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
- 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.
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.