Internal Communications Kit

In most companies, there are many people developing communications to employees, from newsletters to all-company emails and executive bios to organizational announcements. Some of those people may be professional communicators, but many are not.

By providing a toolkit for internal communications, you can raise the level of professionalism, promote brand language and support more consistent messaging throughout the organization. This can also make the process of developing various communications much easier and more efficient, because content creators won’t have to start from scratch. Professional communicators will also appreciate having these tools handy for quick reference.

Here are five simple tools you might consider:

Establish style guidelines

You might start with tone of voice for internal communications. For instance, you could recommend a conversational, person-to- person voice and avoid an overly corporate tone or talking down to employees. But also include guidelines like whether to use “says” or “said” when quoting people, their first or last name on second mention, and whether or not to capitalize job titles.

Share key messaging

Give content creators an easy way to be consistent with messaging, from the employer brand to corporate values to the brand promise. If there are certain brand messages you use externally that are also relevant internally, share those here. You might also include HR messaging, such as any theme lines you use in your wellness programs or benefits communications.

Provide sample communications

Include a small inventory of existing communications that can serve as templates for new executive bios, organizational announcements or other corporate communications. Otherwise, for instance, if all your executive leaders’ bios are written by different people at different times, they’ll probably be inconsistent in format, organization and tone.

Remind them that less is more

Stress the importance of clarity, simplicity and brevity. Suggest they structure their communication so that if someone only read the first few sentences, they’d get the gist of the message. Recommend subheads, which help guide readers who will skim. And remind them not to bury the call to action — which is usually best placed at the beginning or end of the communication.

Offer a library of brand visuals

If internal communicators don’t have access to a library of brand visuals, they’re likely to grab free stock online which might not fit your brand’s graphic standards. Give them easy access to photos, logos, video graphics and other visual resources that will be appropriate for a range of communications. Also, make sure your PowerPoint templates offer plenty of slide options.