Social media has increased the necessity of organizations to exponentially improve their internal communication effectiveness. That means having clear understanding of the level of employee comprehension regarding the business itself, its goals, objectives, strategies and tactics. Research, as always, is the primary means by which this is accomplished. Social media use by employees, either on or off the clock, makes it very unlikely that internal spin (the last refuge of spin these days) can succeed.

Employees have multifarious choices about the sources of information about the business; the official source is just one, and is increasingly mistrusted (see ‘internal spin’ for details).

Employees have long been able to smell spin — and outright falsehood — from their company comms. Social media magnifies this capability, but the solution — straight talk, respect and dialogue — hasn’t changed.

Leaders frequently cite their own communication activities as essential to their leadership. But too few practitioners concentrate on managerial communication. From branding to motivation to reputation, making the internal constituency into raving fans is a cost conscious and effective strategy.

Thanks for another great discussion.
Sean