Do more with less.
If you want a way to sustain internal communication,
gather news and feedback and create a first-rate network,
your first step will be to recruit internal comms champions
or focal points.
Who are they?
There are different types to suit:
- Professionals: those with communication
skills and experience who can assist local mangers
with employee engagement and feedback and are likely
to have this role as part of their jobs, e.g., they
may produce a regional or local newsletter.
- Advocates: for communication who
are in themselves good communicators with role model
behaviours and don’t have a particular communication
remit.
- Potentials: those employees who,
with some initial training, could provide sources
of news, and collect local opinion and feedback from
others.
What do they do?
It’s up to you to decide on the nature and purpose
of your network. If you want news-gathering then you
will definitely want the Professionals, but also the
Potentials who can broaden your network and reach further
a field or into different audience groups. You must
clarify and agree your objectives and work out what
support or basic induction your Potentials will need.
Be mindful that they already have a day-job and this
is extra (without pay!). You may want them to feedback
on team briefing, collate opinion on a campaign or company
change. You may also ask them to provide news items
or, at least, contacts for news. Briefing is everything
and the more you can provide examples of what you are
looking for and in the form you want it, the better.
What’s in it for them?
Yes, it may be extra work for someone who already has
their own job to do, but the upside is that it gives
them an opportunity to move around and talk to others.
It will also improve their skills and add to their CV.
For some it may even provide a way of eventually changing
their current role within the company. A good comms
champion will have access to local management and, as
such, raise their profile. You might also ask yourself
how you can reward them for their efforts – meeting
up as a network to review progress and have time for
socialising.
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