Internal communications, like much else, has been on something of a journey over the last twenty years. The latest twist and turn of which includes the likely impacts of AI on its role and function; with research suggesting the possibility of great improvements in efficiency, information flow and listening capability.
It is the latter which is most interesting and matches what I believe has been the overall direction of travel generally within internal communications; organisations moving from telling, to talking, to (if they are smart ) listening to employees.
It is a trend which is somewhat at odds with patterns in communication more generally. As attention spans shrink, a “smashmouth” style of communication now dominates the external, with all its accompanying shouting and noise. It can seem as if no one is listening much as media fragments.
Internal communications, always the more introverted sibling, has not gone quiet however but rather more attentive, with AI likely to be a useful helpmate in this space.
And why listening?
To surface, and (hopefully) activate insight.
Organisational listening is a critical aspect of workplace dynamics and communication that is often overlooked. Offer it as a training course and I’m not sure many leaders currently rush to sign up. Listening is often difficult to do well because it requires time, which busy managers and leaders don’t have, and empathy – understanding and feeling the ‘why’ in what is being said - which can be challenging to put into practice. We also all tend to presume we are good at listening so perhaps don’t feel the need to formalise the process.
Done effectively, it can however help prevent employee turnover, resistance to change, build trust, improve organisational communication, highlight issues and manage reputation. You only need to look at examples of where there have been catastrophic failures to listen to understand this -the governance scandal in RTE, the roots of which could be traced to communication and trust breakdowns between Board, Senior Management and more junior members of staff; the reputational problems experienced by Boeing for safety, or the UK Post Office for its treatment of sub-postmasters.
Organisations, in general, are good at collecting data on employees whether it be through focus groups and surveys etc. but tend somehow to make clumsy active listeners. For organisations to achieve better results, they not only need to hear employee feedback and issues; they need to be aware of how their employees feel about the issues raised. This is where insight lies. How far AI can go to help with capturing this will be interesting to watch, certainly quicker pattern identification could be very useful.
As for creating a more listening orientated organisation today?
Scheduling conversations and check-ins; ensuring feedback is built into every channel and forum; encouraging cross team listening and sharing; and crucially, reporting back on the insights raised and understanding what they mean. All of this can help embed the notion that listening has a role to play in improving collaboration, productivity and employee satisfaction.
