Strategic and Operational Communications

There are two main kinds of Internal/Employee Communications:

Strategic and Operational

Organizations communicate for ongoing business operations but they also need to communicate big changes, important updates and new approaches.

Organizations use strategic communications to communicate about:

a new agenda--a new focus on digital platforms for communicating internally instead of paper memos
a specific problem or issue to address--a need to tighten overtime rules to save money
a new approach to the work they do--how they interact with customers

Example:
Company Inc. has to communicate with employees about the need to tighten the rules on overtime activities during a tough period. A strategy for this situation might recommend:

emphasizing life-work balance as a priority, during this tough time
encourage flexible work schedules, but urging employees not to work longer hours
focus on the temporary nature of the adjustment
remind employees that overtime is an added bonus, not a guarantee

Organizations use operational communications all the time to share critical information to their employees on a timely basis so they can do their jobs. This information might include:

directives/policies on how to interact with customers
cheatsheets or technical manuals on how to use the computer systems and software
updates to standard health & safety training
materials that show the how-to basics of various aspects of their job

Timing is critical for both strategic and operational communications, though often operational communications tends to get the most attention due to the ongoing and pressing nature of doing the job and supporting customers.

Comments

What did I say yesterday?

Look at what messages have gone out before communicating new ones. A huge mistake managers often make is to communicate new messages without reviewing what they've already said on the subject in the past, hoping no one will notice. Imagine how far a politician would get using that approach. Unfortunately, we can imagine it all too well. The mistake is not in forgetting what you've said before; with all the messages coming from the CEO, the website, from various marketing and customer service campaigns, it's no wonder we cannot remember what we said yesterday. However, it is our job to either know or find out exactly how we characterize our messages and what we share, even long after we've shared it. For example, if you tell your team to focus on continuous improvement and then a week later, in a weak moment, yell at someone for taking too much time to reevaluate a process, you'll lose trust and credibility--probably two of the most important badges

Ah, yes... The "C" Word

In the Communications field, the "C" word can mean numerous things. In Internal or Employee Communications, we often refer to big "C" and little "c" communications. Big "C" Communications tends to include official communications tactics and products that get everyone's attention in an organization: posters, banners, advertising, website splash pages, e-newsletters, town halls and major 'memos', to name a few. Little "c" communications tends to be the internal, day-to-day business communications in a workplace about doing the work itself such messages about new procedures, processes, policies and plans, also internal emails, operational and tactical messages. The "C" word that is missing from this discussion is Culture. These are the ideas and messages that Culture communicates: How people behave in their workplace. What the culture tolerates as appropriate or inappropriate behaviour. For example, what goes

Be interested in your employees.

Walk around the office and chat one-on-one with people, ask them about themselves, their day-to-day work, their kids, how their weekend was. If you make time to also walk around your corporate office and talk to people individually, they remember that and will cut you a little slack when you’ve got to rush out the door the next time. It also allows you to get to know your people well, what makes them tick and what makes them successful or what makes them do their best. Knowing your people and having a relationship or personal connection with them, however small, allows your organization to want to perform better. Those employees become a lot more willing to go above and beyond the call of duty for you. Just make sure you are consistent. You don't want to be that manager who tries something once or twice and then gets too busy to keep it up.

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