5 Types of Internal Communication (And Tools to Help)

Even the CIA, where information is protected for safety purposes, must provide effective communication between leaders and employees. The same is true for every business, large or small. The mission and vision of a company cannot be successfully met without proper and effective internal communication strategies.

What Are the Different Types of Internal Communication?

Successful businesses use various communication methods. Each one must produce positive outcomes, whether it's a memo from the boss or a video conference.

Below are five common types of internal communication channels and why they're important.

1. Leadership Down

Leadership down is often called top-down or leader-employee internal communication. This downward communication and flow of information is essential because employees need to hear directly from the people in charge.

Sharing daily goals, announcements, changes, and shout-outs can be done via emails, video conferences, or morning motivational meetings.

2. Employee Up

Employee up or employee-to-leader sharing of information starts at the bottom and makes its way to the company's leaders. This is an upward communication method that allows staff members to relay information and feedback to higher levels of management.

Discussion forums are one of the most popular representations of this type of employee communication. Answering surveys and polls and making suggestions for improvement are examples.

3. Crisis Management Plan

Businesses face all sorts of crises. COVID-19 is the most recent crisis affecting businesses around the world. Many found they were not as prepared as they should be to handle such a massive crisis. To avoid this in the future, a crisis management plan must be created and communicated before, during, and after the crisis.

Businesses need access to all team members to make announcements, review roles and responsibilities, ask and answer questions, and reassure everyone the company is still on track for success - or explain how to change course toward success if needed.

4. Peer to peer business communication

Employees of a business spend a lot of time together. They must bond and form positive relationships. Employee engagement is crucial to success. Coworkers need to share information, send messages about work-related issues, encourage one another, ask questions, and receive quick answers--even when remote work and technology has changed business communication.

With this type, guidelines must be followed that keep internal communications healthy and positive.

5. Onboarding

As a company grows, hiring new team members will be necessary. Internal communication methods for onboarding are important to welcome, train, and motivate new staff. If a company hires multiple employees, a group onboarding program that promotes team building can be created.

This type of internal communication allows businesses to set new employees up for success.

There are different modes of internal communication that make it easier to implement the types listed above.

What Are the Different Modes of Internal Communication?

Leaders and team members may wonder which way is the best way to communicate internally. Some prefer emails, while others prefer calls. Some text, some like meeting face-to-face. The number of people to include also makes a difference. Sending a message to one employee may require a different mode than when sending a message to groups.

• Synchronous communication is best for exchanging information in real-time with at least two people, like a video call. Synchronous communication helps factor in body language and cues that reveal how people like to work
• Asynchronous communication involves sending a message that doesn't need a response right away, like with emails. With asynchronous, the benefit is time. Everyone has time to review, edit, and respond to messages.

Check out the best business messaging apps.

Work location helps determine which mode of internal communication is most effective. Whether you work remotely or are back at the office, there are benefits to each. A blend of synchronous and asynchronous communication offers the most freedom and adaptability.

To use both communication modes, a business needs to create an internal communication strategy.

What Are Internal Communication Strategies?

Many companies have not taken the time to create an internal communication strategy, even when they know it is key to employee engagement and productivity. The reason may be that they don't understand what it is and how to get started.

An internal communication strategy is a guideline to keep employees on the same page, keep them informed, and build company culture. Strategies can also prevent panic during a crisis, provide access to resources, and motivate everyone to work toward the company's mission and vision.

An internal communication strategy will detail the different tools needed for improvement.

Tools Needed for Workplace Communication

Different tools provide different benefits. Businesses may need a variety of tools to improve internal communication, depending on the function. Below are everyday needs matched with the best type of tool.

• Workplace chat apps allow internal communication when working remotely or in the office. They enable collaboration to continue from anywhere. Leaders and employees can chat privately or publicly, one-on-one or in groups. They also make it easy to share files. Best of all, workplace apps typically connect with other tools like Google Drive and Trello. Friday is well-integrated into Slack, serving as the missing complement to what Slack can do. 
• Videoconferencing is a communication tool that provides face-to-face meetings, even when working remotely. This tool saves time and, ultimately, money. Scheduling, collaborating, and building relationships are easier with videoconferencing.
• Asynchronous tools allow meetings to happen but not in real-time. Email is an example. Other mechanisms of this type enable senders to set a review deadline, track responses, and view notes. Mandatory responses from team members can be allowed too.
• Productivity tools make group work and project management more manageable than ever before. Team members can send quick messages, share documents and files, and host meetings through a conference or video call. Companies get all this and privacy and security settings.
• Employee engagement tools help you get feedback from team members at all levels, have individual meetings, survey staff, and set and track goals.
• An intranet helps teams stay aligned with new initiatives, company announcements, and goals. The truth is, modern teams need more than what traditional intranets can provide, that’s why Friday has built a remote operating system for the new, distributed workforce. 

Now it's time to develop a strategy.

Building an Internal Communication Strategy

Right now, just 13% of employees report agreeing that their company's internal communication strategy is effective. The first step in changing this is by reviewing the old strategy. Figure out what works and doesn't work. Start a new system by analyzing how to incorporate the tools already working for the company. Then,

• Define the target audience
• Define goals and objectives
• Determine tools needed to help reach goals and objectives
• Determine how to evaluate and measure progress
• Share strategy with all employees
• Provide daily planning
• Review and adjust as needed

You may be wondering if this strategy can be applied to remote work too. There are challenges to remote work that differ from working in the office. Examples include feeling isolated, unexpected distractions, conflict resolution, and technical issues.

How Does Remote Work Change Internal Communication?

Virtual offices and online workplaces aren't the only options to overcome remote work challenges.

Examples of what internal communication tools can do for you including:

• Automate everything
• Implement weekly check-ins
• Set short-term and long-term goals
• Enhance team member profiles
• Track goals
• Be intentional with every aspect of the job

How Friday Can Help Your Internal Communications

At Friday, we can help you create your company's unique internal communication strategy to provide a positive impact. We help you choose the right tools and support you as you roll them out to every member of your team so your business can grow and succeed.

Best Features:

• Digital HQ that centralizes your most important work in one place.
• Modern and clean UX.
• The only intranet purpose-built to complement Slack and work chat.
• Posts make it easy to share company-wide announcements and see who viewed them.
• Team profiles and employee directory to get to know coworkers.
• Add-ons make Friday simple at first, yet extendable over time.
• Integrates with all systems of record, like HRIS, project management, and work chat.
• Goal/OKR tracking, perfect for executive buy-in.
• Company handbook for onboarding new hires in minutes vs. hours.
• Use no-code widgets to build out your company home in a few minutes instead of months!

Pricing:

• Individual Pro: $4 per month. Perfect for individuals who want to see how Friday works
• Teams: $6/per person /month. An offering for teams who want to use Friday as a small group
• Company/Enterprise: For entire organizations who want to create a customizable company home.

Use Friday for free. No credit card required. Try all the features for the first 2 weeks.