Emerging Internal Communications Trends

Sending a quick email to hundreds of people in the office may seem like a great way to handle your basic internal communications strategy. However, many upcoming trends in the field continue to shy away from text-only mass communications to more creative, and increasingly mobile, ways to keep employees informed.

The HR Trend Institute posted a dozen emerging internal communications trends to watch in 2015. The concepts range from simple truths to core strategic ideas to make your company more efficient. Some trends make sense, while others seem to be counter-intuitive to the 21st century speed of business. More and more business technology aims to make communication more effective and not necessarily faster.

Visual representations get the attention of employees better than text-only emails. Try to mix it up with short, 75-second animations, colloquially called exlanimations, to deliver concepts in a witty, fun format. Infographics, such as those found on Pinterest, offer great ways to arrange data into compelling visual formats rather than boring flow charts, pie charts, or spreadsheets.

If you want everyone in the company to remember something, a video or animation that engages the senses, tells a story and adds a little humor to the office is more effective than simple text. Consult with your graphic design department for ideas or find templates online. Take your internal communications to a new level and get people talking.

Mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, continue to be used in more creative ways. You do not have to create an internal communications application just for your company. However, mobile devices cannot be ignored. Virtually everyone has some type of device that uses apps. Find relevant software for everyone to use, and even offer to pay for an app download if necessary, to get your employees on the same page.

For a company-wide dispersal of an app, talk to the developer about how to use the software in the most effective way possible. Think of mobile devices as the ultimate expression of the old-style, peer-to-peer company network business technology from the 1990s.

Analytics has become a buzzword for companies that seek to gain every possible advantage over competitors. Internal communications analytics can be used to monitor which communications work best over others. Refine the process until you get it right. Over the long term, this process saves time and money to increase company profits.

Use this data as part of an overall business communication strategy to keep employees up-to-date on important news regarding your firm's overall strategy. Employees should be reminded about changes, goals, and principles of the company on a regular basis to ensure that everyone moves forward with the right mindset and attitude.

Internal communications may not be measurable, but perfecting a strategy to ensure every employee has the right information is vital to the success of the team. Keep an eye on emerging technology to keep communications fun, relevant, and interesting for your best bet to engage employees at the office.

Photo courtesy of Office Now at Flickr.com