30 practical strategies for creating effective and inclusive internal communications
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
In a noisy world filled with countless channels and constant ads, internal communication can feel overwhelming for many. Being an excellent, effective and inclusive internal communicator requires a lot of skill and expertise.
In this article, we’ll explore the key areas that make organisational communications more effective and inclusive.
5 strategies to reduce the volume of communication
There’s no doubt that in all organisations communication has become overwhelming and the larger the organisation the more overwhelming this can feel.
‘Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating’ Charlie Kaufman
While instant chat channels like Teams and Slack have helped speed up collaboration they’ve also added to the noise and duplication. Already struggling to keep up with the hundreds of daily emails, instant chat messages now mean we’re expecting employees to hold several conversations concurrently. And rather than speed up productivity this multi-tasking is slowing organisations down and impacting employee wellbeing as they fight to prioritise and keep on top of their workloads.
- Pledge to reduce duplication, making communication engaging and effective the first time prevents having to send it multiple times.
- Proactively segment audiences so you can personalise and increase relevancy.
- Increase self-serve information, letting audiences consume information when they’re ready.
- Give your channels a clear purpose, audience and content strategy so the right information is going through the right channels.
- Ditch the routine, if a newsletter is going out weekly because it always has and the deadline is driving the content, it’s time to ditch the deadline and publish on demand instead.
5 strategies to increase the clarity in your communication
There’s an irony to Blaise Pascal’s quote ‘If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter’ because, of course, we would have more time if we were consuming less communication. In organisational comms, one of the best things we can do is respect our workforce’s limited time.
- Work hard on your subject lines / headings, these are your headlines so think like a journalist.
- Use AI tools to keep your comms concise. AI can be great for getting started, but they can also be quite verbose. write prompts carefully and consider giving a challenging word count.
- Structure your comms thoughtfully: start by setting the topic, add depth in the middle, and end with a clear call to action.
- Reduce company jargon; it complicates communication, especially for newcomers or those in a hurry. Avoid acronyms when possible.
- Set word count limits. If you regularly publish newsletters or intranet articles, be clear on your limits and challenge yourself to stay within them.
5 strategies to increase accessibility in communications
The most creative communications in the world won’t be effective if they don’t enable people with different abilities to access them. All workforces will have employees with differences in visual, hearing, learning and cognitive processing as well as those with limited literacy proficiency.
In the UK, accessibility regulations have been in force for the public sector since 2018 ensuring comms tools like websites, mobile apps and intranets all follow accessibility guidelines. There are no regulations for organisational comms, but that doesn’t need to be a barrier for driving accessibility in your communications.
- Focus on readability, with the average reading age in the UK being 9 years old. Consider using tools like Hemmingway Editor to help simplify your communications.
- Format your text based on its intended use. As most content is consumed digitally, consider how it will be viewed and adjust accordingly. For example, if it’s likely to be read on a desktop screen, use a landscape layout instead of portrait..
- Ensure compatibility with screen readers, this means formatting your documents with consideration.
- Check your colour contrasts as employees with colour blindness may struggle with certain colours or contrasts.
- Get your typography right because font choices and sizes are crucial for making communications effective and accessible.
For a deeper read on accessible comms check out our recent blog or watch our webinar.
5 strategies to use imagery inclusively
The human brain typically processes images significantly faster than written text, making imagery a potential fast track to creating effective communication – when used correctly. Often, however, imagery is also used to break up text, fit existing templates or to make communication ‘look better’. This is where the challenge comes, forcing audiences to process images that add nothing to the overall purpose of the communication.
- Make sure images add to the content, try to avoid bland library shots that add no value.
- Try to avoid overly surreal images unless this is part of your brand identity.
- Authentic representation is vital. If you’re using library images, try adding prompts like ‘diverse’ or specific attributes to result in a wider selection.
- Aim for a balanced representation of people over time to avoid bias towards certain parts of your workforce or reinforcing stereotypes.
- Consider using animation or illustration to provide more options if authentic or appropriate photography isn’t available.
5 strategies to making your communications more audience centric
While it may seem obvious, it’s easy to focus on your own priorities and accidentally overlook how your audience will perceive your communications.
- Consider different job roles and aim to make communications resonate with the frontline. Before sending or approving, put yourself in your audience’s shoes to make improvements.
