We hear so much these days about the importance of writing for external audiences that writing for internal audiences is sometimes overlooked.
Don’t get me wrong – I strongly believe all businesses need to write a compelling story for their external audiences across all mediums including your website, brochures, press releases, presentations, pitches and blogs.
But writing in clear and concise terms is equally important for staff communications. The quality of your internal communications can mean the difference between whether your employees understand and are engaged with what you have to say, or are simply confused by the message and don’t know what to do with it.
The way you communicate with staff will have a direct impact on how they in turn communicate with your customers and prospective customers. And don’t think that just because you have staff who aren’t on the immediate front line that they can’t influence prospective customers. Social media makes it so easy for your staff to get the word out to their contacts, and when they do, you want to make sure that they are spreading the right words.
With this in mind, I’ve put together a few tips on how to approach written communications that will engage your staff and ensure they use your brand language when talking to an external audience.
- Understand the varying levels of knowledge of your audience. You may be communicating to people with a wide range of experience – from staff who have been with you for 10 years through to the new recruit who started last week. Your communication needs to be relevant to all of them – something that might be perfectly understandable to you might be unintelligible to someone else. Make sure you don’t use “geek speak.”
- Don’t write in stuffy old formal language – write the way you would speak if you were having a conversation with your neighbour. You staff will appreciate it and have a better chance of buying in to what you are saying.
- Don’t use technical language unless it is absolutely necessary. Your staff will use the words you write when they are talking to your customers and prospective customers so avoid industry jargon.
- Break your information up into chunks. Think of the broad aspects you are trying to communicate and write a brief heading for each. These are your chunks that now need to be fleshed out. As an example, I often write internal communications along these lines: What’s happening? When is it happening? Why are we doing this? What does it mean for our customers? What’s the detail?
- Focus on the benefits. You want your staff to be able to explain your stuff to your customers and prospective customers. Make sure they understand why your customers will be interested in this. Don’t tell them how your new thing works, tell them what it means for your customers.
- Make new concepts clearer by comparing to familiar ones. You might have a new process for your manufacturing plant or a new software release. The best way to get the message across is to discuss how the new process links in with existing processes or explain the improvements in the new software.
Internal communications are an important part of your overall communications strategy. It is the voice of your brand to your brand champions (aka your staff). The employee who understands what your brand stands for can be your first line of word-of-mouth advertising.
To find out more about writing for your internal audience contact Pauline on 0400 514579 or email pauline@worddynamics.com.au