internal communication strategy case study

Internal Communication Case Studies: The Terrible & The Terrific

It’s a question that often comes up: ‘How do other businesses do this?’. Whether you’re implementing a new sales structure or updating your software systems, it’s always helpful to consider how similar companies approached the issue. This is particularly relevant for internal communications , where there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each organisation has its own unique set of challenges and needs to tailor its internal communication strategy accordingly. Internal communication case studies can help you evaluate your approach, by exploring comparable situations and their outcomes.

In this blog, we’ve selected some of the best internal communication examples from the world of business. Not all were successful. In fact, some were complete disasters. But these failures, along with the success stories, are great examples of internal communication in action. When you’re looking for the answers to effective internal communication , nothing speaks more clearly than real-life examples.

We have grouped the following internal communication case study examples under the ‘seven golden rules’. These rules were proposed by Fitzpatrick in his ground-breaking  publication  Internal Communications: A Manual for Practitioners. These fundamental rules of internal communication best practices help us to categorise the relative successes and failures of these examples.

Rule 1: Activity means nothing without results

The starting point for every IC has to be: “What do we want people to do?” Being busy and generating a constant stream of campaigns, videos and newsletters is a waste of time if nothing changes as a result. When you’re looking at improving internal communications , always keep track of the outcome as well as the action. This is where the true significance lies.

Case Study 1 - Nationwide Building Society

Background: Nationwide Building Society ran an award-winning five-week BIG Conversation, gathering ideas from all its 18,000 employees in a company-wide collaboration. The aim was directed to reinvigorating Nationwide’s sense of purpose.

Approach: The activity included TalkBack events, online surveys and a huge listening exercise to give staff and members the chance to contribute to its future. By implementing a company-wide internal communications survey , Nationwide opened up a free-flowing conversation with its workforce.

Outcome: The result has been a refreshed strategy and a marketing campaign based on the new concept of ‘building society, nationwide’ – helping people improve the quality of their lives. This business communication case study demonstrates the power of actively listening and acting on employee’s suggestions. 

Verdict: Success

Rule 2: Value benefits the business

You will only be adding real value if your employee communication links directly to the business needs of your organisation and helps to achieve a defined strategy or a specific project. The benefits of good internal communication only become apparent when you define your desired outcomes and set actual targets.

Case Study 2 – XPO Transport and Logistics

Background: XPO wanted to leverage great ideas from its colleagues across its 104 UK sites to help its customers improve productivity and reduce costs. Its large, flexible and hard-to-reach workforce (from drivers for Asda to B&Q warehouse contractors) don’t usually have a company phone or laptop. Of all the case studies on communication in the workplace, this large-scale exercise is remarkable in its scope.

Approach: To spark engagement, Talkfreely developed the Ideas Matter App, which every employee was able to download to their personal phone. An internal communications app is the ideal way to connect with remote workers and hard-to-reach employees.

Outcome: Linked directly to business needs, the internal communications platform proved to be exceptional value. The generation of ideas has been significant; 1 in 4 of all ideas submitted are being put into practice. In addition, it showed a remarkable return on investment of 6.5:1 with £156,000 of savings in the first year alone.

Rule 3: In the thick of it

When you’re looking for new ideas, trying to work out what your employees are really thinking or wondering why a previous internal communications plan went wrong, don't sit pondering at your desk or researching online. Leave your office and start talking. Once you talk and listen to your employees, you will begin to understand what motivates them, what concerns them and how they feel about the company. Of all the internal communication ideas , this one is key if you want to keep track of engagement levels.

Case Study 3 – AOL

Background: AOL announced it was slashing its Patch local news network by a third. This was a large-scale change affecting many employees across the company and required careful handling in its communication.

Approach: CEO Tim Armstrong set up a conference call with 1,000 employees with the aim of boosting morale across the workforce. As Armstrong talked, Patch Creative Director Abel Lenz began taking pictures of him. He was immediately sacked, in front of the 1,000 staff on the conference call.

Outcome: Perhaps Armstrong did not know that Lenz’s job included photographing meetings with key leaders for the Patch intranet, for the benefit of remote workers. But he should have. If he had been in touch with his workforce, he would have been fully aware of the roles of individual employees. This employee communication case study gives a clear indication of the importance of understanding your employee’s job roles.

Verdict: Failure

Rule 4: Shut up and listen

Communicating with employees should be a two-way street. The megaphone approach is never going to work best because people only feel connected and motivated if they are part of a conversation. It’s vital to put internal communication channels in place that allow employees to comment on the messages coming down from the top. Listen to what they have to say … and learn.

Case Study 4 – PayPal

Background: The digital payment company needed to address an internal report that revealed not all their employees were not using the PayPal app. The President, David Marcus, wrote a company-wide memo to all staff regarding the problem.

Approach: David Marcus took a heavy-handed approach to the matter. He told his staff to use the product or quit: “If you are one of the folks who refused to install the PayPal app or if you can’t remember your PayPal password, do yourself a favor, go find something that will connect with your heart and mind elsewhere”.

A better policy would have been to find out why his employees weren’t using the payment app, whether they felt competitor products had better features and ask for their suggestions.

Outcome: The memo was leaked to the press. It generated widespread coverage across the media and left customers wondering what was wrong with an app that PayPal’s own staff wouldn't use. Internal communications best practice case studies demonstrate that opening a two-way channel for feedback will improve both internal and external communication .

Rule 5 – I did it their way

Understand the working methods of those you need to convince. If leaders seem bound up in stats and spreadsheets, give them what they want. Gather data to prove your ideas work, show them a process, outline a clear outcome and they’ll soon be on your side. Measuring internal communications will help to provide the rationale behind your ideas. Equally, if the types of internal communication you are using don’t seem to be connecting with your employees, don’t be afraid to try a different approach.

Case Study 5 – Seymour House

Background: Seymour House runs ten outstanding childcare nurseries and wanted to get staff across the group engaging better with each other to share great practice. They needed to identify the best methods of internal communication that would resonate with their unique team-based workforce.

Approach: Talkfreely innovated with an internal communications app called Community. Community replaces static web pages and posts with highly personalised, bite-sized chunks of information presented on boards displaying relevant cards. These communicate quick stories and are far better at connecting people across teams. 

Outcome: The Seymour House teams instantly connected with the Community app. Engagement levels took an immediate uplift as the communication and understanding between teams and individuals improved. This internal communications case study shows how crucial it is to connect with employees in a way that suits their style of interaction.

Rule 6: Make the most of managers

Your leadership team are crucial to the success of your strategy. However big or small your organisation, line managers and local leaders are your allies. They are essential to motivating employees and getting them on board: through discussion, allaying fears and leading by example. When you’re pulling together your internal communication definition , make sure leadership is one of the key points.

Case Study 6 – Yahoo

Background: The tech pioneer defined a need for remote workers return to the office environment. There was no longer a role for staff working from home and all employees needed to be office-based moving forward. The job of communicating this message was handed to the HR department.

Approach: Yahoo’s Head of HR sent out a motivational memo full of praise for the company’s “positive momentum”, “the buzz and energy in our offices”, “remarkable progress” and promising “the best is yet to come”. At the end of this message was the directive that all staff working from home must move back into the office or quit.

Outcome: A communication of this importance should have come from the head of the business. By trying to hide the order as a motivational HR message, it failed to provide a strategic business rationale. This is where the CEO needed to be a visible presence, sharing the reasoning behind this unpopular decision. Internal communication case study examples show time after time that leadership visibility is an essential element, especially when communicating change .

Rule 7: There is no silver bullet

We’d love to be able to reveal the secret to implementing that perfect internal communication strategy. Social media, the employee intranet , digital screens, email – they have all at some stage promised to revolutionise internal communications and make everything else redundant. But it hasn’t happened, which means the role of the internal communicator remains absolutely pivotal. Cut yourself slack in how you judge success, because every organisation has a different set of challenges and issues to overcome.

Case Study 7 – West Sussex County Council

Background: West Sussex Country Council has a workforce of over 6,000 staff spread across a wide geographic area in a variety of locations. In addition, around 25% of staff members have limited access to IT equipment and/or limited IT knowledge. The channels of internal communication in operation were outmoded and ineffective, leading to misinterpretation and inconsistencies.

Approach: Talkfreely developed a bespoke internal communications app designed to connect the disparate council workforce. Called ‘The Big Exchange’, the app allowed for real-time communication over a variety of digital platforms. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it allowed for flexibility in work patterns, increasing its appeal for all employees.

Outcome: By the end of the first quarter, a third of the employee base were actively using the app. In some sectors, 33% would be a pretty modest engagement score. For West Sussex Country Council however, it has connected with those hard-to-reach employees for the very first time. In addition, it proved that there is a real council workforce appetite to get involved. For example - there were 25,200 page views in the first month which means on average, each active user visited over 25 pages of content per month. Read the full case study .

“The TalkFreely app has helped improve, beyond recognition, the way we communicate with our 6000 strong workforce, many of whom are hard to reach. This has become even more evident over the last few weeks in our local response to the coronavirus crisis, helping us to get critical, time-sensitive information out to staff quickly and easily wherever they are across the county.” William Hackett, Communications & Engagement Lead, West Sussex County Council

Final thoughts

It’s clear, when looking at this selection of communication case studies, that not every internal communication is destined for success. And, if handled incorrectly, a poorly targeted message can actually do more harm than good. Internal communication mistakes are very costly, to both morale and the bottom line. However, if you take the time to plan carefully, the positive impact of a good internal communication exchange can be considerable. When assessing internal communications case studies, it’s also vital to consider the arena in which the company is operating before judging the relative success of the campaign. Ultimately, every organisation will need to take a different approach, tailored to suit their unique set of circumstances.

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The Role of Internal Communication in the Modern Workplace

5 Internal Communication Case Studies and Best Practices To Follow

Alex Cleary

Updated: May 13, 2024

Internal Communications

From employee engagement to workplace culture to change management, businesses often face similar challenges to each other even if those businesses are radically different. While the specifics of these challenges may differ, how other businesses solve these challenges can give you new insights into addressing your own.

We’re always interested in how our customers use ContactMonkey to solve their internal communications challenges, which is why we publish customer case studies. Learn how other businesses solve their communication challenges and get inspiration on ways you can improve your business by using an internal communications tool .

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What is an Internal Communication Case Study?

An internal communication case study examines how a company addressed a specific problem facing their organization, or achieved a specific goal. Communication is crucial for every business, and communication challenges can manifest in all kinds of situations.

An effective internal communication case study will clearly outline the problem, solution, and result of the business’ efforts to reach their goal. An internal communication case study should also outline best practices that were developed in this process, and how those best practices serve the business going forward.

Why are internal communication case studies important?

A good internal communication case study should not only explain the circumstances around a specific business’ problems and solution. It should also help others develop new ways to approach their own internal communication challenges , and shed light on common communication pitfalls that face a majority of businesses.

Whenever you’re facing a particular communication problem at your workplace, we recommend searching out a relevant internal communication case study about businesses facing similar issues. Even though the particulars may be different, it’s always important to see how internal communications problems are solved .

Featured Resource: Internal Email Benchmark Report 2023

How do your internal email performance metrics compare to 20 key industries? 

5 Best Internal Communications Case Studies

We put together this list of our favourite ContactMonkey case studies that best demonstrate the many problems our internal communications software can be used to solve. If you want to learn more about any of these customers and see other case studies, check out our Customers page .

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1. Mettler Toledo Saves Days on their Internal Communications with ContactMonkey

When Kate Kraley began as Mettler Toledo’s Marketing Communications Specialist, she wanted to use internal communications to increase engagement and improve communication with employees.

But Mettler Toledo —a global manufacturer of precision instruments for various industries—had a confusing and ineffective array of internal communications channels . Here’s how Kate took charge of internal communications at Mettler Toledo with ContactMonkey.

Kate came to an internal communications department tasked with reaching employees through a number of channels. Email was the main focus of their approach, but this encompassed many forms of communication based on email like employee newsletters, eNews, and quarterly email updates.