- Workplaces are diverse with cultural nuances, avoid idioms or complex expressions that could hinder inclusion.
- There are up to five generations in the workforce for the first time, stop and think how communications could be perceived by different ages of your workforce.
- Using audience insights is critical for your messaging to resonate. If the organisation is struggling due to challenging times, staff shortages, or seasonal peaks, ignoring this in your communications can alienate your audience. Instead, acknowledge the organisation’s current situation and ensure your communications are appropriately positioned.
- Stay attuned to how your audience responds, including their preferred channels, formats, and language, to maintain effective communication.
Tiny wording tweaks like replacing ‘lunch breaks’ with ‘rest breaks’ can make more difference than you think if your front line includes out of hours or night shift workers.
For a deeper exploration on embracing multi-generational workforces, check out our webinar.
5 strategies for building trust in your communications
Effective communication is not about saying what you want to say correctly but enabling it to be heard correctly. To inspire action from your audiences, trust and believability play a huge part.
‘The idea is to write so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart’ Maya Angelou
- Consistency is key to building trust. Whether guiding the workforce through a complex transformation or engaging them in a new strategy, keep a consistent dialogue on rationale and goals.
- Tone of voice should be authentic, open, honest and human to be believable.
- Avoid vague phrases, if there’s important information, share the facts openly.
- Don’t ignore difficult topics: if there’s a question on the workforce’s mind, address it directly. Avoiding it won’t make it go away; it just reduces trust.
- Provide feedback loops and create psychologically safe opportunities for audiences to share concerns, questions, or feedback.
Top tip: To ensure you comms are human, read them out loud, if you sound like a robot you probably need to create a warmer, more conversational tone.’
How would your audiences answer?
Employees go through a mental checklist when receiving communications. Their response – whether, how quickly, and how they engage – depends on how they answer these questions:
- Is this aimed at me?
- Is this relevant to me?
- Do I trust this?
- How do I feel about who this is from?
- Do I care about this enough to prioritise it?
- Do I understand what this is about, or does it require me to stop and think?
- Is it clear what action is expected of me?
- Is there a clear deadline for responding or actioning?
Bringing the value of creativity
As passionate communicators with experience in supporting large organizations and hard-to-reach frontline audiences, we use creativity to simplify messaging, bring stories to life, and inspire action.
Want to find out more? Book a call with us here.
Creating accessible communications: practical tips and strategies
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Creating accessible communications is not just a nice to have, but should be a necessity. Ensuring that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and understand information is vital for inclusion and equality.
In this article and video, we delve into practical tips and strategies for creating more accessible communications, particularly focusing on documents.
Why accessible communications matter
Accessible communications are essential for ensuring that everyone can participate fully and equally. This includes people with visual, hearing, learning, cognitive, and mobility impairments, as well as those with limited proficiency in the language used.
There are several compelling reasons to prioritise accessible communications:
- Inclusion and equality: Everyone deserves access to information and the ability to participate.
- Improved engagement and efficiency: Reaching a broad audience and including those who have previously been excluded will increase engagement with your content.
- Good practice and compliance: While there are different regulations for accessibility depending on audience and industry, it goes beyond compliance. Accessibility is an ethical obligation to ensure equal access to information.
- Business benefits: Accessible communications can expand your audience or customer base, and improve the overall user experience, leading to higher satisfaction and brand engagement.
How do we know what is accessible and what requirements to meet?
In the UK, accessibility regulations came into force for public sector bodies in September 2018, covering websites, mobile applications, and intranets. While these regulations do not apply to all forms of communication or across all sectors, they have provided us with universal guidelines we can and should follow to ensure inclusivity.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the primary standards to adhere to, with the current version being WCAG 2.2. These guidelines focus on four key areas:
- Perceivable: Ensuring content can be perceived through sight, hearing, or other senses.
- Operable: Making sure all users can operate the interface, regardless of ability.
- Understandable: Ensuring information is clear and easy to interpret.
- Robust: Designing content to be reliable and functional across a wide range of technologies and capabilities.
How to create accessible documents
Now let’s get into the practical tips and strategies for creating more accessible communications, particularly focusing on documents.
Format
To ensure maximum accessibility, understanding the final use of your document is vital. Decide if your document will be used online, in print, or both, and design accordingly. For online use, a landscape format reduces scrolling and improves usability, while for print, a standard portrait A4 size is ideal. You should also consider creating separate versions for digital and print use. Addressing accessibility from the start is more efficient than fixing issues later.
