What do you do if your remote internal communications are ineffective?

1 Assess your current situation

Conducting a simple audit of your existing channels, tools, and practices is a great way to understand where you stand in terms of improving your remote internal communications. Ask yourself and your team questions such as what the main purposes and goals of your internal communications are, how effective the channels and tools you use to communicate internally are, how often and how well you communicate with different groups and levels in your organization, and how you measure and evaluate the impact and outcomes of your internal communications. Additionally, consider the main challenges and gaps that you face in remote internal communications. With this information, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your current situation and prioritize the areas that need improvement.

2 Align your communications with your strategy

For effective remote internal communications, alignment with your organizational strategy and vision is key. This means that your messages should reflect and reinforce your core values, objectives, and culture, and help your team members understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture. To ensure this alignment, it is important to communicate your strategy and vision clearly and consistently to your remote teams using various channels and formats. Additionally, you should involve your team members in the planning and execution of your strategy and solicit their feedback and input regularly. Furthermore, recognize and celebrate the achievements and successes of your remote teams to link them to your strategic goals and values. Finally, provide ongoing support and guidance to help them overcome any challenges or obstacles that may hinder their performance or engagement.

3 Choose the right channels and tools

Choosing the right channels and tools for effective remote internal communications is essential, as different types of communication may require different modes and methods. For example, you may use email for formal announcements, video calls for interactive meetings, instant messaging for quick updates, and intranet or social media for sharing news. However, you should ensure that the channel or tool is accessible, reliable, and user-friendly for your remote teams. Additionally, you should use it appropriately and purposefully, avoiding overloading or spamming your remote teams with unnecessary information. Moreover, you should follow the best practices and etiquette for each channel or tool, such as writing clear subject lines, using audio settings properly, and respecting time zones and boundaries.

4 Engage your remote teams

Maintaining high levels of engagement and connection among remote teams can be a challenge without face-to-face interactions and social cues. To overcome this, you should communicate frequently and consistently with your remote teams, and personally with empathy, appreciation, and recognition. Additionally, you should communicate interactively and creatively, encouraging them to participate and contribute to your internal communications. You should also communicate socially and funnily to create opportunities for informal and casual conversations. Doing so can help build trust, rapport, collaboration, and foster a sense of belonging and community.

5 Evaluate and improve your communications

The final step for improving your remote internal communications is to evaluate and improve them on an ongoing basis. It’s important not to assume that your communications are effective just because you have implemented some best practices or followed some guidelines. You should constantly monitor and measure the results and outcomes of your communications, and get feedback and suggestions from your remote teams on how to improve them. To do this, set clear and SMART objectives and indicators, collect and analyze data from surveys, polls, analytics, or testimonials, address any issues or gaps that may arise in your internal communications, and implement new ideas or solutions to enhance them. Finally, test these solutions and evaluate their outcomes and feedback.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?