Kate wanted to improve the quality of their internal communications. She used a variety of tools to create their newsletters, including using Mailchimp and online HTML template builder. But because Mailchimp is not for internal communications , Kate and her team found themselves spending over 8 hours a week building their internal communications:

“We faced challenges with Mailchimp. Since we had to leave Outlook to use Mailchimp, we found it was double the work to maintain distribution lists in both Outlook and Mailchimp. The HTML builder in Mailchimp was also difficult to use as it didn’t work well with older versions of Outlook, compromising the layout.”

Kate also needed a way to determine whether Mettler Toledo employees were actually reading her internal communications. She used Mailchimp to track open rate, but wanted more in-depth measures of engagement. That’s when she switched to ContactMonkey.

Kate found ContactMonkey via the IABC Hub in 2018, and began testing it out. ContactMonkey’s all-in-one internal communications software removed the need to switch from tool to tool. Using our email template builder , Kate now builds visually stunning email newsletters and templates without having to navigate away from Outlook:

She also now has access to her own analytics dashboard . Kate analyzes numerous email metrics like open rate, click-through rate, read time, opens by device and location, and more to see which communications are driving the most engagement. With this new centralized approach, Kate knew she had found the right solution:

“Once I started using ContactMonkey, I realized I was able to save 4 hours of work a week, which translated to 25 days saved per year! ContactMonkey has helped us understand what employees are interested in!”

2. BASF Manages Their Remote Workforce with ContactMonkey

Mark Kaplan is the Global Communications Manager at BASF’s Agricultural Group —a department of the German chemical company BASF SE. Because BASF has offices and production sites around the world, Mark coordinates with other internal communicators across the company to drive employee engagement.

With the success of any business comes new challenges, and BASF isn’t any different. While Mark knew he had to keep others informed of the latest news from the BASF Agricultural Group, he was aware employees would be receiving news from other parts of the company as well.

With many different departments sending their own internal communications, Mark faced a difficult task: keeping employees engaged while being careful not to overwhelm them with countless emails and updates.

“We try to be very strategic with what we’re sending out because people are already getting a lot.”

Not only did Mark have to find a solution that made his email communications more engaging, but he also had to prove the value of whatever solution he chose to management. How could Mark show that he was increasing employee engagement while avoiding tuning out from oversaturation?

Mark began using ContactMonkey to create better internal communications for BASF employees. Using our drag-and-drop email template builder, he designs emails that maximized communication and minimized distractions, keeping information to just what his recipients needed to know.

Mark uses ContactMonkey’s email template library to save time on his email design process. He also uses the easy drag-and-drop format of the email template builder to add multimedia into his email communications to save space and increase their effectiveness:

Mark uses the email analytics provided by ContactMonkey to determine the best times to send internal emails . Not only does email analytics help Mark increase engagement on his employee emails, but he now has hard data he can show management to prove the value of his internal communications.

“ContactMonkey has been great in that I can download a report, attach it to an email, and send it to our top leadership and say, ‘Oh, wow. 88% of the organization opened this in the last 24 hours, I think we should do more of this.’ It’s that little extra credibility.”

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3. alnylam drives remote employee engagement using contactmonkey.

Employee engagement is crucial for ongoing productivity and growth, and Alnylam’s Brendon Pires wanted to leverage their internal communications to increase engagement.

Brendon is an internal communications specialist at Alnylam —the world’s leading RNAi therapeutics company—and is tasked with keeping their 2000+ employees engaged and informed. But Brendon’s existing internal communications process was leading to issues all over the place.

Like many companies, Alnylam shifted to remote work when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Brendon knew that employees would be relying on his emails to stay up-to-date on the latest company news and announcements, but their existing internal communications tool wasn’t up to the task:

• Scheduled emails were prevented from being sent out.
• Email design was a chore with a difficult-to-use email builder.
• Intranet traffic was down and Brendon’s emails weren’t driving traffic to it.
• Email tracking was limited as many internal emails were being flagged by their tracking software’s firewall.

“We were having consistent issues and it had been going on for like a couple of months. It was one issue after the other, between emails not sending because they were getting caught in our firewall, and then tracking not being consistent. So at the end of the day it was kind of like that’s really important, you know? Obviously if I can’t send that email that’s a problem. So that’s what really drove us to look at other solutions like ContactMonkey”

Brendon and Alnylam use Outlook for their employee emails, so he began looking for alternatives to his current software. That’s when Brendon found ContactMonkey.

Right away Brendon had a much easier time creating internal emails using our email template builder. He can create stellar internal emails and email templates that drive more engagement.

Brendon also uses ContactMonkey’s embedded star ratings to let Alnylam employees rate the emails they’re receiving. This helps Brendon and his team zero-in on their most engaging email content. He also uses our email analytics to measure engagement via open rate and click-through rate. He maximizes his results on these metrics by using ContactMonkey’s scheduled email sending:

Using ContactMonkey, Brendon was able to increase email engagement and drive traffic to Alnylam’s internal intranet . He now sends emails without worry of encountering sending errors that can hinder engagement—like Outlook not rendering HTML emails .

“ContactMonkey is really easy to use and allows me to create really nice content. There’s enough customization so we can do what we really want and have some creative freedom.”

4. Travel Counsellors Ltd. Stays Connected with Remote Employees Using ContactMonkey

In an economy deeply impacted by COVID-19, countless companies had to adapt to new challenges. As Community Manager at Travel Counsellors , Dave Purcell experienced firsthand the effects on morale and engagement his over 1,900 partners experienced as result of the quarantine and resulting societal changes.

Dave wanted to regularly check-in on Travel Counsellors franchisees’ wellbeing, and measure their engagement over time. But Dave’s current method of checking-in on an audience of over 1,900 was not up to the task.

Using their existing email software, Dave encountered all sorts of problems when trying to gauge wellness and drive email engagement. He and his team were unable to create personalized internal communications , as they were told it just wasn’t possible with their existing “solution”. They also experienced numerous tracking issues, as they were receiving tracking numbers that didn’t make any sense.

“The stats we had previously were unusable and that’s the easiest way I can put it. I was getting 200% open rates, which was just impossible.”

Realizing that email tracking and personalization were must-have features for him and his team, Dave sought a new email software that could deliver what he was looking for.

With the aim of sending personalized emails and tracking wellness in his organization, Dave was immediately impressed by ContactMonkey. “I stumbled across ContactMonkey, and everything just screamed: ‘This is the right platform for us’. It’s pretty fantastic.”

Dave uses ContactMonkey’s merge tags to create personalized subject lines and body copy based on the recipient:

He also began using emoji reactions on his weekly employee newsletters , using them as a pulse check survey for his audience.

“Mindset and wellbeing have always been a big part of what we do. It’s even more so now. Our franchisees craved that personal interaction. ‘Welcome to a Brand New Week’ checks in with them on a Monday, sees how they’re feeling with emoji reactions. And we do the same on a Friday.”

In addition to customization and surveys, Dave uses our email template builder’s custom employer branding options to save time on creating his email newsletters. All of this is driven by email analytics that help Dave and his team determine which content is generating the greatest engagement.

“Our commercial team is looking at what people are engaging with in terms of link clicks and what they’re not engaging with and changing our tactic depending on that. We also send an update from our CEO and we can now track this more accurately. We’re getting a 90% open rate within two days.”

5. Exemplis Boosts Internal Communications Engagement with ContactMonkey

When Corey Kachigan arrived at Exemplis as Engagement and Communications Lead, she knew she had her work cut out for her. Exemplis—the largest volume manufacturer of office seating in North America—was experiencing rapid growth but did not have any sort of internal communications strategy . Corey knew if she wanted to properly manage Exemplis’ ongoing growth, she’d need to make internal communications an indispensable part of the business.

Before Corey arrived, Exemplis’ existing internal communications consisted only of random announcements and update emails. They had no defined approach for sending internal communications, which lead to emails that can cause employees to tune out.

“Our receptionist would email: ‘Hey, whoever left their coffee mug in the sink, please clean it and take it back to your desk.’ And it’s like, okay, that just went to 200 people.”

Corey and her team knew they had to harness their email resources better, and wanted a way to measure what employees actually wanted to see.

“We need some metrics to gauge whether this is working or not. We’re rolling out all these things, but we can’t tell if employees are even clicking these emails. Our team is inundated with hundreds of emails a day. How do we know they are reading these and how do we know they find it valuable? We have no idea.”

They also wanted to use emails to align their ever-growing employee base with Exemplis’ core values and vision. Using Mailchimp—an external marketing email tool—resulted in more problems than solutions. Corey experienced issues with importing and tracking emails within Outlook. She realized that Mailchimp is not for internal communications , and set out to find a new solution to power her employee emails.

So Corey began searching for a new email software for internal communications. Creating a definite approach to internal communications was just one priority of hers; she also wanted to prove the value of internal communications to management using hard data.

What first stood out to Corey about ContactMonkey was the crisp layout and that it worked with Exemplis’ existing Outlook system. ContactMonkey uses your company’s existing email services, and this meant Corey would no longer encounter internal email problems caused by an external tool like Mailchimp.

Corey now uses email metrics and employee feedback to inform her internal communications approach. She features pulse surveys on her internal emails, and uses the results in combination with email metrics to pinpoint what Exemplis employees want to see.

With ContactMonkey’s email analytics, Corey can point to real engagement data to back up her internal communications objectives.

“The thing I love about ContactMonkey is that it allows us to communicate more consistently with our team, but also be able to have the data to back it up. When we used to send out newsletters, we didn’t really have a way to see who did or didn’t open it, who clicked what and they couldn’t interact with the communication besides reply to me, which was super cumbersome.”

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Achieve Your Internal Communications Goals with ContactMonkey

Although internal communications is a common aspect of all businesses, everyone approaches it differently. Finding out the best email practices that work for your employees is a crucial step in the quest for increased engagement.

Read even one internal communication case study and you’ll see how ContactMonkey stands out among other internal communications tools. You can create, send, and track internal emails, and collect employee feedback and email metrics to develop innovative internal communication tactics . Whether you’re a seasoned internal communicator or new to the field, ContactMonkey can turn your internal communications into a powerful driver of productivity and growth at your organization.

Whip up emails your employees want to open

Want to see ContactMonkey in action? Book a free demo to see how our internal communications software can transform your employee emails:

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Best Internal Communication Case Studies of 2021

Home » Insights » Uncategorized » Best Internal Communication Case Studies of 2021

What. A. Year. 2021 has certainly been a rollercoaster for employee comms. From the Great Resignation to hybrid working, we’ve seen businesses respond to some truly enormous challenges.  

Here at McCann Synergy, it’s become an annual tradition to start each year by reflecting on which trailblazing internal comms projects made us sit up and take stock. So, keep reading for that New Year inspiration as we round up some of our own and external internal communication examples of 2021.   

Top  8   i nternal comms  case studies

1. natwest:  turning colleagues into vloggers    .

The story:  NatWest Personal Banking’s 28k colleagues serve over 17 million customers. When their internal TV show, Watch, needed modernising, the Comms team didn’t just give it a quick revamp – they went right back to the drawing board. And the result? An exciting new employee vlogger channel called Bee Vloggers.   

Supported throughout by us here at McCann Synergy, we held auditions to discover Natwest’s seven Bee Vloggers and turned these colleagues turned into mini-celebs. Recording regular 2-min vlogs covering everything from product updates to community news. Bee Vloggers won an award at Engage Employee for its fresh, engaging approach that was a huge hit with colleagues. In fact, it’s inspired departments across the rest of the business that are now looking to launch vlogs of their own!  

Why we love it:  By embracing a new innovative way of connecting employees. By using YouTube-style bite-sized content, NatWest has created a new channel that really is by colleagues, for colleagues. And we’re not the only ones who think so – it’s been picking up internal communication awards all year!   

2. Nestlé:   Getting strategic with wellbeing   

The story:  In 2021,  Nestlé  could see that remote working was impacting colleagues’ physical and mental wellbeing. Wanting to do more than introduce a new initiative,  Nestlé  did everything they could to embed wellbeing right across  their  people strategy. Focusing on four elements, physical health, mental health, nutrition and workplace set-up, they brought in new tools and guidance across the board to give people more headspace and time.   