Readability
Aim for a reading level accessible to the average reader. In the UK, it is encouraged when writing for a general audience to aim for a reading age of 9 years old. Headings, short paragraphs, bullet points, and images can help to break up text and reduce reading fatigue. Make the most of tools like the Hemingway Editor to help identify readability challenges and simplify content.
Screen readers and voiceovers
Screen readers are essential for many users, so ensure your documents are compatible with screen readers, which read text aloud. Consider creating voiceover versions of documents to provide a more engaging and easier-to-listen-to experience. Text-to-speech AI voice generators can be a cost-effective way of doing this. However, adding subtitles and captions to videos is a basic requirement.
Navigation
Good navigation improves document usability. Be sure to always include next and back buttons, and a back-to-contents button. Navigation elements should be tagged for screen readers and placed predictably at the top of pages.
Typography
Typography plays an essential role in creating accessible documents. Here are some key guidelines from WCAG 2.2 to help you design text that is easy to read and navigate:
- Use visual hierarchy and proper tagging (H1, H2) for headings.
- Choose sans-serif fonts for body text and serif fonts for headings.
- Aim for a minimum font size of 16 pixels or 12 points.
- Avoid all caps, as screen readers read them as individual letters.
- Use adequate line spacing and avoid justifying text to prevent readability issues.
Colour Contrast
Ensure high contrast between text and background for readability. Consider colour blindness and test your document’s colour contrast using online tools. Providing a dark mode option can enhance accessibility.
Forms, tables, and diagrams
Make information comprehensible without relying solely on colour. Use patterns and ensure proper tagging for screen readers. Consider voiceover versions for complex data presentations to enhance understandability.
Imagery
Use images wisely to support understanding. Ensure they have alternative text (alt text) for screen readers to describe the content. Unimportant visual design should be tagged as decorative so as not to confuse screen readers.
Getting started with accessible communications
Now, it’s your turn. Here are three ways to get started:
- Make one piece of communication accessible this week: it could be a social media post, a website update, or an internal document. Every step counts.
- Review your organisation’s accessibility policy: and if you don’t have one, advocate for creating one.
- Consider signing up for a free accessibility training course: take your learning further, there are lots of resources available.
Accessible communications are not just about adhering to regulations; they are about making a meaningful difference in how we connect and communicate with everyone. By prioritising accessibility, we can ensure that our messages are inclusive, effective, and impactful for all audiences. If you need support in creating accessible communications, our team is here to help.
Webinar: Accessible Communications: Maximising impact and inclusivity
In this concise virtual session, our Creative Services Director, Sarah Neale shared practical strategies to help your messaging reach and resonate with diverse audiences.
From emojis to emails:
Decoding digital body language in the workplace
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
With hybrid or remote working now the norm for many, the subtle cues and gestures that once played a crucial role in face-to-face interactions have now moved online.
Just as physical body language conveys emotions and intentions in person, our digital body language can do the same through our online behaviours and interactions. Understanding these digital cues can help us communicate with clarity, set expectations, and develop effective communication among teams.
What is digital body language?
Digital body language encompasses the nuances of how we communicate through online channels – email, messaging apps, video calls, and social media. It can include our choice of language, response times, use of emojis, and even the way we structure our messages.
This virtual type of communication can reflect our tone, engagement, and professionalism just as much as our posture, vocal intonation and facial expressions would in person.
Digital body language in the workplace
Our digital body language could be shaping our relationships with coworkers more than we realise. The way we communicate online has the power to build or break trust, convey respect or indifference, and significantly influence how we are perceived by colleagues and clients.
Here we explore five areas of digital body language that could impact how we’re understood by colleagues and stakeholders.
1. Tone and clarity
Without vocal inflections and facial expressions to rely on, the tone of messages can be easily misinterpreted. Word choice, punctuation and emojis can all play a critical role in conveying emotion and intent. A message ending with a full stop might come off as stern or final, while one with an exclamation mark can seem enthusiastic.
And context matters, too. A short and simple, “Can we talk?” out of the blue could seem daunting or intimidating (especially from a manager to an employee). But by giving context – “Can we talk? I have a few ideas I’d love to share” – gives clarity and transforms the tone to one of collaboration and enthusiasm.
