Effective Internal Communication

Citation

Yeomans, L. (2007), "Effective Internal Communication", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 90-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/13632540710726012

For 40‐odd years in the UK, the public relations professional literature has advocated the importance of communicating with employees. One purpose of “internal public relations” as defined by Black (1989, p. 139) was to encourage “employees to make their maximum contribution to productivity and the prosperity of the company” and to “[eliminate] rumours and misunderstanding and lack of information which often lead to industrial action” (Black 1989, p. 140).

Black and others, as senior PR advisers, did not waste too many words exploring the need for employee communication; they simply got on with the task of explaining how to do it.

During the 1990s the expansion of literature authored by a new breed of “internal communication” consultant reflected a growing specialisation of internal communication within UK organisations. Internal communication, according to one author, was a “new management discipline' … “[which cuts] across the traditional boundaries of HR, PR and marketing expertise … We assume the need to be familiar with the business context (in particular the need to manage change), the role of strategic planning and of IC within it, also research methods and statistical interpretation, and budgeting … ” (Scholes, 1997, p. xviii).

Internal communication consultants drew heavily on their own experiences, behavioural models and case studies in prescribing to their intended audiences (generally business leaders, managers, and practitioners) how to utilise internal communication for strategic purposes. The language of business and management began to shape the discipline.

While the consultant literature may be regarded as shamelessly self‐promotional, consultants have nevertheless helped to play a role in making the case for internal communication as a strategic function in organisations. It is therefore interesting to note that in 2005, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations' professional practice series of publications embraced the aspirant discipline of “internal communication” while continuing the tradition of practical application for those who did the job of crafting messages.

The author Lyn Smith's intention is to “help those out in the field to learn from the real experiences of the very many people I have spoken to  … ” and from this statement it is clear that the intended reader is the practitioner who is new to internal communication, possibly even a graduate entrant. The list of acknowledgements at the beginning of the book is almost a “who's who” of British internal communication expertise and these voices alone are worth capturing for those new to the discipline. A diverse reference list at the back of the book also demonstrates the author's commitment to place internal communication within a wider context of theory and research – something that many of Smith's predecessors in the professional literature have not done. So a book that attempts to integrate two strands of professional practice literature, as well as relevant theory, should be welcomed.

The book is divided into two parts: part one is “Setting the Scene” and part two is “Getting it Right – Practical Application”. The chapters in part one cover what internal communication is, why it is important, who does it and the key principles and theories that relate to communicating with employees. As suggested by its title, part two concentrates mainly on the hands‐on practice of writing, editing and designing through to printing, using the broadcast media, and use of e‐mail and other communication technologies in the digital age. Part two also includes “measuring success” which relates to evaluating internal communication.

What Smith does best is focus on staff. Gratifyingly in this book, they are not referred to as “brand ambassadors” or “assets” but as people who may or may not respond to an organisation's message, depending on how far they feel involved and listened to. One gets the sense that Smith herself has worked closely with employees of all types and retains some scepticism about what passes for management communication in some organisations. At various points, she emphasises the need for bringing the realities of people's perceptions “on the ground” to the attention of management.

The book has a brisk, conversational tone. Experiential wisdom is brought in at every opportunity through the author's personal anecdote, organisational case study or a consultant/practitioner opinion. Survey findings, too, are included to reinforce points. However, coherence and cohesion are sometimes lacking. For example, semiotics (in Chapter 4 Theories into Practice) is acknowledged as useful for the “creative communicator wanting to make effective use of imagery and language rather than focusing on the more technical aspects of transmission” yet in the “measurement” chapter no attention is paid to qualitative methods to determine how employees within different work groups, or sub‐cultures, interpret imagery and language. The author instead focuses on the staff attitude survey – used by many organisations to evaluate the successful transmission of information but not always the right tool to assess communication effectiveness.

The main criticism is that the author's own voice, or critical assessment of what is useful or appropriate, is missing. For the practitioner operating at the entry level, dipping in and out of the book, this might not matter too much. Effective Internal Communication may be viewed as a useful guide to pull down from the office shelf, much in the same way that Sam Black's Practical Public Relations might have been back in 1962.