Friday afternoons were to be kept clear; back-to-back meetings were to be avoided. Adopting the mantra ‘Taking care of your body is taking care of your business’, leaders were quick to start role-modelling the new behaviours, as tools and tips were rolled out across the business. This focus also included plenty of hands-on activities that people could do from home, such as expert chefs teaching employees how to cook a balanced meal in 30 minutes.  

Why we love it:  It has the power of three; tools, clear guidance and inspiration. This is a great example of well-being done well. We particularly loved their rollout of the Eisenhower Matrix prioritising tool  – do, delegate, schedule, eliminate – to prevent burnout.   

3. Nationwide Building Society: Big conversation  

The story:   When Nationwide wanted to reinvigorate its sense of purpose, the team went BIG, with an enormous company-wide collaboration. The award-winning BIG Conversation strategy gathered ideas from 18,000 employees across five weeks, with TalkBack events, online surveys and an unprecedented listening exercise.   

All staff and members had the chance to contribute to Nationwide’s future. The result? A refreshed strategy and a marketing campaign based on the new concept of ‘ Building Society, Nationwide’.  

Why we love it:  It’s a perfect example of the gold dust that employees have. By not only listening to employees suggestions, acting on them to create a strategy fit for purpose.   

4. Mondi: Inspiring sustainability launch  

The story: When Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper solutions, wanted to launch their new sustainability strategy, MAP 2030, they decided to do it with a global town hall event. But this was no run-of-the-mill meeting, CEO Andrew King presented, as you might expect, but it was the guest speaker – world-famous astronaut, Tim Peake – who took the event to a whole new level. Discussing the planet, people, and Mondi’s drive for a more sustainable future, Tim spoke about the impact the Overview Effect had on him up in space.   

We worked with Mondi to  create a film to capture the awe-inspiring message  to be shared for Mondi’s people.  

Why we love it:  Really, what’s not to love about inviting an actual live astronaut to your town hall? It’s a powerful reminder to think big when it comes to internal comms.    

5. Aldi: A bit of fun  

The story: Aldi’s internal comms team wanted to motivate and engage frontline colleagues with a fun experience in the run-up to Christmas day. With the challenges of remote working, we partnered with Aldi to create an advent calendar packed with daily games, activities and prizes.   

We developed a variety of different Christmas-themed games and competitions that kept colleagues coming back for more, including a grand prize draw. The advent calendar attracted over 8,000 competition entries every single day – a 122% increase last year which made this campaign one of 2021 industry award winners.  

Why we love it:  This was a big fun project but with some serious goals. Aldi recognised that to truly make a difference to employee engagement levels, we needed to give employees a little bit of fun during a busy time of year.    

6. Missguided: Getting the Vibes  

The story:  Missguided, the online fashion retailer, didn’t just want corporate values that felt off-brand – they wanted ‘Vibes’. To create these vibes, they ran a four-week creative campaign to capture essential colleague insight, here’s how it worked:   

•   Week one :  Love  – Colleagues shared their greatest loves using ‘love selfies’ and completed a survey to say what they loved doing in their job.  
• Week two:   Positivity  – 500 smiles were dropped on colleagues’ desks asking the question “What made you smile last?”  
• Week 3:   Fun  – This time it was sweets that were handed out, posing the question: “How do you have fun at work?”  
•   Week 4:   Empowerment  – Colleagues answered the question, ‘What’s your biggest dream?’.  

The team used all the feedback to create Missguided’s final four Vibes – and their associated behaviours.   

Why we love it:  It can be all too tempting to create values based on input from the C-Suite only. But if you want your values to resonate, real colleague input is the way to make it happen, and Missguided sure knew how to involve their colleagues.     

7. NatWest Group: Mission Possible  

The story: Last year, a new piece of government legislation meant NatWest Group had to change the way it authenticated all 7 million of its customers, shifting to a new 2-step system. For NatWest’s 28k Personal Banking colleagues, that meant not only getting to grips with the new regulations but also supporting customers through the change. It was a huge task. The Comms team knew they needed to do something special, we worked with them to grab colleagues’ attention through  a Virtual Reality game called ‘Mission Possible’ .   

Colleagues would don special VR headsets to enter a new virtual world, using gaze technology to earn points, avoid obstacles and compete against each other. The VR game helped the team achieve  a massive 94% of the whole year’s goal in just six months,  while also helping NatWest Group increase customer app transactions by nearly 30%.  

Why we love it:  The Mission Possible VR game was a totally new and exciting way for colleagues to learn. Not only has engagement increased, but colleagues now actually look forward to the next game!   

8.   Unilever: Unmuting the silence on domestic violence   

The story:  During lockdown, cases of domestic violence grew by 20 per cent worldwide. So, Unilever, a FMCG with 150k colleagues, wanted to address this concern by creating ‘Unmute: End the silence against domestic violence’. Launching around International Women’s Day, the campaign featured Unilever chief executive Alan Jope holding a virtual global town hall meeting, a LinkedIn Live with #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke, and a host of toolkits and training.   

The event attracted a record 6,000 staff in the town hall, and 200 employees accessed Unilever’s domestic violence services in the five weeks following launch.   

Why we love it: Unilever recognised its duty of care to staff and took their company’s internal policy to a global, external audience. Sparking conversation across the FMCG sector and creating a wave across the industry.     

Feeling inspired?   

We know we are! From VR games to vlogging, if you’re ready to take your internal comms campaign to the next level – we’re here to help. Engaging employees through creativity is what makes us tick, so  get in touch with us for ideas to approach your next internal comms challenge.   

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May 14, 2018

How to Create an Internal Comms Strategy that Works (with Case Study from AGL Energy)

One of the many challenges businesses face today more than ever is connecting with their audiences, whether it's their customers or employees.

What may be a significant policy update that can lead to positive change, if delivered in the wrong tone or framed in the wrong way, could end up being received poorly by the team.

When team members fail to understand and see the value behind the company’s message, this can lead to disengagement which can wreak havoc on team dynamics. 

In a report by IBM, eight out of ten employees felt more engaged when their work was consistent with their core organisational values and message.

A report by GloboForce also reveals that 36% of businesses see engagement as their number one challenge.

The need to establish an engaging workplace through better internal communications is crucial to organisational success.

It’s All About Telling the Right Story

So what does it take to get your employees to understand your message? How do you get your team to be as passionate and excited when internal communications are announced throughout the organisation?

Sometimes, no matter how well-crafted the message is, not everyone will react the same way or fully grasp the why behind your message.

Part of the problem is the manner in which messages are conveyed in business. It is often fairly common for business leaders to lose the human touch in how they communicate.

Oftentimes, it is exactly their many years in business that desensitises how they communicate to their teams — citing only numbers, figures, and statistics.

And although using data is essential to validate the information you’re presenting, people cannot fully relate to it as much as real stories do.  Tweet this

When we turn to corporate jargon, we lose that connection; we subconsciously disengage from our team and make them feel more isolated.

What Internal Comms Strategy Works Best?

An effective internal comms strategy not only ensures you get the right message across, it can help nurture relationships and develop a community built on trust within the organisation.

Here’s how you can use storytelling in your internal communications strategy:

1. Understand the purpose behind the message. To communicate your message effectively, you need to have a clear understanding of what the message is about and how this impacts your organisational goals. What is the purpose , and how does this bring value to your organisation?

2. Be relatable. Avoid using jargon. Speak in a language that your employees will understand. Rather than saying, “We need to optimise the use of our resources for maximum environmental efficiency”, why not simply say, “We need to save on costs while at the same time be more environment friendly, so let’s try to go paperless as much as possible!”

3. Personalise your message through stories. Recognise that people relate and respond best to stories. The best way to ensure effective communication is engaging your audience.

People are more likely to remember and learn when an activity is done in an engaging way — and the same goes for how you communicate. Rather than just consuming information, using storytelling to deliver your message helps your audience experience the information themselves.

In telling the story, it is important to

• State the problem — What issues have you identified?
• Elaborate on your journey —  How did you come to find the right solution?
• What is the solution, and how will this solve the problem?

4. Get real and authentic. The key to establishing trust is being real and authentic. You are speaking to smart and intelligent people who are no strangers to the state of your company affairs and are often privy to the latest news and updates.

By keeping it real and honest, you promote transparency in your organisation, which goes a long way towards building trust.

5. Make the content short and engaging. Keep your messages short and interesting. For maximum impact, make sure you have one key takeaway in all your internal comms to increase the effectiveness of uptaking.

Businesses need to have more fun with how content is presented and find more creative ways to engage with employees and customers.  Tweet this

Some brands sound way too serious and bland in how they communicate, trying to be politically correct , and end up losing both attention and engagement with people.

In order for communications to cut through the noise, note that you need to make the viewer feel something.

Case Study: AGL Energy

A great example of all these points at work was   AGL Energy ’s communications strategy to build Information Security awareness.

The company needed to introduce a new Information Security protocol to staff members, but since information security was somewhat of a dry topic among staff, they decided to introduce these changes through a series of engaging animated videos depicting the IT security key messages as relatable folk tales.

Each one of these were showcased in easy-to-understand and memorable video stories that highlighted the company’s information security points in great detail, getting their message across seamlessly.  

Here’s another HSE campaign we’ve helped AGL with.

Many organisations are all about celebrating their successes and sharing their wins. But in today’s VUCA environment, keeping your team members in the loop with your challenges and failures helps you reiterate on the same goals and even promotes feedback and collaboration.

Doing this also helps build an emotional connection with your team, promotes the group spirit, and gives you the opportunity to make them feel as if they belong to an organisation that is resilient enough to overcome whatever setbacks may come your way.

A successful internal communications strategy not only leads to better employee engagement, it promotes a better understanding of your company’s goals and values and helps guide everyone in your team towards the same direction.

Editor's note: This blog post was republished with new data.

Written by Domenico De Rosa

Domenico is Step Change’s Art Director and creative specialist — a multidisciplinary artist (without the angst) with the ability to understand strategy and bring creative ideas to life. He works closely with clients, building brands from the ground up, developing ideas and narratives in order to create engaging brand content.

Tagged: Business Strategy , Branding , Creativity

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Internal Communications: Benefits, Best Practices and How to Do It

Internal communication helps you inform, influence, and engage employees — and get their participation. We review the best tools and best practices.

Last Updated

May 24 2022

“ The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place ,” George Bernard Shaw once noted .

This sentiment seems to be particularly true when it comes to internal communication in the workplace. For example, 46% of employees say they leave meetings without having a clear understanding of what to do next, and 74% of employees feel they are missing out on internal company news.

Unfortunately, poor employee communication creates or contributes to:

• Personal conflicts
• Missed deadlines
• Incorrect goal assumptions
• Employee turnover
• Redoing misaligned work

What is Internal Communications?

Internal communication is far more than just casual socialization among employees. Instead, it’s about facilitating effective conversations between all the people within an organization to allow for the successful flow of information between teams and individual employees. In addition, this constant conversation builds social capital.

A characteristic of good employee communication is that it isn’t just top-down but also bottom-up. A study published in the Journal of Communication Management showed that communication had to be symmetrical in order to enable good employee communication behaviors. The study indicates that symmetrical information required two things:

• Complete and fair information to employees, and
• Internal communication practices that listen to employees and invite their participation.

The goal of internal communications is to inform, influence, and engage. The purpose is to build trust in the workplace, improve knowledge sharing , empower employees, and create a synergy that gets everyone on board with the company’s overall goals.

8 Benefits of Internal Communications

Want to really understand the importance of communication in the workplace? Let’s review some of the benefits you can expect when you get staff communication to work smoothly.

1. Improve Employee Alignment

It sounds simple enough — if you aren’t familiar with the company’s strategy, it’s hard to know how you can contribute to it. But, unfortunately, that’s the case for most employees. A study by Robert S Kaplan and David P Norton shows that an average of 95% of all employees are unaware of the company’s strategy.

