THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Organizational communication used to be so simple.
Back in the day, the whole workforce could comfortably fit in the board room for a meeting. And cross-
team collaboration was easy when colleagues were just across the hall.
Fast forward a few years, and it’s a different story.
As your business has grown and expanded, so have your struggles with organizational communications.
Distributed teams, remote working, multiple communication channels, and a global pandemic have
complicated organizational communications.
This practical guide is essential reading for anyone interested in organizational communication,
including the following:
• Start-ups want to get their organizational communications off to the best possible
start.
• SMEs with expanding employee numbers, working hybrid approaches in distributed
teams.
• Larger corporates looking to ensure their organizational communications are in line
with best practices.

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE
 Definition
 Why Organizational Communication is important
 The benefits
 The cost of poor organizational communication
 Barriers to effectiveness
 Different types
 How to develop a plan
 Selecting the right communications channels
 How to measure the impact of your communications

Organizational communication is a very broad term. And that’s one of the issues. Try googling
‘definition of organizational communication,’ and you will get many differing explanations.
We prefer to keep it simple as follows:
They are the lifeblood of every business. Simply put, without organizational communication, it
would be impossible to get anything done.
Within the broad category of organizational communications are several sub-categories.
WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION?
Organizational communication covers any interaction between employees
or managers and can be multi-directional and multimedia.

Formal Communications
Sometimes called official communications, formal
communications are how the business shares
company-wide news and updates.
It’s vital these important messages flow smoothly,
accurately, and on time.
Examples include the following:
• Business updates
• Crisis communications
• Culture communications
• Change communications
• Information communications
Informal Communications
Informal communications are those casual
conversations and interactions between staff.
Spontaneous and quick, informal communications
are unofficial but are critical to supporting strong
relationships, team morale, and camaraderie.
Examples include the following:
• Water cooler conversations
• Casual chats
• Phone conversations
Often included in this category
are informal communications using official channels such
as instant messaging apps or social intranets.
FORMAL AND INFORMAL COMMUNICATION

DIRECTIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Organizational communications take place on several levels:
Downward Communications
These are top-down messages and so are usually formal communications. Managers are
responsible for disseminating communications from executives down to all levels of the
business.
Upward Communication
This is when staff get the opportunity to communicate directly with managers and
executives. Examples include employee suggestion programs, staff surveys, and focus
groups on specific initiatives or issues.
Horizontal Communications
Also called peer-to-peer communication, this type of communication is between teams,
groups, or individuals on the same level. Essential to cross-team collaboration, horizontal
communication is often behind business innovation and ideation.

CEO And Board
Ultimately, the CEO and senior executives are responsible
for ensuring effective organizational communications.
This also involves identifying appropriate communication
channels.
Managers And Team Leaders
Critical cogs in the communication wheel, managers are
tasked with communicating up and down the company’s
hierarchy.
All Employees
Every staff member has a responsibility to use their voice,
provide feedback and collaborate with colleagues.
As you can see, everyone has a role to play in organizational communications.
DIRECTIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Organizational communication is the glue that binds the whole business together.
And if you are in any doubt about the importance, these statistics make it crystal clear:
According to Gartner, businesses with more informed employees outperform their peers by 77%.
Research from McKinsey shows that productivity in organizations with connected employees improves
by 25%.
A study by ClearCompany suggests companies with effective communications are 50% more likely to
have lower staff turnover.
Holmes reports that the cost of poor communication to businesses is a whopping $37 billion.

Company Culture
Knowledge Transfer
Improved Customer Satisfaction
Employee Engagement
Employee Productivity
Increased Revenue
Staff Recruitment And Retention Cross-team Collaboration
BENEFITS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08

THE COST OF POOR
ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
Various studies have tried to put a dollar figure on the
cost of poor organizational communication.
According to SHRM, this could be as much as $62.4
billion per year. And another study reports that 56
percent of project budgets are at risk because of poor
communication.
More difficult to put a figure on are some of the softer
impacts of poor communications. Damaged
relationships, misunderstandings, increased
frustration, and a breakdown in trust are harder to
quantify but have no less devastating consequences.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Before you can begin to improve organizational communication, it’s vital to understand the barriers which may be getting in the way.
They can be divided into three broad categories:
PHYSICAL
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
This category covers all physical
barriers to communication.
It could be closed office doors,
geographically dispersed
workplaces, remote working,
and since Covid, social
distancing rules.
01
LANGUAGE
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
Multi-national companies may
employ workers who speak different
languages. These employees often
also have different cultural
experiences that impact
communications.
This category also covers tone,
clarity, and the use of jargon in
organizational communications.
02
EMOTIONAL
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
A lack of trust,
Disengagement, and even
fear can impact the
effectiveness of organizational
communications.
03

