Communication channels
There are innumerous channels to choose from when you’re sending a message. Depending on your business, you may have more or less than others. Using non-traditional channels is also a great way to reach employees who tend to not be very engaged.
When choosing a channel, the most important thing is to select one that you employees will actually use. To come to this conclusion, simply ask your employees how they would prefer to receive communications from you. Pick the top three to five responses and use these as your main channels — even if it means you need to do some adapting.
Here are the channels you should be considering;
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Physical spaces
- Notice boards
- Lunch rooms or common areas
- Printed magazines or newsletters
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Digital channels
- Email
- Slack or Microsoft Teams
- Facebook Workspace or Facebook groups
- Intranet
- WhatsApp, Telegram, or text message
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Calls
- Zoom video calls
- Voice only
- Conference calls
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In person
- One-on-one
- Team or department meetings
- Company-wide all-hands meetings
Once you’ve selected your channels, you need to set expectations and a few rules. It’s helpful for yourself and your employees to know which channel is used for what, and when. For example, official announcements (such as open positions available) are always via email, intranet, and printed and left in the break room; casual announcements (such as a social club activity) are sent in Slack/Teams, and a company-run WhatsApp group.
This helps employees to sort ‘important, must read’ from ‘unimportant, optional to read’ and ensures the messages that need to cut through the rest are successfully delivered.
Once you’ve set these rules, you must stick to them! Remember, inconsistency is one of the most common complaints about communication.