Let’s make sure that the remaining five percent work with you. The right internal communications strategy helps communicate your strategy, vision, and goals in a consistent, attractive way that involves employees.

The better they know the goals, the easier they can align their work to help reach the targets.

2. Build Trust

By increasing transparency and improving internal communications, you increase the trust employees feel for the company and its leaders.

A Ph.D. thesis at Brunel University London shows internal communication initiatives such as constant feedback, information sharing, and open communication channels contribute to higher co-worker trust and higher employee engagement.

While employee communication is often shared only within the company, there are benefits to keeping parts of it public. For example, a study on hospitality workers showed increased trust when certain information aimed at employees was shared through social media.

Increased trust can also lead to increased engagement , which leads to a slew of other benefits:

3. Increase Engagement

Employee engagement is a key to lower turnover, increased work performance, and improved job satisfaction. Studies link symmetrical internal communications to positive employee engagement. No wonder — when employees feel heard, they are more likely to be active and engaged in the workplace.

4. Improve Employee Performance

Studies show that internal communications have a direct impact on employee performance. In order to contribute to a positive environment, studies suggest that the conversation needs to be frequent, transparent, and honest.

5. Improve Brand Image

For customer-facing companies, frontline employees are the face of the organization. Their actions reflect directly on the customers’ brand experience.

Through improved staff communication, customer-facing employees improve their ability to communicate brand-specific information , meaning that you get a better, more brand-consistent performance.

6. Better Crisis Management

A good internal communications strategy helps you reach employees — both with the message and its contents. This matter is crucial in times of urgent company news.

Do you have difficult news to share? A history of honest communication helps manage the negative impact and discuss ways forward.

7. Decrease Security Risks

It may come as no surprise that employees are considered a company’s largest cybersecurity risk . Changes in IT policies, security breaches, and mandatory updates are just a few of the things employees need to be familiar with to keep security high.

However, technical information can occasionally be cumbersome or difficult to grasp. By thinking through the message and the channels, you can improve communications and overall security.

8. Increase Feedback and Whistleblowing

Good employee communication is a two-way street. However, 37% of employees feel that the company lacks systems for recommending problem fixes. Employees that feel heard are more likely to report any wrongdoings or company issues.

Challenges in Internal Communications

Common internal communications challenges include:

• Outdated communication ways . For example, maybe an employee insists on sharing important information on an old intranet that no one else reads.
• Unequal communication . For example, a company may forget to take remote workers into account. Differences in what’s shared in the office and what’s shared to off-site or remote workers can cause rifts. As a result, employees don’t feel included or may feel like the information doesn’t apply to them.
• Information or knowledge silos . Organizational silos make it difficult to share and benefit from knowledge due to information being stored n an inaccessible way. 
• Information overload . As always, you’ve got to adapt the message to the receiver. By just dumping information, you risk that it isn’t read at all.

Before we jump into how you can avoid these issues, let’s take a look at some of the most popular internal communications tools:

The Top 7 Tools for Supercharging Your Internal Communications

For effective internal communication, you’ll need a platform. While it’s tempting to use one tool like a Swiss Army knife, successful employee communications most likely require a multi-tool approach.

1. Intranets

Intranets are traditionally used for sharing company news and information. However, social intranets gain popularity as they are more engaging for employees. Intranets are especially good for company news and updates.

• Setting up a simple intranet is generally straightforward — you can even use Google Sites .
• Collecting information in one location makes it easier to find and review.
• Sharing with a large number of people is easy.

2. Knowledge Base Software

Knowledge base software lets you create, organize, and share information with anyone that needs it when they need it. Internal knowledge bases are great for internal communications as they can be used for more than just sharing company news and information - with an internal knowledge base you can share all types of knowledge.

• Storing, updating, and sharing information is simple.
• Commenting and other interactive features encourage two-way communication.
• Collaborating on documents in your every-day workflow makes it easier to notice company news.
• Measuring usage is easy with built-in analytics.
• Integrating the knowledge base with other internal communications tools is generally easy.

As an internal communications tool, email is most effective for newsletter-style emails with updates and links to further information on a website or knowledge base.

• Tracking open rates and click-through rates is generally straightforward.
• Using email for communications is generally a relatively cheap communication option.
• Reaching the right recipient becomes painless with the use of mailing lists.

4. Project Management Systems

You’re probably already using some type of project management system to manage everyday workflow. Depending on the system, it tends to work best for project-related announcements, updates, and team communications.

• Keeping employee communications for current projects and work status in the same place as the work makes it easier to have informed conversations.
• Interacting with team members becomes easy thanks to commenting features.
• Tagging employees when mentioning them ensures they see the message.

An internal community forum is dedicated to engagement. Just make sure you choose an option with easy-to-use interactive features, so it doesn’t create a hurdle and becomes a ghost town.

• Encouraging symmetrical communication doesn’t become much more transparent than this, as all users can see the information shared.
• Crowd-sourcing content, information, and feedback become convenient.

6. Messaging Systems

Many businesses already use messaging systems like Slack for informal IC within and between teams.

• Learning and using the tool is generally an intuitive experience
• Integrating messaging with other tools is often accessible with built-in integrations.
• Communicating informally within teams or company-wide encourages interaction.

7. Social Media

Is the company CEO active on Twitter? Do you have a private Instagram account for pictures from the kickoff? Some information aimed at employees may be suitable for sharing publicly, especially for large, multinational companies.

• Sharing and accessing information is easy.
• Posting messages publicly contributes to the company’s employer branding.

How to Create an Internal Communications Strategy

Good employee communications don’t happen spontaneously. To avoid the challenges that companies face in internal communications, you need to develop a strategy.

Step 1: Determine Your Internal Communications Objectives

Let’s start by assessing your current situation. Review questions such as:

• How is your current solution working? What works well and what doesn’t?
• What would you like your internal communications to look like?
• What are your goals? Develop both short-term objectives and long-term goals.
• What key metrics related to employee communications do you want to track?

Step 2: Identify the Requirements

Once you have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve, it’s time to look at your requirements.

What do your needs look like? Review needs such as:

• Interactivity
• Inclusiveness, including for remote workers 
• Accessibility across devices
• User-access management
• Urgency and timeliness
• Segmentation of your internal audience

Also, note when you have apparent contradictions, as they may need extra consideration. For example, you may note that information needs to flow freely but reach only the right people to avoid information overload.

Step 3: Create Your Internal Communications Strategy

Now, it’s time to create a process that helps you reach your internal communications objectives and goals. Once you’ve completed this step, you’ll have a standardized process that allows you to repeat high-quality communications practices again and again.

You want your strategy to outline:

• What to share
• When and how often to share it
• Where and how to share it
• Who you’ll share it with

Here are some of the information types to consider in your strategy:

Top-down Information

This type of information includes company announcements, news, and event updates. How will you ensure that all employees access important company news?

Common tool choices : knowledge bases , intranets, email newsletters

Rewards and Recognitions

Consider both recognitions that are company-wide and those within departments or teams. How will you recognize and encourage employees?

Common tool choices : intranet, email newsletter, instant messaging tools.

Company and Team-Related Information

Don’t let policy documents, codes of conduct, and process documents gather dust How will you ensure that employees have access to the necessary company documents?

Common tool choices : knowledge bases, cloud-based document storage solutions.

Feedback and Suggestions

We’ve already seen that businesses need communication to be symmetrical in order to benefit. How will you add two-way communication?

Common tool choices : email newsletter, forums, Kanban boards.

Informal Discussions and Conversations

Both information exchange and employee bonding are worth considering. How will you manage day-to-day chat?

Common tool choices : project management systems, instant-messaging tools.

Crisis Management

You need ways to reach all or a specific subset of employees. For example, how will you quickly inform employees in case of an emergency?

Common tool choices : knowledge base, intranet or newsletter for longer content, instant messaging tools, or email for shorter notifications.

For each type of information, you need to share, complete a process document that shows exactly how you’ll share the information. Having a roadmap allows you to stay consistent, no matter who sends out the information.

Step 4: Create Your Ideal Mix of Internal Communications Tools

Which internal communications tools are right for you? You’ll want to tailor a solution that is easy to use and helps you reach your objectives.

For many companies, a multi-platform approach works the best. By considering your requirements from step 2 and the strategy from step 3, you can create your ideal mix. For example, here’s what a simple setup may look like:

• Single source of truth . A place for sharing and sourcing information such as reports, policy documents, and company news. Choice: a knowledge base.
• Project work status updates : a project management system with commenting features
• Informal discussion and urgent messages : an instant messaging app such as Slack.

When choosing a tool, you’ll want to look for:

• Integrations with other tools — how well does it work with your other internal communications tools?
• Ease of use — how steep is the learning curve?
• Scalability — can it scale with your company?
• Multi-purpose use — can it cover more than one type of information?

Step 5: Implement

Implement the strategy as well as any new communications tools. Make sure that you’

Expect any significant changes to take a while to implement, at least if the old tools still are available for other purposes. For example, you may previously have used your project management tools for storing related documents but now want all documents stored in a knowledge base for easier access.

Step 6: Evaluate

Gather feedback consistently during the implementation as well as after its completion. Measure and track progress — how well do you reach the objectives you set?

You’ll also want to complete regular reviews to see that your internal communications tools and processes still are a good fit for your needs.

How a Knowledge Base Can Improve Internal Communications

Employees need one clear, easily accessible place that works as a “single source of truth.” The knowledge base is one of the most popular options for this, as you can use it for other things than just communications. It also works as an information storage and collaboration platform. 

Now, we’ll take a look at internal communications best practices when using a knowledge base for internal communications and review the common issues they help to solve.

Make the Communications Platform an Integral Part of the Workflow

Who remembers to log in to a dedicated intranet or forum just to check company news? In order to reach employees as well as possible, you want them to really use the tool where the information is shared.

As a knowledge base becomes an integral part of the everyday workflow, you increase the chances of employees checking the latest information.

Manage First Impressions

A common issue is that crucial information gets lost in a sea of text. That is why you want to consider the recipient and make it both approachable and easy to find. By organizing the dashboard, you can highlight recent company information.

Decide What to Share

Employees don’t want a deluge of information, but they don’t like to be kept in the dark, either. Spending time trying to find news, reports, or other information causes stress and feelings of exclusion.

By determining what to upload to the knowledge base and where to add it, you make sure that employees get the requested information and find it easily.

Create a Workflow for Internal Communication

If the company’s communication changes considerably depending on who creates it, then it may be time to standardize it. Tone, style, and frequency impact the employer brand.

Solve any inconsistencies by establishing a workflow in your knowledge base:

• Create a template each for the common communication needs
• Craft a process for how you communicate this particular type of information
• Create a new communications draft
• Add everyone who will contribute
• Add everyone who will edit, comment, or approve the draft
• Publish and share through the selected channels

Consider the Storytelling

Employees dislike being preached at — who doesn’t? Gone are the days when internal communications consisted of giving the CEO a megaphone.

At its core, internal communications are all about telling the story of your company. How do you show that the employee is an integral part of the story? 

Another thing to consider is how you can tell the story in a way that engages. For example, you can use more than one type of media: text, photos or illustrations, videos, audio clips, and gifs.

Organize the Information

Struggling to find that crucial bit of information in an old status update from another team in a wealth of information… no, it’s neither fun nor efficient. However, by collecting critical information in one place, you can organize it easier. For example, you can use categories, tags, and a knowledge base with powerful search functions so information becomes easier to find.

Increase and Encourage Interaction

If information is seen as something to consume rather than interact with, engagement becomes tricky.

Solve this issue by crowd-sourcing parts of the internal communications. For example, you can encourage employees to contribute to updates and use interactive features such as commenting.

Track and Measure Employee Engagement

Who saw the important product update? By using a knowledge base with analytics, you can track and measure engagement. You can measure engagement in different ways — how much are they using the tool, or how much do they engage?

Wrapping Up

Successful internal communication is strategic, easy to access, and user-friendly. For most companies, a multi-tool approach will work best. However, the key to its success is letting communications be a natural part of the everyday workflow. After all, you can use as many internal communications tactics as you want. If a tool is seldomly used, information still won’t reach the intended recipients.