Remote Working
The gig economy, more non-desk roles, tech advances, and
the global pandemic have accelerated the shift towards
remote working. Distributed teams encompassing
freelancers, contractors, and employees often working inter-
state or even in different countries have become standard.
Distraction
The constant ping of email notifications, instant messaging
apps, and the lure of social media make it harder for staff
to stay focused on what’s important. All that noise is simply
overwhelming.
Shrinking Attention Spans
Our attention spans have decreased in response to
information overload and our distracted lifestyles.
According to Forbes, the average attention span is now
just eight seconds, down from twelve seconds in 2000.
Information Overload
Information overload has worsened. In one recent UK survey,
47% of respondents agree that the number of information
sources they check each day has increased in the last 5 years.
And with potential information sources including email,
newsfeeds, social media sites, company intranet, shared drives,
plus many more, it’s no wonder workers feel swamped.
Complexity Of Communication Channels
Nowadays, the sheer number of channels makes it harder for
employers to select the most appropriate channels to keep
workers informed. And it becomes more challenging for staff to
find the information they need. According to McKinsey, the
average employee spends 20 percent of their time
searching for internal information.
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Here’s an overview of the types of messages businesses need to get across every day. Understanding the kind of message will
influence choices on how best to deliver the message and what channels to use.
General
Business Updates
Information
Communications
Change
Communications
Crisis
Communications
Culture
Communications
Keeping everyone
informed of what’s
going on is a primary
focus of organizational
communications.
Usually top-down, it
includes messages
around company
performance, industry
news, product updates,
or new services.
Staff need a wide
variety of information
to get the job done
safely and
effectively.
This includes policies
and procedures,
SOPs, product
manuals, plus any
new products or
services.
Effective and timely
communications are
needed to support change
management.
This type includes news
about mergers and
acquisitions, restructuring,
staff movements, or new
software. It also covers
changes to the external
operating environment,
such as new rules or
changes to legislation.
The global pandemic
is an excellent
example of crisis
communications in
action.
However, this
category also includes
natural disasters,
police or fire
incidents, plus
cyberattacks and
system outages.
These messages
reinforce company
culture and shared
values.
It could be team-
building events,
employee recognition,
corporate charitable
initiatives, or even
social activities.

FIVE STEPS TO
DEVELOPING AN
EFFECTIVE
ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
STRATEGY

REVIEW YOUR CURRENT
ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
Starting with a blank canvas is always daunting.
Start by reviewing where you are at. And make sure you
involve employees in the review. After all, the success of
your strategy depends on staff joining you on the
communications journey.
Use the following questions to guide your thinking:
• What communications channels work well?
• How do employees like to receive information?
• Which channels prompt the most action from workers?
• How are you engaging with distributed teams?
1

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Even small businesses are made up of a diverse
group of employees. These workers will be
performing different roles in various teams, but
they will also have individual communication
preferences.
Identifying your audience is a critical step to successful
organizational communications. Today’s diverse and tech-savvy
employees expect segmented, personalized, and most important
of all, relevant communications.
So, who are the internal audiences in your business? There
are various ways you can break down your internal audience:
• Full-time and part-time staff members
• Remote workers
• Freelancers and contractors
• Non-desk employees (perhaps on-the-road sales personnel,
field technicians, or manufacturing staff)
• Multi-generations – Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, etc.
• Role-based audiences – admin, managers, sales staff, and so
• Departmental workers – HR, marketing, finance, etc.
Once you have identified your internal audiences, it’s time to
think about their likes, dislikes, and communication styles.
For example, digital natives like Millennials and Gen Zers are
more likely to favor social communication platforms. Whereas
Baby Boomers usually prefer face-to-face communications or
traditional media like staff newsletters. Furthermore, non-desk
staff will want mobile-friendly communications. And head office-
based employees are likely to be using desktops for
organizational communications.
A better understanding of your audiences and their
information needs will help you tailor your messaging.
And it will help you to select the most appropriate
communication channels.
2

SET A BUDGET FOR YOUR
ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
Be clear from the start about what funds and resources
are at your disposal.
After all, organizational communications are a business-
critical activity and deserve to be properly resourced. Plus,
setting objectives and goals without knowing the financial
parameters is tough.
A clear budget helps you prioritize what’s achievable.
3

Having an overarching objective for your plan provides a focus and framework.
Whichever you choose, please keep it simple. It’s best two have one or two main objectives. Too many goals become
unachievable and also dilute your primary purpose.
Don’t forget that your priorities will change over time. Next year’s plan may well have an entirely different focus from this year’s one.
When formulating complementary goals that feed into the overarching objective, be sure to use a planning tool to help.
Some people find the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis a helpful technique. Others prefer the 5 Ws
and H (why, what, who, where, when, and how). Whatever technique you use, make sure your objectives are SMART:
Always make a direct link with corporate goals and KPIs. Organizational communications should support your overall business goals.
SET OBJECTIVES FOR YOUR
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
4

