How to solve the top five internal communication challenges
Across industries, communicating with internal audiences can present similar problems. A white paper from PoliteMail details the top five challenges for internal communications teams and strategies to solve them.
- Problem: Lack of analytics
Solution: Using statistics to drive your internal communications—such as email open and click rates—is crucial to learn how well your messages are being communicated. Use these analytics to tailor your messages to increase clarity, productivity, and collaboration and decrease administrative burden. - Problem: Information overload
Solution: Focus on essential details in your content and channels to avoid information overload, especially if email is the standard mode of communication. Links to more information are your friend. Stray from including blocks of numbers from various dashboards and spreadsheets, which can quickly become overwhelming. - Problem: Incorrect distribution lists
Solution: Keep accurate and up-to-date distribution lists and consider targeting your employee lists by role, region, department, and seniority level. Targeted messaging builds trust, reduces email overload, and shows employee engagement is a priority. To be effective, your messages must reach and be customized to your intended audience. - Problem: Engaging remote workers
Solution: Test and learn which modes of communication (email, messaging app, employee portal, Zoom) keep remote employees as connected to the workplace as their in-office peers. Most likely, your strategy will include several of them. - Problem: Low employee engagement
Solution: Use tools like Microsoft Copilot to add creativity, get rid of confusing jargon, and provide a good jumping-off point for attention-grabbing content. Continue to rely on data to review which messages and channels are working best to build better employee and employer relationships. Learn more about AI at the University.
Check out more internal communications tools, and if you have further questions, reach out to the University Relations Internal Communications team at internalcomms@umn.edu.