Five things to fix before improving internal communications engagement
Engagement has become a bit of an obsession in internal comms. Open rates. Clicks. Likes. Endless conversations about how to get people reading, reacting and responding.
And yes, of course those things matter. We get it. Metrics are important and of course you want people to read and respond to what you’re sending.
Maybe I am being a little controversial here, but I feel that the focus on engagement can miss a bigger point.
If the basics aren’t working, engagement is not going to save you. You can’t optimise yourself out of unclear, irrelevant or overloaded comms.
So before you ask “how do we boost engagement?”, it’s worth stepping back and asking “Are we making this easy for people in the first place?”
Here are five things we’d sort out before worrying about engagement.
1. Are we actually being clear?
A lot of comms sounds good… but doesn’t really say anything.
Too many messages try to:
cover everything
please everyone
Tick every box…..
…..and end up saying very little.
If someone reads your message and has to think, “what does this actually mean for me?” then you’ve totally lost them. Not because they’re disengaged, but because they’re confused.
It’s not about dumbing things down. It’s about being honest about the one thing that actually matters and saying it in a way people can grasp quickly, without effort. If that’s not obvious, engagement won’t fix it.
2. Is this relevant to the people receiving it?
Not everything is for everyone. But sadly a lot of internal comms still behaves like it is. When people keep getting messages that don’t apply to them, they don’t just ignore that message, they start ignoring everything. Because they’ve learned it’s probably not for them anyway.
So we need to be sure that we are:
being targeted
being specific
and being comfortable with leaving people out.
Not everyone needs every message. And that’s a good thing because when something is relevant, people won’t need to be persuaded to engage. They just will.
3. Are we just sending too much?
I think this is maybe the uncomfortable one. Sometimes the problem isn’t the quality of comms. It’s the quantity.
When everything is being communicated, nothing stands out and it all just becomes… noise. At Cosy Meerkat, we talk about this a lot. You can’t out-engage overload. And no subject line in the world is going to fix that!
If people feel constantly bombarded, even the good stuff gets ignored which is why one of the most powerful things a comms team can do is simply say ‘No. We’re not sending this.’.
4. Is the timing working for real life (not just the plan)?
We tend to send comms when:
We’re ready
Leadership want it out
it fits the plan.
But that doesn’t mean it’s going to land well. If someone’s in back-to-back meetings - and lord knows we all know a bit about that - dealing with customers, or just trying to get through their day, your message, no matter how good, won’t cut through.
So timing is everything. It is empathy. It is kindness. It is putting others first - way ahead of logistics.
5. Why are we sending this at all?
This is the one that changes everything. A lot of comms goes out because ‘we said we would’ or ‘it needs to be shared’.
But that’s not really a purpose for communicating, is it? Before sending anything, it’s worth asking:
What do people actually need from this?
What do we want them to do differently?
And… what happens if we don’t send it?
If the answer is “not much,” that’s your answer.
One last thing
Engagement happens when comms is clear, relevant, well-timed and actually useful. People engage because it helps them do their job. And if it doesn’t, no amount of tweaking the headline will fix it.
So before chasing better numbers, it’s worth stepping back and asking ‘Are we making this easier, or just louder?’
If it’s the latter, give us a shout. We’d love to support you to get this right.
