as a form of information sharing. Messaging is much more instantaneous and likely to be seen by the right person but some information is far more effectively shared when it goes beyond the sender and recipient. Modernizing information sharing with your organization, and your team is key to deciding what you share and where..
5. Show them how to communicate
Help everyone understand exactly what is expected of them when it comes to communication. Provide them with the resources on understanding how to effectively communicate. Build this understanding into the company’s culture.
6. Share with employees while in the workplace environment
Digital Signage is a highly effective way to communicate to staff throughout their workday. If you’re like most companies, you have lots of updates happening all the time and it would be extremely counterproductive to hold a meeting for each one. Emails will just get buried in people’s inboxes. With digital signage, you can broadcast a message to everyone at all locations instantly. Display.Stream takes this to a whole new level by connecting you with local businesses through your displays informing your employees about local services and exclusive offers for just your employees.
7. Empower your employees
Digital signage can be used to introduce new hires, showcase team performance, foster some healthy competition, display employee feedback surveys. Make them aspire to take part in the company messaging, get them engaged with their work environment.
8. Reward them
With Display.Stream you’re providing access to your employees through your displays. Your displays earn revenue every time you accept a promotion for a local business. You can use that continuous revenue generation to convert to gift cards and reward your employees.