While instant messaging tools such as Slack have become integral for many businesses, they have their limitations for longer bits of information.

The solution is to use a single source of truth — not just for company updates but also for collecting, collaborating on, and storing information. And while we’ve reviewed many tools above, only the knowledge base has that type of powerful capabilities.

We’re not asking you to give up Slack. Instead, you’ll add a knowledge base that you can link to for more information. And, speaking of Slack — did you know that Helpjuice offers a convenient integration? That way, you can easily connect the two and let them be part of your powerful internal communications toolbox. Try Helpjuice out for free for 14 days now .

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Kickstart your internal communications strategy with these best practices

Written by by Ronnie Gomez

Published on  October 21, 2021

Reading time  15 minutes

Picture this. You’ve been running point on a major process change at your company. After sending out email updates and meeting with key stakeholders, you’re finally ready to roll out your plan. The day after the switch is made, you begin to receive messages from disgruntled colleagues, all featuring the same three words:

“Nobody told me…”

This is a frustrating yet all too common experience at companies of all sizes. Without a well-executed internal communications strategy, necessary information can get lost, missed or ignored.

Internal communications requires the same level of care and planning as customer, partner and recruiting communications. Still, designing or revamping your internal communications program can be daunting. That’s why we’re here to show you how to create a successful program while avoiding the typical roadblocks to enhancing your employee communication strategy .

Why you need to rethink your internal communications plans

Effective communication in the workplace is more important than ever. As more companies opt into long-term remote work , it’s increasingly clear that corporate work environments will not be returning to pre-pandemic norms.

April 2020: working from home sucks April 2021: if we have to go back to the office full-time I will quit — Sophie Vershbow (@svershbow) April 27, 2021

While remote work has its benefits, it’s also left some employees feeling disconnected from their work and their employers. One study found that 55% of people in the US workforce intend to look for a new job in the next 12 months . This “Great Resignation” is putting a renewed emphasis on employee engagement and, in turn, internal communications.

In this new landscape, your internal communications strategy can’t rely on a set-it-and-forget-it approach. It needs to be proactive, comprehensive and creative to foster the connection that was lost when in-person touchpoints went away.

The good news is, most internal communication leads are embracing this change in their roles and responsibilities. According to the Gallagher State of the Sector report, just 5% of organizations will maintain the practices they had in place in 2020 . The rest are planning major culture, process and system changes.

An intentional internal communications plan can help organizations manage the ever-growing impacts of a changing work environment. This is a tremendous opportunity for businesses to rethink how they communicate to an often forgotten audience—their own employees.

7 steps to form your internal communications strategy

Creating an internal communications program is an ongoing exercise in collaboration. It requires prioritization and buy-in from leadership, as well as frequent check-ins with managers across your business.

So, how does one kick off an internal communications strategy?

Here’s our seven-step guide to launching a successful internal communications program:

1. Assess your current internal communications strategy

You likely have some internal communication processes already in place, so it’s always best to start with research. It’s time to assess what’s working and what isn’t.

Internal communication is the heartbeat of an organization. How’s your company’s health? #internalcomms — David Grossman (@ThoughtPartner) October 18, 2021

Some of the things you should immediately address when revamping your internal communication strategy include:

• Your current performance : How effective is your current strategy? What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses? Who is currently involved in shaping and executing your plan and who can you add to improve it?
• Where you’ll eventually be : What are your goals for your internal communications program? Who is your audience? the entire organization or a select business unit? The answers to these questions will be your north star as you design your strategy.
• How you plan to get there : What is it going to take to achieve your objectives (in terms of resources, budget or tools)? What type of content will resonate the most with your staff?
• How long it should take : What’s the difference between how long it should take vs. a realistic timeline for your team?
• Who’s involved : Is your current team too small? Are there too many cooks in the kitchen? Assessing your current strategy should indicate where you can add to or streamline your internal comms team.

Answering or at least planning to resolve these prompts is important to reevaluating your strategy. Your answers will illuminate your big picture vision before diving into tactical details.

2. Set realistic goals and timelines

Your new internal communications strategy won’t magically transform employee experiences overnight. These things take time, so it’s important to keep your goals realistic.

One way to set smarter goals is by looking to internal benchmarks and noting where you think you can make an immediate impact. You may also want to send out a survey to get a better understanding of what employees want from your program.

Some initial questions you might ask to get this conversation started include:

• What do you want your internal communications strategy to do for your company?
• Which areas are working well, why are those areas working well, and what needs improvement?
• How quickly do you want to reach your goals?
• What communication tools or platforms are available given your company size, priorities and expectations of what employees should be doing with information shared?

Answering these questions will paint a clearer picture of what you want your internal communications strategy to actually accomplish. These goals will serve as your blueprint for establishing your strategy, and then growing and maintaining it over time.

When creating your goals, try to ensure they follow S.M.A.R.T. logic —in other words, are your goals:

• Specific : Define what you want to accomplish in clear, simple terms that your entire team can understand.
• Measurable : Create milestones and targets that can help you see your progress toward each aspect of your goal.
• Attainable : It’s good to have lofty ambitions, but you need to know that your goals are manageable and realistic.
• Relevant : In this case, you’ll need to create goals that are linked to developing your team, and connected seamlessly with your business model.
• Time-based : Create a specific timeframe for reaching your goals to maintain accountability and create an opportunity to reflect on your performance.

3. Identify your key metrics to track for success

Just like most other facets of your business, your internal communication strategy can and should be measurable. To do this, you need to choose the core metrics that will show you if your strategy is working.

These stats will help you determine if your colleagues use the resources that are being provided. This means you can dissect your strategy and learn about what areas need more attention and what can be skipped. For example, you may find that your team overwhelmingly prefers one channel over another, or that certain departments pay more attention to communications from executive leadership rather than peers or team managers.

Some things, like anecdotal feedback, can’t be measured. Still, it’s important to build on your understanding of employees’ experiences with data. Here are some potential metrics to consider:

Social shares

One metric many organizations overlook is the amount of social shares your content receives. Studies show that employees have an average of 10 times as many connections on social media as a standard brand . Empowering your employees to share business updates can do more than make them feel connected—it can help achieve your business goals.

With an internal comms tool like Sprout’s , you can analyze total shares by network, content or user to better understand overall reach.

Employee engagement metrics

How often do employees read your internal content? Do they comment, like, share or start a discussion with your content? Measuring your overall content engagement metrics can provide insight into what your staff uses the most.

Your human resources and people team might also have additional insights on employee engagement, depending on how they’re collecting information for their own programs. If you aren’t collaborating with them regularly, reach out. They may be able to complement your internal communications reporting with their own data.

Project management issues

The transition to remote and hybrid work sparked massive changes in team planning norms. Project management has gone digital, which streamlines communication in some areas, but can cause obstacles in others.

Tech adoption at an organizational level has always been a challenge . If remote workers aren’t kept in the loop on how a project is progressing, it can lead to disconnection and frustration. In some cases, it can even drive them to look for new jobs .

To keep employees engaged, talk to teams about project management bottlenecks proactively. There may be a benefit to establishing standards of communication by tool or platform.

4. Segment and map out your audience

Once you have an idea of what could bolster your internal comms strategy, it’s time to determine who to target. Your content should always target a specific audience, even when it’s internal. It’s important to figure out what messages and formats will resonate with different employees in your business.

Another major misconception is that to have a successful internal comms strategy, you have to include everyone in all messages for transparency—that’s just not true. While your employees want to be in the loop on news and company information, overwhelming them with too much detail could cause them to ignore updates as they come through.

Strategically mapping out your approach to communications can minimize information overload. Partner with leaders and internal subject matter experts to discuss what type of content would be necessary or helpful for their teams. Rather than sending the same information to everyone (regardless of role, location or department), your internal communications strategy should focus on delivering relevant information to the right people, at the right time.

5. Build an approval process

A key part of planning out your internal communication strategy is creating an approval process for your content. This will prevent any unnecessary errors, confidential comments or news from accidentally being published to the wrong segments of your team.

First, you need to determine who or what team owns your internal comms strategy. If you don’t have a dedicated internal communications resource, who will read, write or approve the messages you send?

Next, you need to know what stakeholders from each department can contribute to the content approval process. In most cases, this responsibility falls on marketing teams—and for good reason. These are the team members who are most confident in their ability to convey company voice, brand and overall image.

Your marketing team has a hand in almost every company update and campaign, meaning they can easily curate the most current content and point coworkers to industry-specific resources that speak to relevant trends. All of these capabilities are critical to have when leading employee advocacy efforts. Another important ability—and one that often comes naturally for marketers—is crafting social messaging that’s concise yet impactful, and relevant to the platform it’s being shared on.

6. Identify your internal communications tools

Certain messages are best suited for specific channels. Internal process changes might be better suited to an email update, whereas a quick announcement might get more traction on an internal messaging platform.

Slack is a great internal messaging and chat service that can integrate with tools you already use for a more streamlined work experience. Whether you’re sharing internal documents or looking to plan specific events without starting an endless email chain, Slack may be your go-to.

That being said, internal communications is more than updates and announcements. It’s how information flows through a company, whether that information be from the C-suite, a department manager or a project manager.

If you don’t have technology infrastructure in place to support your internal communications initiatives, now’s the time to act. A recent study found that 77% of remote workers believe they are treated fairly at companies with best-in-class technology solutions. On the contrary, only 32% of remote workers believe they are treated fairly at companies with unsatisfactory technology solutions.

The technology you use may hold the key to creating more equitable experiences for remote and in-office employees. If you want to help maintain employee satisfaction, you’ll need to make the investment.

7. Evaluate your progress and optimize

Your key performance indicators shouldn’t be used just for tracking progress. Learn from them and continually optimize what you are doing for the best results possible. Conduct quarterly or even monthly evaluations of your communications strategy and build these into your workflow.

Sending out routine pulse surveys can help you track how employees are feeling about your communication content and cadence. Be sure to leave a few questions for open feedback, so they have an opportunity to candidly share their thoughts. Some questions you could ask include:

• How well do you think we are communicating internally?
• Are we doing everything we can to keep our company vision transparent?
• What setbacks limit you from working with others on projects?
• Do you believe we could increase our communication across departments?
• What barriers prevent you from communicating internally each day?
• Where can we improve the most on company communication?

As you continually reevaluate your internal communications strategy, let people know you’re listening. Share what you’ve learned and how you’re planning on adjusting your strategy to promote transparency and trust.

Best practices for communication in the workplace

Today, more companies are beginning to recognize that one-way communication is a thing of the past. Employees who feel as though they’re being listened to are more likely to stay with their employers and contribute meaningfully to the team.

An engagement strategy that’s rooted in communication should leave every employee feeling educated, informed and motivated.

These best practices will help you continually improve your strategy and make sure you’re using your internal communication channels effectively.

1. Keep up with your audience

In the old days, you might have heard about interesting company initiatives in a shared lunch space or while connecting with coworkers in other departments. Now, these casual touchpoints are hard to come by. To stay informed on what’s going on across your organization, you’ll need to get creative.

Here a few hybrid-friendly ideas to get you inspired:

• Join Slack or Teams channels . Whether they’re for work talk or casual chit-chat, they can be valuable tools for seeing what employees are interested in and what projects they’re talking about.
• Start an internal communications committee . Members can be tasked with providing updates on major initiatives and upcoming celebrations (like birthdays and work anniversaries) so they can be properly celebrated at companywide meetings.
• Create a virtual suggestion box . Ideas for internal communications initiatives can and should come from all over. Creating a virtual suggestion box can empower anyone to step up and propose new ideas to keep your company connected.

2. Make communication a conversation

Workplace communication, whether it’s internal or external, should never be one-way. To create a more inclusive workplace, it’s important to promote productive and meaningful conversations among your employees.

This can be done by leaving space for question and answer sessions at the end of company meetings, letting employees know who they can reach out to with additional questions and regularly requesting feedback on internal communications initiatives.