Emojis, though sometimes seen as informal, are increasingly recognised as valuable tools for conveying tone and emotion to colleagues online. For example, a simple smiley 😊 can soften a message and convey friendliness, turning a seemingly neutral message into a supportive or positive one.
Using emojis thoughtfully can help bridge the gap between written text and the subtle nuances of face-to-face interactions. However, it’s important to consider the workplace culture and the context in which you use them to ensure they enhance, rather than undermine, your professionalism.
2. Formal vs. friendly
Digital communication in the workplace has stretched the boundaries of formality, making casual interactions increasingly more common.
The choice between a brief message and a well-structured email can convey different levels of professionalism and urgency. Overly formal emails in a casual workplace might seem out of touch or create distance, while using GIFs or memes in a formal setting can appear unprofessional.
Knowing your audience is key. A quick “FYI” with a casual tone might work for colleagues but could be seen as dismissive if sent to senior leadership. Tailoring your digital language to match the culture and expectations of your audience can ensure your messages are pitched at an appropriate level and are always well received.
4. Salutations and sign-offs
How we address people can also send clear signals about our intentions, and sets the tone for the rest of our message and our relationship with the reader.
Using “Hi [Name]” suggests a friendly, informal tone, which is good for casual conversations or emails to colleagues. It shows that you’re approachable and the message is likely relaxed. On the other hand, “Dear [Name]” feels more formal and respectful. It’s often used in professional settings to indicate that the email’s content is important or serious, or for communicating with people you don’t know well.
Similarly, the way you sign off an email affects how your message is received. Sign-offs like “Best regards” or “Kind regards” are polite and professional, suitable for business or formal emails, showing respect and courtesy. They suggest a level of respect – but may suggest distance or formality when used between colleagues.
In contrast, “Thanks” or “Best” feel more casual and friendly, which works well for less formal exchanges or when you want to leave a positive, approachable impression. Choosing the right salutation and sign-off helps set the right tone, makes your message clearer, and leaves a lasting good impression on the reader.
4. Response times
Employees are often bombarded with instant messages and emails throughout their working week, making it difficult to stay on top of replies. Yet, in some situations, a delayed response could suggest to your colleagues that you are disinterested, distracted, or even disapproving.
For example, if a manager consistently takes a day to respond to messages, employees may feel undervalued or ignored – even if the delay is simply due to their workload.
Although we can’t always give messages our full attention as soon as they enter our inbox, it’s still important to acknowledge receipt and set expectations around when you plan to reply. Even a quick thumbs up on a Teams message can tell the sender, ‘Yes I’ve seen this, and I hear you’. This simple action helps to make colleagues feel heard and respected, even if you need to respond in more detail later.
5. Availability status
Online status indicators (e.g., Available, Away, Do Not Disturb) communicate more than just presence; they reflect your availability and willingness to engage. Being marked as ‘busy’ or ‘do not disturb’ often signals that interruptions are not welcome, even without you explicitly saying so.
Such status indicators can be helpful when it comes to expectation-setting for how quickly you will be able to reply. However, it’s important to be mindful of your status settings and the subtle messages they send. Habitually appearing ‘away’ or ‘busy’ can imply a lack of accessibility or openness to collaboration.
Improving your Digital Body Language
Being conscious of your digital body language can help you strengthen your online communication skills, ensuring messages are clear, respectful, and effective.
Here are a few strategies to help you get started:
1. Be aware and intentional
Understand the digital body language signals you’re sending and receiving. Be deliberate about your response times, tone, and the way you use digital tools.
2. Set expectations
Encourage your team to set some general guidelines for digital communication. Discuss acceptable response times, preferred communication channels, and appropriate times for sending messages. Setting these expectations means everyone is on the same page.
3. Leverage technology thoughtfully
Use the full range of digital communication tools available, but choose the right medium for the right message. Video calls for nuanced conversations, instant messaging for quick queries, and well-structured emails for detailed information.
Message received
Digital body language is an integral part of modern workplace communication. By being mindful of the signals we send and how they are interpreted, we can communicate more respectfully, avoid misunderstandings, and grow our relationships with colleagues.
Embracing the subtleties of digital body language can lead to better communication, connection and collaboration within your team.
If you’re looking to support your colleagues to enhance their online communication skills and master their own digital body language, we can help.