Better Internal Communications: 7 Ways to Improve

Like the secret ingredient to a best-selling dish, behind every successful organization is an effective strategy for internal communications.

Emails, company intranet, meetings, circulars, memos⁠(opens in a new tab or window), bulletin boards—any system that allows a company to share information with its employees and foster a better and more collaborative culture falls under internal communications. Anything that helps keep the whole team connected and informed, whether digital or analog, is an internal communications tool⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

These tools and systems are already helpful on their own, but you can maximize them with a solid internal communications strategy⁠(opens in a new tab or window). If you have an excellent internal comms plan, your tools will complement your organizational structure and objectives. Your team and co-workers will receive and send information that’s relevant to their roles and empower them to accomplish tasks. One thing that could be very helpful too is breaking down your team roles with an organizational chart⁠(opens in a new tab or window). This way your team roles and responsibilities will be all aligned.

There’s less room for delays, frustrations, and miscommunication. Plus, your teammates won’t grapple with information overload.

Internal comms is not just about sharing info—it’s sharing the right kind of information through the right channels. That’s why the first step to a better communication strategy is to plan.

To optimize workplace communication⁠(opens in a new tab or window)and ensure it supports team connection and engagement, study how information is shared within your company. Based on your organizational structure, how does your current communication system contribute to the whole team’s performance? Which parts work? Where are the friction points?

You don’t have to create a new internal communications strategy from scratch, especially if your current strategy was developed based on the company’s actual workflow. Keep and build on the parts that are effective. Then revise and rework the rest.

In addition, study your company structure closely to see what kind of content must be shared with an employee based on their role. If team members receive information that’s beyond the scope of their work, they might experience information overload, which could result in distraction, wasted time, and even mental exhaustion.

With the amount of available software in the market, it can be confusing to determine the ones you need. But remember, it’s not about choosing the newest or trendiest programs. In fact, the tools you’re already using for internal comms might already meet your needs and are simple enough for employees to use.

These are the common tools that companies rely on:

Marketing automation software is for company circulars, emails, and newsletters that are distributed regularly. To make things easier, create templates for each type of communication. This way, you’ll only need to change the content.

Check out Canva’s email header templates⁠(opens in a new tab or window) to create a design that will make company emails not just visually interesting but also consistent with your corporate branding.

For lengthier updates, let our newsletter templates⁠(opens in a new tab or window) help you create layouts that effectively combine text with graphics. With a great newsletter design, news items and features are easier and more compelling to read.

Try this elegant template for your next issue:

Tip: Filter your search using colors, so it will be easier the find a template that complements your company branding.

These platforms keep everyone updated with company developments. They’re essential for quick announcements and messages. What’s more, employees can adjust the settings and turn off notifications when they need to focus on a task.

Cloud technology allows you to set up a central storage for files⁠(opens in a new tab or window) that your co-workers can access whenever the need arises. This cuts down the time they would spend messaging colleagues to request copies of documents.

We’ve mentioned that visually interesting design makes circulars, newsletters, and emails more compelling to read. In addition, great design is invaluable in team communications when you’re presenting a lot of data.

Use infographics to condense figures and data analytics into easy-to-digest visuals, such as bar graphs and pie charts. Create a presentation with Canva’s infographic templates⁠(opens in a new tab or window), so you can add headings, blurbs, short explanations, and other data visualization formats.

Try this template for your next infographic:

You can also rely on Canva templates for data-heavy reports⁠(opens in a new tab or window) and presentations⁠(opens in a new tab or window). Use Canva’s Graph Maker⁠(opens in a new tab or window) to create tables, graphs, charts, and diagrams in minutes.

When laying out reports, use images to break paragraphs of text and add context to the information. When you're making presentations on Canva, you can easily add photos from the company database. You can also enhance the pictures using Canva’s free photo editor⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

Our design platform also helps you source professional-looking stock images and graphics to enhance your presentations. Find what you need by browsing through our media library.

Give this template a go and see how it makes your reports more interesting:

Just as some meetings can be an email, some emails can be condensed into succinct messages that are sent out only when necessary.

Since workplace communication in the digital age has made everyone more accessible, it’s important to foster a culture that encourages people to be mindful of each other’s time and attention.

Make company updates direct to the point. If possible, send all the relevant information about a work matter in one go, rather than piecemeal messages.

A great way to do this is to create a one-page Canva Website that contains all the important information about a campaign or project. You can use your Canva Website to outline project scope⁠(opens in a new tab or window), make important announcements, lay out a step-by-step guide, or create a content hub that will lead co-workers to the resource they’re looking for. Canva has website templates for internal communications⁠(opens in a new tab or window), so creating a one-page site will be a breeze.

Try out this one-page website template for your company’s learning hub:

Employee feedback is important not just in measuring the success of your internal communications strategy but also in maintaining a collaborative workplace culture.

Provide team members with the means to share their ideas. Give them the option to give feedback either openly or anonymously. Let them know that their points of view are heard and will be used to improve things. This builds their confidence and trust, which are necessary for a healthy workplace.

A well-known tool to get anonymous feedback is TeamMood⁠(opens in a new tab or window). Your people will be able to share easily what they have in their mind and act on it.

Foster greater trust by upholding organizational transparency⁠(opens in a new tab or window) and accountability. These values are crucial in finding the best ways to communicate with employees, especially in times of crisis.

When resolving conflict, set meetings where the involved parties can air grievances and present their side to each other and in front of neutral witnesses. Lead by example by owning your shortcomings and offering solutions. In times of success, share the credit publicly. Acknowledge the contributions of each member and let them know they're appreciated and valued.

Circle back to the goals you set for your plan. Did it achieve them? Are there points of friction that persisted even after the changes you’ve made? What other ways can be done to eliminate them? This is where employee feedback will be helpful. Let your team members’ experiences help you determine how to further improve internal communications.

Remember that communication involves the exchange of information—it’s a two-way street. The same goes with internal communications. No matter how big the goal, a company will rise to the occasion if all its members are on the same page.