Internal communication is an effective tool for handling many problems at the workplace. It is also known to decrease absenteeism, alleviate grievances and reduce turnover of employees, thereby improving productivity and profitability of the company.

Designing an effective internal communication system depends on various factors, the most important being size of the organization. In a smaller set up, the head of the company could draft an internal communication strategy by himself or herself as most operations are under his or her direct control. When it comes to a big organization, other personnel like senior executives, managers and the HR department play a vital role. Another consideration is the flow and level at which internal communication must happen €" should it be downward, upward or horizontal?

If you are struggling to communicate with employees, the following process will ease your problem.

Identify a common culture: Decide what type of culture you would like to adopt in the organization. Set forth the values, principles, procedures and behaviors that are considered desirable. This also has a great impact on the mission and vision of your company.

Use communication tools: Identify the means by which you can communicate with employees. The different communication tools at your disposal are:
€ Paper-based tools like memos, newsletters, brochures, performance appraisal documents, slogans, pay packet enclosures, etc.
€ Oral communication in the form of general meetings, division and branch meetings, team addresses, one-on-one manager to staff communication.
€ Electronic tools like e-mail, website and intranet.
€ Training sessions designed for teaching special skills, or team building activities.

Match tools with goals: You need to determine which tools are best suited to the goals of the company. For instance, a memo might work when a manager wishes to communicate specific work related instructions to a limited number of subordinates, but a newsletter is the thing to use when you want to talk to all the employees about the company's achievements.

Prepare yourself: The next step to ensuring effective internal communication is to know what to communicate and how to go about it. For example, criticism is best offered face to face, in private, while praise must be publicly proclaimed.

Think creatively: Like any tool, those of internal communication also wear off with time and overuse. Infuse creativity and change to keep the interest alive.

Now that you understand the process, let's look at the attributes of a good internal communication strategy:

Well-timed: Any communication or message from the company should be passed on to the employees before they get to hear it from outside sources.

Unambiguous: It should also say everything clearly - that means the message should be comprehensive and easily understood.

Crisp and informative: Remember to keep your message as short as possible. Also, the key message should be relevant to the reader.

Exciting: Keep the communication interesting if you'd like it to register. In a world of information overload, most of which is boring, the last thing you need is to add to the burden!

Remember that developing and implementing strategic internal communication can benefit your organization immensely. Books like €Effective internal communication starts at the top€ and €Making the connections: Using internal communication to turn strategy into action€ from http://www.amazon.com and €Effective internal communication€ from can help you get started.