What is internal communication?

Published by Concordia University, Nebraska 2 years ago on Wed, Feb 16, 2022 9:18 AM

Internal communication is a category of communication that is used among members of the same company. It differs from external communication, which is communication that happens between a company and their respective audiences, which could include business partners, their customers, and the public at large.

There are different varieties of internal communication–upward, (subordinate to superior), downward (superior to subordinate), lateral (coworker to coworker). Internal communication can take the form of memos, messaging platforms used among employees, and a variety of other mediums. On its surface, internal communication may seem like only a means to spread information, but it has the potential to be much more than that.

Why is internal communication important?

Studies show that communicating well is vitally important for a company to be able to run effectively and efficiently. A study done on businesses in China found a strong correlation between employee ratings of their manager’s communication and business unit profitability. Conversely, there are several case studies that show how poor internal communication can hurt a company, which you can read about here. Even though there are a lot of ways internal communication can go wrong there are also lots of ways internal communication can help a workplace.

What are ways internal communication can be implemented in the workplace?

If companies do it correctly, internal communication can help a company not just survive, but thrive. All employees can be contributors to positive internal communication in a company, by just being open and communicative with each other, but there are ways to make it even better.

One way internal communication can be effectively implemented in a company is by having an actual internal communication team. If that is not possible, the duty usually falls to the human resources team. Human Resources can be the link companies need to be able to understand their employees. Human Resource employees do everything from handling disputes to organizing a workforce in such a way that will make sure people are being used where their best talents are put to work. Good Human resources employees know a company well, which is the basis for effective internal communication. No matter who handling internal communication falls to, there are a few important principles that can help a company communicate more effectively.

Make a plan

Since every company is different, it is important to implement an internal communication plan that is cohesive to your company specifically. It is good to try new internal communication strategies, but if companies do not have an overarching plan or theme, all the work companies put into making their companies a united environment could be all for naught.

Make it universal

In order to implement a good internal communication strategy, it is important to make sure everyone is on board. This means getting everyone involved–from management to interns. If you have a company that is spread out across several locations, this can be a more difficult issue to deal with, but that can be fixed by providing an internal communications ambassador, or even by just keeping the designs and layout of each company fairly similar. That will make the different branches of the company feel united and represented, even if they are separated by hundreds of miles. Even when companies are held together by people and similar designs, there are still barriers that can separate people.

Keep it simple

When it comes to the vessels of internal communication in a business– the messaging apps, the video calls, the email platforms, it’s inevitable that you’re going to have a lot of them. That is why it is important to, if possible, keep your messaging things on the same platform. The same principle applies to employees you will be hiring at your company. It is overwhelming to start a new job at a company and things become much less overwhelming when there is one resource people can access to get all the information they need regarding all the things they need to know at a company.

Be a part of the next class of business communicators.

Explore the Business Communication Program

Consider trying new things

No matter how much feedback you get, and what the data says about an internal communication strategy you believe will work out, sometimes people are unpredictable, and the methods you try to unite your company won’t go the way you want them to, which is okay. Be prepared to be flexible and form new ideas when they don’t work out. And it is important that in internal communication people don’t forget to get feedback on why their original ideas didn’t work out.

Some internal communications strategies can be implemented in real life as well as in companies.

How can internal communication be applied to workplace and personal life?

There’s not one set way to practice internal communications. Good communication in a company happens when employees accept that people by nature are very diverse, and they begin to take steps to reconcile those differences. However, these nuances will remain unclear until companies start asking questions and finding what their employees actually want. Successful business leaders recognize that they can only begin fixing problems within their company if they put in the work to see what the problems are.

The same goes for real life. Communication is the basis for treating the people in your life well and making sure you love them well. Loving people doesn’t usually look the same for everyone, which is why we need open communication and understanding in order to do it. Loving people is one of the first things we are called to do as Christians.

Internal communication from a Christian standpoint

Unfortunately, because people are so different, you may not always like the people you that are put in your space to work with. But, as a professional, you’ll have to find a way to continue working with them. It’s possible to learn the principles of being an effective communicator, but if there is no purpose for communicating effectively, burnout can happen rather quickly.

Sometimes, it seems like divine intervention is necessary to find the motivation to love your neighbor. Luckily, there is a verse in John that can provide a basis for this motivation.

John 15:12- My command is this. Love others as I have loved you.

Jesus says we should love each other because we were all created in His image. He came to save all of us. We’re all broken people and we all need God’s love. God made every person with loving eyes and with a purpose, even if that person comes in the form of a loud coworker, or one who continually doesn’t pull their weight.

If you’re interested in learning tactical business communication skills that are integrated with this Christian love, Concordia offers classes that do just that.

Classes to take

BUS 281 Business Communication

3 credit hours

The intense study of business writing and speaking using audience analysis. Implications for organizational communication and structure are considered. Major assignments include writing letters and reports for targeted audiences, analysis of organizational rhetoric as related to those products, self- presentation and audience analysis in interview situations, and editing skills.

BUS 351 Human Resources Management