If you can do internal communications in a university, you can do it anywhere, as someone once said to me. With staff often spread across campuses, working in desk- and non-desk-based roles and a broad range of demographics and needs – and juggling emails, chat notifications and meeting invites – internal communications can get lost in the noise. You might feel as if you’re shouting into the void.
Our messages need to reach the right people and inspire action – whether that’s getting responses to a staff survey or changing recycling behaviour. This impact comes not just from what we say; it’s about how, when and why we say it. In this article, we’ll explore practical strategies to build trust and translate that into effective internal communications.
So how do you craft messaging that cuts through the clutter, fosters connection and drives clarity across the organisation? And what gets in the way?
The greatest internal communications challenges include employees struggling with information overload, high workloads, competing operational and strategic priorities, and how to reach non-desk-based staff. This was what attendees from across the sector said during a session I presented at a Universities UK conference in London.
Barriers to effective communication can also be environmental, and include lack of trust, a poor culture, internal communications not being valued, bad management and unhappy staff. Aspects of the work environment that make our job easier, on the other hand, include high trust, high influence, on-the-ground feedback and the internal communications team having a good internal reputation.
Here are key tips and insights to cut through the noise with impactful internal communications:
Show that internal campaigns make a difference
You need to work on the environment where your communications land so they can have their best chance of success. No matter how good your internal messaging is, it won’t have as much impact if the environment isn’t right. And university staff don’t listen when they can’t see impact.
One of the most impactful ways to increase a staff survey completion rate, for example, is to demonstrate to staff that change is happening as a result of their feedback. When I led the communications strategy for the University of Southampton 2024 staff engagement survey, we shared examples of changes made because of the survey so staff could see that their views mattered. We also provided managers with communication toolkits that included copy, graphics and materials that they could use to update their teams. We know how busy staff are so it’s about streamlining and making it easy for them to disseminate the key messages.
This resulted in good engagement with our internal posts and a completion rate above the sector benchmark.
Do what you say you will
Building trust is hard and losing it is much too easy. Transparency, engagement and listening, visibility of leaders and follow-through will increase staff confidence in your messaging. Share big news internally first and do what you say you are going to do.
Mechanisms for your people to provide feedback, including focus groups for key projects, encourage engagement, while the chance to ask questions during town hall meetings demonstrates transparency. Southampton also has an open line of communication that allows staff to email the vice-chancellor with questions.
Authenticity is powerful
Showing senior leaders being themselves and bringing that authenticity to campaigns can make a big difference.
We ensure our leaders are visible and accessible at key events such as our annual staff party and our Vice-Chancellor’s Awards, so staff can speak to them directly. We have interviewed some of our senior leaders and other staff members around key topics such as mental and women’s health and featured them on our internal news channel and in our staff magazine.
Authenticity is about leaders being true to themselves and showing their personality. It’s important that the language used in an article is in line with their tone of voice. Showing vulnerability and opening up about their life and experiences allows staff to relate to them.
Storytelling will always be a key part of internal communications and adds authenticity.
Mix up formats and channels
Each project needs a bespoke communications approach. If you used video for every announcement, it would lose its value, so weigh up the right format and channels for each campaign. If the message needs to reach everyone, you might want to do more print, such as posters, flyers or table talkers, to reach non-desk-based staff.
Consider how managers disseminate information; you might ask for a key point to be mentioned in a team huddle or a local newsletter. A manager briefing sheet or targeted email might be an effective way to reach a specific group of managers.
At our university, we also use our strategic communications delivery group to get important updates into local communications in faculties and departments via communications leads based in different departments or faculties, or leading on communications for key projects. We meet monthly to discuss key projects and priorities, and we provide them with messaging about important pieces of work and campaigns.
The University of Southampton’s communications department is integrated with human resources so we can actively listen to our people and improve the employee experience. It’s a journey and it takes time for change to happen but we ensure the voice of our staff is included in all our key projects.
What effective internal communications brings to the university
Companies with highly engaged teams experienced a 21 per cent boost in productivity compared with those with lower engagement levels, according to Gallup research. Where internal communication is rated as excellent, levels of trust in leadership are much higher and people are more likely to stay with the organisation for longer, the Institute of Internal Communication’s IC Index found.
In your staff, you have thousands of advocates who can have a positive or negative effect on the university’s reputation and brand when asked about their workplace, so do what you can to make your people feel proud to work for your organisation.
Kelly Hibbs is internal communications manager at the University of Southampton.
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