When it comes to the workplace, one form of communication does not fit all. This is especially true now that employees may span five generations, ranging from Traditionalists (born before 1946) to Generation Z (born after 1997).
Thousands of internal communicators around the world are already using a range of new and old channels. According to the newly released 2019 State of the Sector report, these include:
- Mobile messaging, videos and e-newsletters: considered highly effective, especially where visuals help understanding (and where don’t they, really?).
- Face-to-face channels with leaders and line managers, including town halls, webcasts and lunch & learns: considered “most effective in winning hearts and minds.”
- Social channels like SharePoint and Yammer: in use, but not well understood so sometimes “a channel without a purpose.”
- Podcasts: so far, still a small toehold in the workplace.
- Print magazines: declining, although those using them say they are powerful, especially mixed with online resources.
You can’t do it all, but if you’re trying something new, don’t automatically get rid of the old.
In an article for PRSA last year, measurement guru Angela Sinickas, ABC, disagreed with those who “demolish old tools that serve very specific purposes and replace them with new tools that don’t or can’t serve all the same purposes…I’m always perplexed when I see communicators saying they want to stop pushing their newsletters by email, or replace email with social media, or replace their intranet with apps.”
Is your e-newsletter being questioned? My February newsletter, Wordnerdery, lists eight reasons to keep it in your communication toolbox, from reducing email overload to building trust. Read more, and if you have a minute, reply or let me know in the comments here why you like or dislike e-newsletters and which tools you keep in your own comms toolbox.
Toolbox image by AlexAntropov86 on Pixabay.
Wordnerdery is a quick read about words, effective/expressive writing, newsletters and more. Are you a subscriber yet? If yes, thanks for reading! If not, you can sign up right now. In keeping with Canada’s anti-spam laws and just plain good manners, you can easily unsubscribe any time.