5 Tips for Improving Internal Communications at Your Business

One of the reasons why our clients keep on coming back to us is our deep understanding of corporate communications. At Gillespie Productions, we have years of experience in business and broadcast journalism, and we marry those experiences to create video productions that tell your company’s story.

And as well as our popular internal communications video production services, our clients often count on us for advice on how to improve communication overall.

If you’re interested in improving internal communications, we have a few tips for you. Let’s take a look.

#1. Start With Yourself

Knowing how to improve internal communication starts with reviewing your behavior – not your team.

Improving internal communications in the workplace is a team effort, and by starting with yourself, you can show the rest of your team what the business needs from them. When you communicate better, so does your team.

Before you even think about strategy, recognize that you can improve your communication skills and even make it clear to your team that you are taking steps to learn and improve.

#2. Revise Your Strategy

Next comes strategy. You’re going to want to consider a few key things about how your business operates and how your team communicates.

What’s your performance like?

What is your current performance, and how well is your strategy working? Analyze your strengths and weaknesses, and think about what parts of your business are causing a breakdown in communication.

What are your goals?

How can you improve if you don’t know what you want to achieve? Think about where you want your business to go, who your audience is, and whether there are any new audiences you would like to reach.

Communication is key to achieving goals, whether that’s communicating with your team or communicating with your audience.

Use your goal to guide all of your strategies.

How do you plan to achieve them?

Once you know your goals, now you need to think about how you intend to get there. Consider who will be able to help, who fits which role best, what tools you might need, and establish a budget.

Think about what kind of video content your staff will appreciate and what messaging they may respond best to. Don’t be afraid to ask them directly, either!

Who will help you?

Once your goal is established and you’ve determined how to get there, consider who will help you achieve that goal. Think about your team, whether it’s too large or too small, and what you can do to improve their experience.

#3. Set Goals and Timelines Realistically

Setting goals is a big part of managing internal communication. If you’re planning on releasing videos or changing the way you communicate with your staff daily, set yourself some realistic goals and achieve them one by one.

Whether this is a matter of using videos to communicate with your team or engaging better with team members on a one-on-one basis, your goals will guide everything you do. This is also true for communicating with clients and investors, and even with your customers.

Don’t overshoot, and don’t demand too much of yourself. Find reasonable goals…and stick to them!

Also, ask yourself:

• How quickly do you want to achieve each goal?
• Are you giving yourself enough time?
• What tools might you need to achieve those goals?
• What systems are already working well?
• What needs improvement?

#4. Keep Your Doors Open

As we said right at the beginning…improving business communication starts with improving yourself! A good way to prove that you are committed to improving communication is by having an “open door” policy.

Encourage your employees to communicate with you directly when they need to, without relying on managers or team leaders. Give your team members an opportunity to speak to you directly, whether that involves having them knock on your office door, or email you during work hours. Whatever you feel most comfortable with, make sure your employees know you’re happy to talk.

Daily meetings work well to this end, too. Give people an opportunity to talk about their plans, their goals, their concerns, and what they may need help with. Show that you can listen and that you care. If you can’t hold daily meetings, hold regular video conferences with team members. They don’t need to belong!

#5. Encourage Informal Communications

Finally, always remember to encourage informal communication. Make sure your employees don’t fear talking to you, or feel anxious if you approach them. That’s always a recipe for disaster.

A happy team works and communicates better, and informal communication with the boss not only makes team members feel more comfortable in their position, but it ensures that you are all on the same page. So-called “water cooler talk” is vital for the success of modern businesses, and by building those bonds you are investing in your success.

So, be informal. Talk to your employees when you see them. Encourage conversations during work hours, and even consider arranging team-building days or trips. Keep things informal, without sacrificing the obvious need for the professionalism with clients, and you’ll very quickly see internal communications improve.

Build Better Communication with Expert Videographers

At Gillespie Productions, our corporate communications skills shine through in every video we produce. Our Wisconsin video production company helps companies go to the next level, communicating better with customers, clients, and employees.

Work with our team, and we’ll ensure your team members have easy access to training videos and other professional content, and we’ll help you tell your story to a large and growing online audience.

What are you waiting for? Call today!