Should You be Focusing More On Internal Communications?

How your team communicate with each other is vital to your business.
How many times did you engage with your clients this week? Think of every single instance – anything from an email blast to a direct phone call. The only catch is it has to have significantly advanced your relationship with the client – a like on a LinkedIn post does not count.
Now think of the number of times you engaged with your coworkers this week. Again, it could be any form of communication, but the catch is the same – it had to advance your relationship with your colleague.
Coming up short on the coworker side of the scale? Then it may be time for a revamp of your internal communication strategy. So much of our day-to-day lives are focused on advancing opportunities with our clients that we can forget to fortify the army to which we belong. What does it matter if you connect with a client if the product you’re offering is below par?
We have assembled a smattering of considerations and tips to unite your company’s front line. Gear up and read on, communication soldier.
Develop common goals
What good is company strategy if you’re getting a slightly different version of it from each employee? Work toward the same set of goals to get your team on the right track. Design your best practices in a format that can fit into every department and job role, then put it into writing. The more black and white you can make your company’s aspirations, the easier it will be for your colleagues to head towards it with guns a-blazin’.
Build trust
There’s a scene like it in every Armageddon movie ever made: the world is on the brink of destruction and the archetypal zany genius comes up with a plan that’s just so wacky it works, and the human race is saved yet again. But what if that zany genius didn’t have the trust of his cohorts? No one would listen to his idea, the invasive alien race would take over the Earth, and it would be sayonara, homo sapiens. Having a foundation of trust within your team is essential to nurturing ideas and working together.
Reward positive communication
Ever notice a knee-jerk reaction of negativity to new ideas? Nip it in the bud and reprogram the way your company approaches ingenuity. Even if a proposed idea does not fit the bill, reward innovative thinking with praise and recognition. An out-of-the-box approach might be just what your company needs to get a step ahead; negativity only breeds more negativity. A dash of sunshine and rainbows never hurt anyone.
Build lots of bridges
The most valuable collaboration often comes from the most unlikely partnerships. Encourage communication between all departments, not just those that require it on a daily basis. Implement practices that are aimed at building relationships between departments that may not normally react. Yin and yang, opposites attract, the list of this principle goes on. Create the oddest couples you can, and then watch the magic unfold.
Be impeccable with your word
This is taken from the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, and this is one of the pillars of this philosophy. Be as specific as you can when interacting with your employees. Edit out the standard business jargon and speak to them like real people. You will likely find that making your questions real will be the smartest thing you do.
Open the doors to communication and let the ideas flow.