How to Succeed with Your Internal Communication

Communicating can be tricky—really tricky. But clearly, it works—for some.

More and more companies work remotely today, hire internationally, and run an effective digital workplace. If we rewind 5–10 years, that was fairly uncommon—but thanks to communication strategies, solid internal comms, and the right tools, it’s now possible.

Asynchronous and synchronous communication is the name of the game, and it’s helped many companies succeed with remote work.

Is it that simple? Communication strategies… sounds like yet another buzzword.

Okay, think about it yourself. You’ve got an office in Sweden, another in Spain, and a third in Chicago. Is your gut reaction that:

• Your working hours are similar
• There won’t be culture clashes
• Everything will work just like it does in Sweden

Then you’re wrong. Very wrong.

Let’s rethink this—together!

A lack of communication strategies often leads to problems, even if you “only” operate in Sweden. Maybe some parents do daycare drop-off and pick-up, others are morning-averse, and some are “night workers.” In short: colleagues with different working hours using a company chat and expecting instant replies.

Add a global footprint and the equation gets even messier.

Can you ping your colleagues in Spain right in the middle of siesta?

When’s the best time to schedule a video meeting with the design team in Chicago?

Do you have to reply immediately to your Swedish colleague who usually works evenings?

Expecting internal communication to function the same remotely or globally is naive. Read on for how to give your company the best shot at success!

Read more about 5 concrete things you can do to improve your company’s internal communication

The pitfalls of remote work

Trying to communicate on a digital workplace without set expectations is a recipe for disaster. That’s why it’s crucial to have the right strategy for how you’ll communicate as you grow.

If your internal comms strategy doesn’t scale properly, it quickly becomes a hindrance rather than a help.

Remote work—still relatively new for many—can be tricky because most companies don’t think to implement a framework for internal communication.

With the right framework, it’s easy to handle projects, recruiting, and performance reviews. With the wrong framework—or worse, none at all—it’s easy to get lost in the digital world, where it’s harder to sense how colleagues are doing when subtle cues like body language, facial expressions, and tone disappear.

To avoid the pitfalls, think carefully about how you communicate at a distance, whether or not you’re abroad. You should also consider:

• What role do asynchronous and synchronous communication play for you?
• Which services do you need?
• How are your people doing?

Read more about the pitfalls of remote work

What are synchronous and asynchronous communication?

Okay, have you read the words “synchronous” and “asynchronous” a few times now and still have no idea what they mean? No need to Google—here’s the answer:

Asynchronous communication is any communication that doesn’t happen in real time.

Synchronous communication is any communication that happens in real time.

I used to expect an instant reply to a chat. If I didn’t get a response within what I considered a reasonable time, I’d always call my colleague—even when it wasn’t urgent. That’s pretty common; you’re simply a bit too impatient.

That was before we implemented a strategy for our internal communication—which is genuinely awesome! Now we communicate both asynchronously and synchronously—and the most important part? We know when to choose which.

Many workplaces mix asynchronous and synchronous “by vibe,” but that’s not how it works. You don’t have a communication strategy just because you once hit a hole-in-one at the 2013 company golf outing with a +23 handicap—you didn’t become a golf pro, did you?

Fact is, both have their place in a digital workplace. It’s about implementing them with the right balance. The secret: default to asynchronous communication, and use synchronous channels for truly urgent matters.

Learn more about the differences between asynchronous and synchronous communication

Synchronous communication: why use it sparingly?

Not everything about remote work is rosy—some people become “remote zombies,” and others struggle to maximize focus. Focus is the key here, and in a digital workplace it can be hard. Notifications, calls, and video meetings can be tough to juggle while you’re trying to get real work done.

Many think a presence status can solve the problem, but people often end up glued to it. Building an entire strategy around green and red dots is pretty silly—what do you do when you urgently need someone?

An always-available culture kills productivity and eventually leads to what we call “synchronous death.” (Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds.)

To avoid that, here are our do’s and don’ts for synchronous communication.

Embrace asynchronous communication

We set a clear policy a few years back, and among other things it means I’m no longer buried under notification hail, and the stress I felt before is gone. I no longer feel forced to read every message within 1.5 seconds. Phew.

With asynchronous communication, I get more time than ever in deep work mode—which really boosts productivity.

In your strategy, it’s important to set ground rules so you don’t create bottlenecks. For us, the rule is to reply to messages within 18 hours. Simple as that (well, almost).

Get organized and be clear!

A digital workplace demands even more discipline than a classic office—you need to be more organized so information is accessible. That means actively identifying and eliminating potential information silos.

Clarity is absolutely vital in the digital world. Be crystal-clear—borderline ridiculous if you must. Send well-written, detailed messages so you avoid follow-up questions and misunderstandings.

Dive deeper into asynchronous communication here

Here’s how we do it

As mentioned, at lynes Telefoni we’re no rookies at remote work. We’ve been doing it since 2008 (pre-iPhone). Back then it was mostly email and SMS.

Since then, we’ve stepped on most of the landmines—and we hope our tips help you!

When choosing a strategy for your internal communication, it’s crucial to find the right balance between the different modes; that can be the difference between success and flop.

A good tip is to include a representative from each department and be transparent about what you want to achieve by implementing your internal comms strategy. Be thorough and walk through every likely scenario.

That way, you’ll hopefully avoid starting over every year. The goal is to have a scalable policy from day one. Here’s more on how we’ve done it!

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