TEST OUT YOUR PLAN
ON STAFF
Before you finalize the organizational communications plan,
test it out with a sample group of staff. This vital step will
help you fine-tune the strategy and provides validation that
you are on track.
Ask workers to review the draft objectives and identified
communication channels. Is the language accessible, and
does it set the appropriate tone? Are the specified channels
the right ones? Is it clear who is responsible for what and
when? Does the plan address the ‘what’s in for me’ question
in the minds of the workforce?
Take the feedback on board and revise your organizational
communications strategy accordingly to reflect the learning.
5

The right communication channel depends on several factors.
These include the audience, the type of message, your budget, and the urgency of the communication.
In the following slides, we present you a run-through of some of the most popular channels:
 Intranets
For many businesses, company intranets are the number one medium for organizational communication.
Cloud-based and mobile-friendly intranets are accessible to all staff regardless of location. However, the best thing about
intranets is they offer several tools and features to support organizational communications. Under one virtual roof are all these
great communications channels:
• Personalized newsfeeds
• Company blogs and vlogs
• Instant messaging
• Document sharing
• Forums and collaboration project spaces
• Employee profiles
• Team or individual activity walls
• Follow-me functionality
HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS

 Town Hall and Team Meetings
Town hall or team meetings over video conferencing apps are
still a popular option. Use them to bring all staff together to
share company-wide or team news and celebrate success.
 Webinars
These online events are smaller versions of the town hall
meeting and are a good platform for connecting with freelancers
and contractors. Use them for team huddles, knowledge-sharing,
and inviting feedback.
 Email
An oldie but still a mainstay in many businesses. Email allows
you to reach large groups of people quickly. However, with
email, there’s no room for interaction or feedback.
 Staff Newsletters
Nowadays, the staff newsletter is more likely to be an online
version rather than a hard copy. Some companies are even
incorporating video and podcasts to tell stories.
 Instant Messaging (IM)
IM apps and team chat provide real-time communication.
Available as public or private chats and with familiar # channels,
IM is instant, accessible, and user-friendly. It’s perfect for
encouraging water cooler conversations among remote workers.
And it also supports faster, more agile decision-making.
 Employee Surveys
Annual staff opinion surveys have been around for a long time.
However, these days employers are using shorter snap polls and
pulse surveys to invite feedback on specific issues. Employee
surveys support two-way conversations between the workforce,
managers, and executives.
 Social Media
Social media is a part of everyone’s daily lives. So, it’s no surprise
that businesses are leveraging social media to connect with and
inform employees. The likes of Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
are now also essential business communication tools.
HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS

QUALITATIVE
DATA
QUANTITATIVE
DATA
Employee pulse surveys and focus
groups are possibilities, especially
when used to obtain feedback on
a communications initiative.
Another possibility is
periodically analyzing
employees’ feedback and
comments on company blogs
or the intranet’s newsfeed.
Also, keep an eye on staff reviews
on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed.
And why not set up a dedicated
#channel on IM so staff can share
their insights and ideas.
HOW TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
Devising a set of metrics will help you track progress, measure success over time, and will also help you demonstrate ROI.
However, a mix of quantitative and qualitative measures is needed to help you build a comprehensive picture.
Possibilities include
statistics on reach –
number of views,
downloads, attendees, or
click-through rates.
Furthermore, monitor
employee retention rates,
staff turnover, and
increased employee
satisfaction, as
demonstrated through
employee surveys and
snap polls.

Just as important as monitoring progress is reviewing the plan to ensure it’s still fit for purpose while
continuously improving.
Organizational communications will evolve over time, and your priorities will change. Incorporate a high-level
review at least annually to ensure your organizational communications are still hitting the mark.
And it almost goes without saying, but don’t forget to keep the workforce informed of any changes. After all,
organizational communications are the shared responsibility of every employee.
MONITOR AND REVIEW YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION

Our final tip is to develop a company-wide
communications calendar.
Accountability and transparency are important in
organizational communications.
You should, of course, publish the entire document on
your intranet and publicize it widely among the workforce.
But few employees will read and digest a lengthy plan that
may not be entirely relevant for them and their daily jobs.
An organizational communication calendar is more
accessible and allows staff to see at a glance what’s
coming up and when.
Showcase your internal communications initiatives
alongside team or role-based events, launches, and
webinars.
DEVELOP A COMMUNICATIONS CALENDAR

Use the steps in this ultimate guide to ensure your
organizational communications are ready
to meet the challenges ahead.
MyHub’s cloud intranets support organizational
communications in businesses worldwide in a wide
variety of industries.
Designed by the experts with the non-expert in
mind, our super-easy intranet solutions can
transform organizational communications in
your business.
Find out more with a free demo or no-obligation
trial.
TRANSFORM YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS