One of my favorite stories from working in a TV newsroom was when someone on our assignment desk read me a report over the phone. An agency emailed him the report. I was out covering a story and needed the report’s details. This was before everyone enjoyed smartphones, so he couldn’t email me the document.
While he read me the report, I got disconnected. I called the station back and asked to talk to the person who was reading the report. I was told he was unavailable because he was reading a report to someone on the phone.
The story is silly, but I consider it an exaggerated example of two people sitting next to each other who are working toward the same goal while existing on their own private islands. My examples seem endless. It was not uncommon for a producer to assign me a story and for me to later find out someone else in the newsroom was already conducting interviews for the same topic. The old joke goes something like those in the communication business are the worst communicators.
I could have assumed this problem was a built-in dysfunction of newsrooms before I entered the business world. But examples of people within the same company not communicating keep on coming and it’s maddening. Some miscommunication is so ludicrous, you would think the mix-up would be impossible until you see otherwise.
In newsrooms, miscommunication may make you miss a story. But in the business world, much more is at stake. I have no choice but to conclude one of the biggest problems preventing businesses from reaching their potential is their inability to efficiently communicate internally. When I Tweeted this conclusion, one of my former co-workers replied “Oh really? Where did you discover that?” Now I’m discovering it everywhere!
Many businesses don’t have an internal communications department or dedicated communicator to help break down those silos. But a few steps could get results:
- Be a communications ambassador. Use your diplomacy to develop interpersonal relationships in different departments. Your connections to these people can help you build buy-in. Pass the torch of information to them so they can help informally communicate messages to their departments.
- Create a communications exchange council. Be diverse. Think in terms of your audience or key stakeholders. Who are the people in each department who represent these groups? Are there influencers or champions in different departments who can help deliver key messages or build buy-in? Reaching out to this group through regular meetings can help you determine what works or not.
- Secure senior management support. An executive champion can help further the collaborative cause, creating a beneficial ripple effect across the organization.
- Tell stories. Promote examples of departmental collaboration through storytelling. Through your regular communications channels, share stories of how people from different departments come together to help solve problems or think of new ideas by working together or exchanging best practices.