Using an efficient employee engagement platform with structured workplace communications are two of the most important factors to focus on when growing a business. If you want to encourage evolution, you need to encourage your colleagues to join the conversation.

3. Give managers a heads up

If you have a question about a company decision or initiative, who do you ask?

Chances are your manager is your go-to. Managers are the first in line to field questions from direct reports, making them key players in distributed workforces.

When making a companywide announcement or rolling out a new program, always be sure to provide managers with talking points ahead of time. This will help them prepare for any potential questions their direct reports may have, which in turn cuts down additional work for you and your leadership team. This also helps ensure that your sharing a single, unified message at every level of the company,

4. Try a new approach to building company culture

Attitudes toward company culture have shifted. The allure of ping pong tables and free drinks has lost its shine. Now, what people want is a work culture that values respect, balance and accountability .

While these new culture requirements may seem like table stakes, they’re all much easier said than done. Luckily, strong internal communications practices can foster a culture of accountability. By sending clear, consistent updates that clarify internal processes like performance reviews and promotions, you create the top-down transparency needed to ensure everyone is respected and informed.

Communication goals need to be shared and embodied throughout a business, and new trends should be embraced by everyone from executives and managers to lower-level employees. The more natural your internal communication and employee advocacy strategies feel to your workforce, the more likely they’ll end up identifying themselves as part of the team.

5. Empower employees to become brand advocates

When it comes to effective communication strategies, it’s important to consider how you’re empowering your employees to amplify your message. Millennials and Gen Z-ers both in and out of the workforce are demanding a higher level of authenticity from brands, making employer branding more important than ever.

Employees will continue to emerge as the most important voice of a company, ensuring authenticity when connecting with new hires, prospects, customers, peers and everyone in between.

By transforming your employees into content marketers, you introduce a peer-to-peer dynamic into your internal communications strategy. This strengthens your employer brand and increases your chances of better leads, more qualified hires and stronger business results.

To embed advocacy into your current communication goals, it’s important to consider how you can help employees spread content that directly interests and affects them, while making the process simple with access to the right tools.

Developing your internal communications content strategy

Internal communication programs run on content. To keep your employees up-to-date and engaged with their workplace, you need to create and share content that piques their interest and entices them to read.

If you’re not sure what that looks like, here are some tips on deciding what to share with your employees and when.

Pick high-value content

Before you share an article, video or infographic, ask yourself if you’re curating content that’s truly meaningful to your audience—or if you’re just filling a gap.

Nearly two-thirds of employees ignore emails at work , and about a third say they have ignored emails from human resources. To make sure your messages get noticed, you need to find content that resonates with your colleagues. If you’re not sure what that might look like, try asking the following questions:

• What would it take for an employee to proactively devote time out of their day to reading and sharing content in your employee advocacy platform?
• What would it take for an employee to enjoy a personal return on their investment in the program? (Some examples may include incentives, career development opportunities, recognition, social engagement and influence.)

Switch up what you share

Your internal communications content strategy should seek to motivate employees to read, engage and share. To maintain their interest, curate a diverse selection of content that speaks to people at various experience levels. For example, a new hire might tear through brand content to get to know their new employer, but a manager might be more interested in industry articles or leadership tips.

Here are few ideas you can use to shake up your internal communications content:

• Brand content from your website, blog and other owned media keeps employees stay abreast of business developments and news. They’ll feel more connected to your company and more confident to talk about it with their networks.
• Job listings demonstrate that there is opportunity for growth and empower employees to take advantage of any referral incentives your company offers.
• Events show your company’s commitment to its community, education and market position (in the cases where team members are speaking at trade shows).
• Recognition of new hires, promotions, earned media, guest blogging and team profiles reinforces your company’s commitment to the growth of its employees, and instills a sense of pride in each other’s accomplishments.
• Industry articles provide opportunities for personal development (without the hassle of searching the web) and brand building, positioning your employees as a trusted resource for sharing quality information.

Create a company newsletter

If you have a lot of information to share, you may benefit from publishing an internal company newsletter. Employee newsletters can help bring distributed teams together with an all-in-one hub of useful information. Plus, they take what could have been multiple emails and condense it into a simple, easy-to-read format.

If you’re interested in creating a company newsletter, here’s how to do it in six steps:

• Gather employee feedback.   To make sure your team gets as much out of the newsletter as possible, send out a content preferences survey. For instance, you can give your teams a choice on how they’d prefer to access the content available, which reduces the risk of disengaged or under-informed employees.
• Provide the right news and information . Overload your team with too much too fast, and you increase the chance that they’ll simply ignore your newsletters. Carefully consider the kind of information your employees need access to at the end of each week or month. Remember, the information you share should be concise and relevant to the team receiving it.
• Remember your calls to action . A CTA isn’t just about driving your customers to make purchases. Employee newsletters can also use CTAs to encourage employees to take a next step, such as sharing information on social media, filling out a company survey or signing up for training or new initiatives.
• Strengthen your subject lines . Just as you wouldn’t send out a customer email with a bland subject, make sure your internal corporate newsletter is worth the click in employees’ busy schedules.
• Keep your newsletter clear and jargon-free . Make sure that your employee newsletter content is scannable and easy to consume. That means adding bullet points, blurbs, pictures and plenty of white space.
• Get your team involved . Think of your employees as customers. Give them the same immersive and in-depth newsletter experiences as you would if you were trying to convince them to buy or refer another customer. This could include curated social content to share, departmental spotlights and requests for feedback.

What’s next for your internal communication strategy?

It’s time to renew your focus on an often overlooked audience. A powerful internal communications strategy drives higher employee engagement, which in turn leads to stronger productivity, profitability and reduced turnover—all things that can help your business thrive as you navigate remote and hybrid work.

As you rethink your internal communications program, be sure to brush up on the basics of employee advocacy and employer branding . These resources will help you build a strategy that informs and delights your colleagues, from new hires all the way to your leadership team.

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Internal Communication Case Study

Caroline Duncan : Jun 23, 2022 5:12:01 PM

When you’re looking to make improvements to your internal communications, you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. Looking at what other successful organizations have done in this space and learning from their successes can provide inspiration for your company’s internal communications planning. 

While your organization will have its unique issues, you may face similar challenges to other businesses. DeskAlerts publishes case studies examples in corporate communication from its clients in different industries to help others to get insights into how to solve similar issues they may be facing.

What is an internal communication case study?

An internal communication case study looks at the way a company has handled a specific problem or achieved a specific outcome or goal so that people reading it can use it to guide their own approach to solving similar problems.

Workplace case study examples for communication should:

• Explain what the problem was, including the circumstances and any challenges the organization faced
• Explain the solution that was implemented
• Explain about any results achieved.

Organizational communication case study examples

This list of case studies in organizational communication from some of our clients at DeskAlerts has been put together to demonstrate how our internal communications software solution can assist you to overcome common communication challenges, no matter what industry you’re in.

1. A dedicated emergency communications channel in a crisis

CHU Saint Pierre is a university hospital in Brussels, Belgium. They were looking for a dedicated communications channel for both everyday staff communications, as well as one that they could turn to in the event of an emergency .

The hospital turned to DeskAlerts to ensure that it had a channel that would be able to be used even when other systems like emails and phone were overloaded .

The system was put to the test in 2016 when a series of terror attacks rocked Brussels and put an enormous strain on the city’s hospitals, which were operating in a state of emergency. The hospital’s telephone system became overloaded as a result. DeskAlerts was deployed to inform staff about using SMS messaging to take the strain off internal phone systems, and was then used throughout the crisis to provide critical updates.

2. A dedicated channel for IT updates

St George’s, University of London, is a tertiary institution dedicated to medical and health sciences, training, research and education. The university needed to find a dedicated channel to keep people informed about IT updates and to help take pressure off its IT helpdesk.

DeskAlerts was selected for the task as it was found to be easy to set up, implement and deploy as well as being value for money.

The University uses DeskAlerts to send tailored notifications that inform internal clients about updates to IT services. In doing so, it pre-empts unnecessary calls to the IT help desk.

3. As a way to communicate important information in manufacturing

KRKA is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Slovenia that sells products to more than 70 countries around the world. The organization had the unique challenge of needing to communicate to both employees and manufacturing line operators on a range of topics. Not everyone they needed to communicate with accessed information in the same way: some used standalone terminals while others had access to the company intranet.

By implementing DeskAlerts, the company was able to keep people up-to-date on important topics such as system maintenance, system failures, system upgrades and other important events.

The result was that not only were people better informed, but there were various other efficiencies achieved. Staff spent less time having to manually contact people to bring important information to their attention, there were less calls to the tech help desk and staff were able to plan their work around known outages.

4. As a way to mitigate significant data and money loss

Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel is one of the world’s largest multidisciplinary research facilities. Many of the systems that are used by researchers at the institute cannot be interrupted otherwise it will result in significant data loss. Certain processes need to be fully completed before any kind of IT maintenance can be performed – and this can take many days and cost thousands of dollars. 

The Institute’s IT department found this challenging as it has a lot of systems it needs to maintain, and needed people to be aware of planned maintenance so they didn’t begin running a lengthy process at the wrong time. 

The IT department set about looking for a solution that could send information about maintenance, outages, server downtime and other IT announcements that also had a feature where recipients would verify and acknowledge that they had received and read the information sent.

DeskAlerts was chosen as a reliable channel to send these important IT announcements. It has a guaranteed open rate of 100% and a user acknowledgment function. The IT department is now able to do proactive maintenance and create maintenance windows when all users are aware that systems will be unavailable.

5. As a way to streamline all corporate communications

NewPage is a specialty paper manufacturer headquartered in the United States of America. The company’s approach to internal communications was ad hoc and not at all streamlined. For example, the company still relied on pagers and the HR department spent a lot of time sending email notifications.

By implementing DeskAlerts, the company has been able to save time and money and better target its communications . DeskAlerts has replaced pagers for emergency communications , and general communication messages can now be sent quickly and easily to targeted employees.

There are many different ways to use DeskAlerts to solve internal communications challenges. If your issue isn’t featured here, have a look through our other internal communication case study examples to find out how others have solved a similar issue. You can also get in touch with our internal communication experts to find a tailored solution to your internal communication needs.

Frequently asked questions

What is a communication case study.

An internal communications case study is a way of demonstrating the usefulness and value of a particular service by providing the reader with real-life examples.

What are examples of internal communication?

There are several main types of internal communication:

• Communication generated by leadership
• Communication generated by employees
• Peer to peer communications
• Communication about change or campaigns
• Information
• Culture-related communication
• Crisis and emergency communication

What is the importance of communication in case study?

Communicating case studies on communication in the workplace is an important way to engage and inspire an audience while also passing on important information. You can show the value of your work by presenting evidence and telling a story based on facts. 

 Send urgent notifications to any corporate devices: PCs, phones, tablets, etc.

The high visibility combined with our 100% delivery rate guarantee. Bypass information overload. Deliver key information even if the computer is on screensaver mode, locked or sleeping.

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Internal Communication Case Studies

Explore our case studies on internal communication, leadership communication, change management and organizational culture change.

Codifying Culture

Beyond ‘just another’ town hall, strategy development sprints for the win, rallying leadership to create one path forward, 66% increase in employee engagement scores, telling your organization's story, mobilizing culture change, communicating complex systems in easy-to-digest visual formats, engaging employees on the global strategy, taking internal communications from reactive to proactive partner, embed business strategy throughout organization, engaging employees during change, double-digit increase in employee engagement scores, designing high-visibility public-facing corporate collateral, custom branding for global campaigns, taking internal communications to world-class, toolkits to support organization-wide culture activation, employees & leaders engaged in new culture, interactive design for global-facing reports, powerful messages that reach employees where they are, helping leadership teams tell their story through individual and executive team message platforms, major gains in ceo communication scores.

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• October 23, 2018
• Digital Workplace
• By Sareen Babu

Internal Communications: Strategy, Best Practices And Case Studies

In today’s digital workplace, the foundation of every successful business is good internal communications. Good communication in the workplace isn’t just about giving and receiving clear instructions. It’s also about presenting how a business shares its voice, brand, and building a strong organizational culture where everyone is valued and empowered to achieve their potential.

