Having an internal communication strategy in place is a must if you want to support effective communication and collaboration across your organization.
And a key element of any successful internal communication strategy? Having the right tools in place.
The right internal communication tools can make a huge difference in everything from how effectively information is shared across your organization to how well teams and individual contributors are able to collaborate when they’re working remotely.
But what, exactly, are the right tools for internal communication?
Let’s take a look at five essential tools for internal communication you’ll want to add to your tech stack to support the most effective (and productive!) internal communication across your organization:
Collaboration platform
If you’re working with remote or hybrid teams, employees need to be able to collaborate—no matter where they’re working.
Which is why a collaboration platform is a non-negotiable tool for internal communication.
Collaboration platforms are a must for effective internal communication because they act as the foundation for communication across the organization to take place—whether employees are working across the office, across the city, or across the world.
Depending on the team and their needs, different platforms offer different features that can empower seamless collaboration between employees—for example, real-time collaboration on files and documents, project management, and chat features. To determine which collaborative platform is the right fit for you, identify what internal communication needs you’re trying to fill—and then look for a platform with functionality that serves those needs.
Talkspirit is a collaboration platform with the features you need to support team collaboration, no matter where your team is working—including all the features listed above (and more!).
Collaborative platforms are a great all-in-one internal communication solution—so if you want to empower better communication across your organization, they’re definitely a tool you’ll want to consider.
Curious about what collaborative platform might be the best fit for you? Check out our list of the best collaborative platforms for 2022!
Intranet
For many companies, internal communication should be just that—internal. And for those companies, an intranet is a tool they’ll definitely want to consider.
An intranet is a private network that allows organizations to facilitate secure communication with and between their employees. Intranets can only be accessed by employees, which provides a layer of security and protection to internal communication—which is especially important when companies and/or employees are sharing sensitive information or discussing confidential company matters.
Intranets also allow companies to store and organize information that employees need to access in order to work effectively; for example, an organization might store their knowledge base on the company intranet—so if and when employees have questions on how to manage their workflow, all they need to do is a quick search on the intranet to find what they need to move forward.
Did you know? With a host of features that empower better internal communication (including webinars, a home page that allows companies to push out important news, and newsfeed, which allows employees and organizations to curate the information they receive) Talkspirit isn’t just a collaborative platform—it can also be used as an intranet.
Bottom line? Intranets foster private, secure internal communication—making them a popular option for organizations concerned with keeping their communication within their company.
If that’s what you’re looking for, you can check out our list of the 14 best intranet software for 2022.
Video conferencing software
When employees are spread across different locations, it presents certain challenges—including challenges with internal communication. For example, not every idea, context, intent, or message translates well through text mediums (like chat or email)—and without face-to-face interaction, important internal communication can get lost in translation.
That’s why, if you want to foster effective internal communication within your organization—and you have employees that work remotely, even if just on occasion—video conferencing software is an absolute must.
Video conferencing software recreates the experience of face-to-face conversation—even when employees are spread across multiple locations. These real-time, face-to-face conversations not only foster better internal communication (for example, employees can read body language and vocal tone, which can help them better understand the messaging or, if they’re unclear on what’s being communicated, they can ask questions in real-time), but can help strengthen relationships between employees—which can lead to better collaboration and, ultimately, higher levels of productivity and efficacy across teams and the organization as a whole.
Many video conferencing software also comes equipped with additional features that support internal communication, like screen-sharing or webinar functionality—making them a go-to for remote and/or hybrid workplaces that want to support high-level communication across their organizations.
Want to learn more about the different video conferencing software options on the market? Check out Talkspirit’s picks for the best video conferencing solutions for 2022!
Chat platform
While internal communication strategies can (and should!) be planned and structure, much of the actual communication that happens within your organization on a day-to-day basis will be more casual and spontaneous.
And for those communications, one of the best tools for internal communication? A chat platform.
Chat platforms enable real-time communication between employees—and have become a preferred communication medium for many organizations. Chat platforms not only allow employees to chat in real-time (which can be more effective than sending an endless stream of emails), but they also allow employees to organize their chats by team, project, or topic. This makes it easy to manage and organize the different conversations they’re a part of at any given time. (for example, a group chat with their team to share department-specific news, a smaller chat with colleagues working on a specific project, and a company-wide channel for employees to chat and share photos of their pets).
Want to foster easier, more effective chats between your employees? Then take a look at our list of the best chat software for businesses in 2022!
Project management software
A major part of effective internal communication is keeping communication organized—and that’s where project management software comes in.
Project management software allows teams to organize all of their project-related communication and files in one place, making it easy to find and review if and when they need it. Organizing project-related communication also allows teams to easily onboard new team members to projects; because everything is accessible through the project management software. All a new team member has to do is review the existing communication and files and voila—they’re up to speed and ready to jump into the project.
Want to better manage your projects—without investing in a stand-alone project management software? Talkspirit’s project management features allow you to organize your projects, assign tasks, and track project progress—along with a host of other features that enable more effective internal communication within your organization.
If your company does a lot of project work (and really—what company doesn’t?), a project management software could be exactly what you need to organize your projects—and empower better internal communication in the process.
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Are you looking to launch one of those tools in your organization? Contact one of our experts to find out all the best practices to make your project a success:
Author : Deanna deBara
