Internal communication is more important than external communication

A common problem area for managers is communication, or the lack thereof in most cases. Which is a shame as communication helps people management. 

What a lot of managers do not realise is that it is estimated that 70% of the internal communication an employees receive is informal, ie: is from the “grape vine”. This is not an ideal because:

• Your control over what is communicated is limited
• You have the problem with the message getting distorted as it passes from one person to another

Managers need to appreciate that internal communication is more strategic than external communication so they should spend more time on it. 

• External communication is used to inform, advise, market and sell a product or service. 
  
• Internal communication is used to inform, advise, market and sell a concept, strategy or objective. It is used to motivate, encourage, guide and direct, and to build the team and a shared culture. 

Internal communication is far more important yet gets less attention.

It is also harder. There may be different units within the organisation, with people with different needs, styles, cultures and reactions.  So to get the message across consistently and make it personal to gain buy-in is hard.