Perhaps not surprisingly, 83% of respondents to a recent  ATD poll said communication is the most critical success factor for managers. 

Organizations generally prioritize effective communications with their clients and partners. While that is crucial for business development, what about the communications within your organization?

Significant time, thought and money is invested in external communication, influencing public perception and controlling brand voice. Unfortunately, developing a strong internal communications strategy with employees is often forgotten or put on the back burner, even though it is just as important.

When employees are disengaged or misinformed, it can lead to poor performance and have a negative impact on workforce productivity affecting your bottom line.

A  Project Management Institute report  found that for every $1 billion spent on projects, $75 million is put at risk by poor communication.

To overcome these communication roadblocks of the  modern workplace , organizations need an effective internal communications strategy for bringing people together which can reinforce and energize employees at all levels of daily operations.

According to a  Towers Watson study , companies with highly effective communications practices see 47% higher returns to their shareholders.

An excellent internal communication strategy can instil a sense of purpose and satisfaction between employers and employees working in a culture mirroring values.

A Gallup poll  found that 70% of employees in the U.S. are not engaged in the workplace. Using proper  internal communication tools  and practices it can easily be remedied.

Here are a few steps that can help you to build a successful internal communications strategy:

Steps To Establish A Solid Internal Communication Strategy

Assess your current internal comms strategy.

Most of the organizations have an internal communication strategy already in use. If not, creating one would enhance their employee satisfaction and have a positive effect on efficiency.

But if you do have one, it is always better to start with an analysis of the existing strategy. Evaluate the progress of the strategy by posing relevant questions to measure any deviations.

Few of the questions you should immediately address when assessing your internal communication strategy, include:

• Where do you currently stand?
• Where will you be eventually?
• How do you plan to get there?
• How long would it take?
• Who all are involved in that journey?

Answering these questions or planning to have a resolution is important in reconstructing your strategy. Delivering right information to your employees is ensured with a primitive focus on milestone checks in your entire internal comms strategy.

Identify Your Key Metrics

Metrics on your internal comms depict your intranet usage and the utilisation of available tools. Best intranet metrics measure business outcomes. Analyzing these metrics will give you a first-hand report of areas which need more attention. Below are some of the metrics which give organizations a basic idea of their current position.

Behavioural Metrics:

• How many employees are using the intranet?
• How many employees store documents on the intranet instead of the shared drive?
• Are users thoroughly engaged with the available resources on an intranet?
• Which pages are attracting most visitors?
• What is the average time every user spends on the intranet?

Attitudinal:

• How many employees express satisfaction with the new intranet?
• Are internal comms team happy with the existing strategy and tools?
• Is there a need for new functionality and tools to support changes in the strategy?
• Is my intranet content up to date?
• Are the current pages loading more quickly than the old intranet?
• Are employees given self-service options so that there is a lesser dependency on IT?

Set Realistic Goals And Segment Your Audience

Despite the increasing awareness of the incredible benefits of internal comms strategy promise, there is still an uncertainty on the business outcomes it promises.  Mapping business goals with the internal comms strategy help in setting realistic and measurable goals. Ideally, goals should be specific, measurable, achievable (for targets), relevant, and time-limited.

One way to better set your goals is to baseline it with previous metrics and consider including notes on key insights, actions, and steps to be taken.

Once you have an idea of what could foster your internal comms strategy, it’s time to know who to target. Your strategy should always target a specific audience, even when it is intra-organizational. It is important to find what type of content needs to reach certain employees in your business.

Employees need to be informed about news and organization information regularly, so it is smart to segment out your audience first. This will help you to map out your communication strategy more strategically.

Instead of sending messages to everyone or only your c-suite, try connecting with key stakeholders in the organization to address what type of content would be necessary for their team.

For example, your Sales team might not need to know about every IT update on their intranet.

Build An Approval Process

High quality, useful and timely intranet content is an outcome of different levels of approvals and scrutiny. Content churned out inline with internal comms strategies can be complex without a little help from other members. It is recommended to plan out an approval process for your content. Doing this will prevent any unnecessary errors, closed comments or news from accidentally being published to your team.

Firstly, you need to pick a team to control your internal comms strategy. Moving further you are required to identify stakeholders from each department who can help with the approval process. Organizing your team this way can help streamline content approval and publishing. This will limit the errors and bottlenecks down the line.

Define The Internal Comms Tools You Will Use

Identifying prime channels to publish relevant content is the key to an effective strategy. For example, some news might be more viral on Twitter, while job postings could be better on LinkedIn and Facebook.

After choosing your channels, next comes the right tool for your organization. A powerful  internal comms tool  and employee support can allow you to amplify your communications.

Using an internal comms tool can reduce marketing costs and increase your social reach effortlessly.

Evaluate Your Progress

Key performance indicators shouldn’t be utilized only to track progress. Gain insights from them and consistently enhance to achieve best outcomes. Do a frequent assessment of your internal comms strategy and incorporate it into the core foundation of your business.

For example, spending a few minutes on internal comms in every meeting will help you in tracking real-time progress. This will help you build communications related questions into your employee satisfaction survey. Some questions you could ask employees are:

• How well do you think we are communicating internally?
• Are we doing everything we can to keep our organizational vision open/ transparent?
• What setbacks limit you from working with others on projects?
• Do you believe we could increase our communications across departments?
• What constraints prevent you from better internal communication each day?
• Where can we improve the most on company communication?

An internal communications strategy is crucial for any successful organization, despite its size. By creating a cohesive strategy, organizations can effectively reach their business objectives, improve employee engagement and ultimately have a positive impact on the bottom line.

Here are some of the best internal communication practices that can help in architecting and optimizing employee engagement, culture alignment, open communication and build a smarter performing business.

Internal Communications Best Practices

1. ensure consistency in communication.

The absence of strategic and effective internal communication makes an organization fail to ensure the consistency between external and internal messages.

In large decentralized organizations, information does not flow evenly and consistently through all departments. This is mainly because individual managers vary in their propensity to share information, and in their ability to communicate well.

Employees are on the lookout for a “core story” that consistently puts the strategy into the context of the mission and values of the organization.

Maintaining an optimal and consistent internal communication approach rests as much on the expectations and beliefs of employees as on potential effects of the organization.

Communicating frequently and consistently helps in building trust and buy-in from employees and internal stakeholders.

2. Include Metrics Whenever Possible

“anything that is measured and watched, improves.” – bob parsons.

Often measuring how the organization is performing can reflect your team’s work ethic. These metrics will help employees to know about the specific approaches or metrics that communicators use to demonstrate the ROI for their organization’s internal communication initiatives.

If you are dealing with intermediaries such as managers to reach the staff, then your evaluation should include both intermediary engagement and the end user engagement.

To achieve competitive sustainability organizations can make use of  internal comms software  to share metrics more conveniently.

Read More :   How to Leverage Intranet Analytics to Measure Intranet Effectiveness

3. Provide Channels For Feedback And Ideas

Targeting focus groups to collect feedback from both employees and managers is another effective method.

Diverse methods and channels are available for use to collect feedback from your employees in addition to sharing ideas regarding the workplace, products, working procedures etc.

Frequently collecting feedback and ideas in an organization can help you remain aligned to goals, create strategies, develop products and services, improve relationships, and much more. Continued learning is the key to improving.

Read more:   6 easy ways to capture ideas from employees

4. Encourage Cross-Departmental Communication And Collaboration

“effective communication is an essential component of professional success whether it is at the interpersonal, intergroup, intragroup, organizational, or external level.” – mike myatt, 5. avoid communication overload, “effective internal communication not only connects people with one another but also with the right information at the right time.” – marijn deurloo.

A common challenge, especially in large and fast-growing organizations, is how to foster communications and yet, reduce communication overload.

Keeping things simple, brief & to the point and sending out your internal newsletter with relatively less frequency can help you to cut-down communication overload. You need to focus on sending the right information to the right people at the right time.

Forward-thinking organizations are using  social intranet  features such as forums to combat any potential communication disconnects and overload.

6. Share Industry News, Trends, And Insights

“if you don’t give people information, they’ll make up something to fill the void.” – carla o’dell, ceo, american productivity and quality center.

Your employees are not just part of the organisation, they’re part of an industry. They need to stay updated on the latest industry news. Encourage your employees to share industry news, the latest trends in the market and other industry-related blurbs.

You need to make your employees realize that they are contributing to something bigger than their purview and the factors of change, which act as a powerful motivator.

7. Use Internal Communications To Recognize And Praise Success

Employee recognition can make your employees feel valued and appreciated. A recent survey by APA found that employees who feel valued reported “higher levels of engagement, satisfaction, and motivation”. So it’s definitely something worth investing in.

Recognizing employees effort and contribution through your internal communication software will be one of the best practice which is beneficial not only to boost employee morale but also to maximize the organization’s productivity and growth.

Learn More:   The Power of Employee Recognition and How Intranets Can Help

If you’d like to learn more about this topic, please feel free to get in touch with one of our AI and digital workplace consultants for a personalized consultation.

Sareen Madupu is a Product Manager for Mesh at Acuvate. He has around 9 years of experience in Usability and User Experience of Digital Interfaces. He has been with Acuvate for 7 years and worked on concepting UX of 30+ intranets.

Delta Airlines Internal Comms

This case study examines how, why and in what ways Delta Airlines uses Yodeck as a transportation digital signage solution throughout airports and staff support sites around the United States for its centralized internal communications.

About Delta Airlines

Delta started out as a humble aerial crop dusting operation called Huff Daland Dusters in 1924. Since then,  Delta Airlines  has grown into one of the world’s largest global airlines. It helps more than 160 million travelers get to the places they want to go to each year. Along with its subsidiaries and regional affiliates, Delta operates over 5,400 flights daily and serves an extensive domestic and international network that includes 319 destinations in 54 countries on six continents. It is one of the four founding members of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Specifically, Delta operates joint ventures with AeroMexico, Air France-KLM, Alitalia, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, and WestJet.

Up until July 2017, Delta relied on old school, analogue methods for its key internal communications with staff teams spread throughout several locations in the United States. The company needed to digitize this process for a more real-time experience. Because of its outdated technology, “bulletin boards” at various “bases” were outdated as soon as they got printed and displayed. Delta also realized that it must adopt a solution which was easy-to-use, feature-rich and low-budget. After running some trials with various digital signage suppliers, Delta opted for Yodeck, as it gave them “the best all round solution” to their needs. Most importantly, Delta Airlines needed to use digital signage for corporate communications to display data dashboards. These dashboards showed key performance metrics and KPI’s for flight attendants and other related staff members.

“For so long we relied on printed materials, or emails, or other analogue ways to display data and information about how each of our individual locations were performing. We desperately needed to digitize with a solution that would be easy-to-use, scalable, and sensitive to our limited budget. In the end, Yodeck turned out to be the perfect partner for us to achieve all of those goals.”

TRACY FOSTER

IFS Field Support Manager

The Solution

In its efforts to digitize many important processes, Delta prioritized one of its most important “behind the scenes” workflows — internal communications. It focused on sharing vital data with flight attendants on the performance of all the company’s airport and support locations. In addition, Delta’s bases also made up a significant portion of performance information. Data included information about reliability, scheduling and time-keeping statistics. Also, statistics about accident rates and other relative metrics get displayed. Delta needed a digital signage platform that could be set-up with the minimum of fuss, and be rolled out from a central office to various locations. Getting data and information to front line employees in real-time constitutes a central part of Delta’s internal communications strategy. Delta finds it imperative to monitor performance in real time and share best-practices with colleagues working in other bases. Moreover, they want to keep top management up to date on key KPIs. Additionally, all flight attendants work out of different bases and all of those bases have goals to achieve. Employees must meet targets for reliability, time performance and many other KPIs. Yodeck allows Delta to get vital information to front line employees so everyone can share important knowledge and monitor performance to the finest detail with the minimum of fuss.

