Basic in internal organizational communications

Most experts on organizations, management and leadership, assert that effective communications is the foundation for effectiveness in any type of organization. They assert there can't be too much communication. Some leaders misinterpret communications to be the same as paperwork or bureaucracy and so they're averse to a high degree of communications. As leaders and managers mature, they realize the need to effective convey and receive information, and efforts at communications (internal and external) increase substantially. (Also see and listed at the end of this article.)

Sections of This Topic Include:

Purpose of this Document

Common Causes of Problems in Internal Communications

Key Principles to Effective Internal Communications

Basic Structures/Policies to Support Effective Internal Communications

Supervisor and Employee Communications

Develop a Basic Communications Plan

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Purpose of this Document

Texts on organizational communications tend to first examine basics concepts such as "communications", "sender", "receivers", "encoders", etc. They go on to examine aspects of communications, e.g., downward, upward, body, verbal, written, formal and informal, interpersonal and group, etc. Some texts include various means to analyze effectiveness of communications. Some writers include public relations and media relations in organizational communications.

This document is geared to provide practical suggestions for nonprofit leaders and managers to ensure sufficient communications within their nonprofits and with external stakeholders. Public relations and media relations are outside the range of this document. Communications is one of those topics that tend to leave people feeling somewhat confused or sometimes bored. People get confused because communications is such a broad topic and it seems to somehow relate to everything. People who get bored assume that they've been communicating since childhood so why bring up the topic of communications. Consequently, it may be most useful in this document to start with common pitfalls in communications and then provide a range of items that can be used to enhance communications.

Note that many organizations take a deliberate, formal approach to ensuring sound communications, (both internal and external) by developing a communications plan.