Communications has been at the center of attention for businesses over the last several years, and for good reason. Good internal communications is critical to helping employees feel informed, valued, and therefore more engaged. Rob Seay’s presentation will explore how company culture, human relationships at work, and enterprise internal communications intersect. Originally presented by Rob Seay, Director of Employee Experience, Bonfyre at the Lewis & Clark SHRM Meeting 2018.

1. Changing Times
Connecting Your Diverse Workforce

2. A quick preview of what we’ll discuss today
Why a good IC strategy is critical
to today’s businesses
Four main challenges of IC
(and how to overcome)
Resources to help you improve
your approach to IC

3. A business cannot generate sustainable
value and growth without employees
understanding where it’s headed, why, what’s
it’s going to take to get there, and why each
employee matters.”Steve Soltis
Group Director of Executive and Employee Communications
The Coca Cola Company
“

4. Why is a good IC strategy important?

5. In my view, nothing could be more
engaging than people feeling what they
do makes a difference to the fundamental
reason their organisation exists.”
Neil Jenkins
Head of Internal Communications
BT Group
“

6. The costs of mismanaged communications are high
Source

7. Survey says: communicators express key priorities for 2018
Source
“Communicating strategy, values, and purposes” 64%
“Enhancing leadership communication” 46%
”Supporting change” 38%

8. The far-reaching benefits of an engaged employee
Increased
Productivity
Increased
Retention
Increased
Return on Investment
See the infographic

9. Challenge 1: Reach
Are there gaps in my strategy?
Are employees left in the dark?

10. It’s a very unique position to be in because
it’s one of the only jobs where you have to
know what’s going on at the company at all
times in every pocket of the organization.”
Erin Hosilyk
Former Director of Corporate Communications
LinkedIn
“

11. Communication trends are going in only one direction
The average person
in the US checks their mobile
device 46 times
a day
Sixty percent of Millennials would
consider quitting a job that did not
allow them to access personal
social media accounts at work
There are over 60 billion chats
sent every day
Source 1, Source 2, Source
3

12. Remote work is on the rise, and shows no signs of slowing down
Source

13. Best Practices: Improving Communication Reach
Leverage mobile technology
employees already have to connect
with hard-to-reach populations
Use social tools to directly engage
and communicate company issues
to employees
Have the time and resources to tell
a longer story? Print can help.
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Ready to get started? Get
the checklist

14. Challenge 2: Channel Overload
How can I communicate without
overwhelming my employees?

15. Let’s talk.
How many of you get notifications
from more than 2 apps a day? 3?

16. Why email doesn’t always work

17. Best Practices: Reducing Channel Overload
Smaller lists have greater impact. Think twice
before emailing the entire company.
Capture employee communication preferences and
look for meaningful connections.
Make sure you pick the right channel
for the right message
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Ready to tackle this challenge?
Get the checklist

18. A channel selection guide can help to help with busy employees

19. Challenge 3: Message Retention
Our audience can hear us,
but are they listening?

20. Influencers can be a powerful channel for you

21. Best Practices: Improving Message Retention
Video has high consumption and
message retention.
Reach out to employees to identify
areas for message improvement
Identify employee influencers in your company, and
support the conversations they have with other
employees.
01
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Related Article: Embrace the
Informal for Effective Comms

22. Challenge 4: Metrics and Measurement
How can I measure this?
How can I connect this to outcomes?

23. Create KPIs for each channel you care about

24. Best Practices: Improving Metrics and Measurement
Don’t be afraid of data. It’s the foundation of a
successful communications strategy.
Audit your internal channels to
identify areas of data deficits.
Define your messaging goals and
find the right metrics to measure
against those goals.
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Related Article: Overcoming Comms
Metrics Anxiety

25. For more resources on communications, culture, and engagement:
bonfyreapp.com/lewis-clark-shrm

26. You’ll find links to a few resources to help with your IC plan.
Five Questions Every IC
Strategy Should Answer
Internal Communications
Survival Guide
Internal Comms Content
Planning Kit
bonfyreapp.com/lewis-clark-shrm

27. bonfyreapp.com
Thank you!
314.446.6316
rob.seay@bonfyreapp.com
Rob Seay
Director of Employee Experience