“Yodeck impressed us so much from day one. It really solved our problem in a definitive way by helping us move away from the “bulletin board” culture. It’s so easy for us to use and update key data and display it in real time – we absolutely love the system. Another important thing for us is the customer service and tech support. Response times are incredible, and the team is always open to adding new features that we might need.”

The Results & Benefits

With all the critical data and metrics they need shared across their various bases for all staff to see, Delta’s flight attendant teams are now much more efficient in their daily work. They also always stay up to date with the latest status of operations. In addition, they can see how they are performing versus other bases. How does this help them? Not only can they highlight any gaps which need to be filled faster, but they can also reward more accurately those who produce outstanding results. Furthermore, top management have instant and simple visibility of what happens at any given location at any given time. Overall the main benefit that Yodeck has given Delta is their transition from analogue to digital in a key internal communications process. Delta now has the necessary information shared with the right people, at the right time, and in the right place. And all of this in a pain-free, simple way. Yodeck has also freed up the time of key commercial stakeholders within sales and marketing with digital bulletin boards . They previously spent far too many resources preparing analog boards and sending countless emails, etc. Put simply, everybody has come out a winner in the efficiency stakes.

“My favorite thing about Yodeck? If I could only mention one thing (because there are many), it would have to be the ease of use and simplicity of the system. What really helps us resource-wise and for efficiency is the support we get. The responsiveness of the Yodeck team when we want a new feature, enhancement or need to solve an issue is always lightning fast.”

MARCOS ICAZA

IFS – Program Leader

Customer Case Studies

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Air France Takes Employee Engagement To New Heights In Their Contact Center

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Internal Communications Hits The Mark For Quit Group Charity

Tight budgets and low staff resourcing were no obstacle to this charity transforming their internal communications into a powerful vehicle for inspiring staff and driving organizational goals.

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• Published: 05 June 2024

Classroom communications post pandemic: a case study

• Marwa Abdelmonem 1 &
• Sherin Karawia 1  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  11 , Article number:  728 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

• Environmental studies

This cross-sectional case study ( n  = 20) took place in Qatar over a 3-month period spanning from September until the end of November in 2021. It examined the impacts of a post-COVID classroom arrangement that incorporated preventive measures like social distancing and the use of face coverings. Using the case study methodology, we employed two qualitative research methods, namely non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews, to gather primary data. We also conducted an extensive literature review to identify the key themes for investigation in the field. The primary focus of our study was on proxemics (personal space and crowding), technology (Zoom), non-verbal communication, and ergonomics (lighting and acoustics). Our study uncovered new areas for future research, particularly in how proxemics change in socially distanced classrooms, affecting personal space and perceptions of crowding. Additionally, it highlighted themes in post-pandemic classroom design, emphasizing the impact of factors like seating arrangements and available amenities (e.g., pinup walls) on student engagement, especially in design-studio classrooms. The study also revealed unexpected challenges, such as issues with microphone usage due to users’ lack of familiarity with their operation. In summary, the research underscores the ongoing importance of adaptable learning methods and communication strategies, particularly in response to preventive measures like social distancing and face-covering, which have reshaped our concept of personal space and emphasized the crucial role of telecommunication in crisis resilience for communities and organizations.

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its rapid spread to multiple countries ( WHO Director-General’s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020 , 2020 ). It is important to note that COVID-19 is not an isolated event in history, as previous pandemics like the 1918 American Polio epidemic, the 1918 Spanish flu, the 1957 Asian flu, the 1981 AIDS pandemic, the 2009 H1N1 Swine flu, the 2014 West African Ebola, and the 2014 Zika Virus epidemic have occurred (Cennimo, 2020 ; Jarus, 2023 ). COVID-19 can have severe health consequences, particularly for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions (World Health Organization, n.d. ) .

Preventing the transmission of COVID-19 involves a combination of physical and medical interventions. The WHO recommends physical measures such as handwashing, social distancing, and wearing face coverings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. ). Medical interventions include vaccines, although their long-term effectiveness is still being studied (Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination, 2023 ). Vaccines have proven effective in reducing hospitalization rates by 92–96% (Robson, 2021 ), but ongoing research is examining their long-term impacts.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in the operations of various institutions, including educational establishments. Measures like remote work and restricted access to buildings were implemented, and as vaccines were developed, some restrictions were lifted. In Qatar, strict COVID-19 measures included travel bans and public place closures, and the use of the Ehteraz app for exposure alerts (Al Khal et al., 2020 ). Mandatory face masks, protective equipment distribution, and clear public communication highlighted preventive measures, linking access to public facilities with a healthy Ehteraz status during the lockdown (Al Khal et al., 2020 ). The gradual reopening and removal of restrictions occurred in four phases, commencing on May 21, 2021 (Government Communications Office, 2020 ). Our study coincided with the second phase, marked by the partial lifting of restrictions, enabling a return to campus within designated daily hours and specific building capacities that varied across different structures.

The transition back to in-person learning has brought challenges in ensuring safety in alignment with WHO guidelines, including social distancing measures within classrooms. Given the mixed sentiments surrounding the reopening, communication within the classroom under setups adhering to WHO guidelines was unforeseen and unfamiliar to everyone. With varied opinions on the reopening, communication within classrooms following WHO guidelines was unexpected. Hence, our research study aimed to explore classroom communication post-online learning during the pandemic, as there is limited existing research on the effects of preventive measures on this aspect.

Student engagement is related to academic performance, and a conducive learning environment plays a crucial role in fostering effective communication and learning (Shernoff et al., 2016 , as cited in Kelly, 2008; Kopec, 2012 ). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of preventive measures like face-covering and social distancing on classroom communication in a post-pandemic, socially-distanced classroom setting. In essence, our study seeks to answer the research question: “What impact do preventive measures have on classroom communication within a post-pandemic classroom environment?” This study was conducted on two interconnected classrooms, which were intentionally furnished to comply with social distancing requirements and create a cohesive socially distanced learning environment, prompting further exploration of this phenomenon.

Literature review

To investigate how preventive measures might impact classroom communication dynamics, our study conducted a review of the literature to identify and extract certain themes from this body of work. These predetermined themes were integral to addressing the aforementioned research question. Out of more than 50 studies examined, only 29 were selected to form the basis of the literature review for this study. Additional sources were incorporated for specific definitions and concepts. The literature selection criteria included original works in environmental design pertaining to proxemics, exploration of blended learning and technology use, considerations in classroom design, and aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication in classrooms.

Personal space

Due to the physical nature of the social distancing measure, literature on personal space was reviewed to better understand the impact of the changing proxemics. The first scholar to introduce the concept of personal space was Edward Hall in 1959 (Beaulieu, 2004 , p. 794). Hall defined personal space as “an invisible three-dimensional zone surrounding a person, which allows that person to regulate his interactions with the outside world” (Beaulieu, 2004 , p. 294). Research shows that “the idea of personal space is actually an interpersonal phenomenon” (Kopec, 2012 ). In other words, it requires the existence of others in order to occur. This was the definition pertaining to the psychological nature of this entity. However, it is also defined based on its physical characteristics as the variable and subjective distance at which one person feels comfortable talking to another ( Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words , 2021 ).

According to Hall ( 1990 ), the hidden boundaries of personal space are not fixed and can vary from one culture to another, as culture plays an important role in defining personal space. Nevertheless, in a socially distanced classroom, personal space that was long referred to as an invisible bubble has become well-identified with its visible physical boundaries after the COVID-19 pandemic. Spacing mechanisms used in design, in general, and in a socially distanced classroom, in particular, serve to maintain one’s perception of their personal space (Kopec, 2012 ).

The importance of the concept of personal space lies in regulating communication and human interaction. Research shows that “the concept of personal space is viewed as variable and permeable in different settings” (Beaulieu, 2004 , p. 297). According to Hall ( 1990 ), interpersonal distance zones, which govern our interactions, can be categorized into four zones. The first category is the intimate, which ranges from 0 to 18”, typically reserved for individuals with close relationships, such as family members or individuals in deeply connected interpersonal bonds (Kopec, 2012 ). The second interpersonal zone is the personal which can range from 18” up to 4’ (Kopec, 2012 , p. 78). This zone is usually used in casual interactions between friends and acquaintances (Kopec, 2012 ). The third level is social , which is usually maintained in business relations between coworkers (Beaulieu, 2004 ) and ranges from 4’ to 12’ (Kopec, 2012 , p. 78). Lastly, the public zone which is usually used by people in public places where they find themselves surrounded by a number of strangers (Kopec, 2012 ). This zone varies from 12’ to 25’ (Kopec, 2012 . p. 78). In a recent study, Mehta ( 2020 ) investigated Hall’s proxemics in urban settings, focusing on changes in street and public space dynamics in residential areas during COVID-19. The research highlighted how residents in mid- to low-density areas repurpose spaces, fostering sociability despite social distancing measures.

In our study, we chose to explore the personal space perceived by participants in an attempt to analyze the various elements that define this concept within the new classroom setup. Our study was mostly exploratory and was not focused on a certain type of interpersonal distance.

Crowding concept

We also explored another concept in environmental psychology that is closely related to personal space, which is Crowding. In normal situations, the occupant load, which is “the number of people that a building code assumes will occupy a given building or a portion of a building”, is based on the building classification (Ballast, 2013 ). The number, placement, and capacity of exits are based on more than just occupant load. The type of occupancy and use, travel distance and remoteness or separation of exits are examples of other factors typically considered when designing a building.

As Kopec ( 2012 , p. 77) indicated, “spacing mechanisms used in design serve to help maintain an individual’s sense of personal space”. To put it differently, the use of physical boundaries such as partitions, furniture and layout allows the individual to identify their own personal space. Crowding, on the other hand, is defined as the “psychological tension produced in environments of high population density, especially when individuals feel that the amount of space available to them is insufficient for their needs” (American Psychological Association, n.d. ). In that sense, it can be argued that implementing social distancing in a classroom can potentially eliminate any sensation of crowding. However, our study examines this concept further, as the perception of crowding can be subjective in nature.

Some researchers such as Evans and Wener ( 2007 ) analyzed the concept of personal space and crowding in trains. According to their review of the literature, incursions into personal space by unfamiliar individuals lead to greater stress compared to those committed by individuals with positive interpersonal relationships. Evans and Wener ( 2007 ) suggested that crowding occurs when the regulation of social interaction fails, leading to a higher level of social interaction than desired. Worchel and Teddie ( 1976 ) also asserted that a feeling of overcrowding is associated with violations of personal space. Crowding can have negative impacts on mental health, causing decreased performance on complex tasks, stress aftermaths, and increased physiological stress (American Psychological Association, n.d. ). The lack of control over social interaction (i.e. privacy) and the decline of socially supportive relationships are considered to be two key mechanisms that contribute to crowding (American Psychological Association, n.d. ).

Upon reviewing the existing literature, specific inquiries emerge concerning the concept of crowding. Our principal emphasis lies in examining how the notion of crowding, closely intertwined with the concept of personal space, has evolved within a socially distanced classroom environment.

Communication

According to Wahyuni ( 2018 ), teachers are required to excel in specific nonverbal communication skills, which encompass body language, the utilization of eye contact, maintaining appropriate distance from students, and the use of touch. Wahyuni ( 2018 ), who further cited Darn (Darn, n.d. ), noted that nearly 75% of classroom management relies on nonverbal communication. In this research, our objective was to investigate the alterations in both verbal and nonverbal communication within the new setup. This change was prompted by the introduction of social distancing measures through the rearrangement of furniture and the adoption of Zoom as an auxiliary tool to facilitate communication between two interconnected classrooms.

Non-verbal communication

It is evident that nonverbal communication plays an important role in classroom interaction (Hall et al., 1977 ). French ( 1977 ) described the non-verbal experience as a multi-dimensional, multi-sensory experience. In his study, French ( 1977 ) emphasized the need for incorporating the non-verbal experience into curriculum development. “The non-verbal experience focused both on self and others”, which requires “an active engagement rather than a passive one” (French, 1977 , p. 176). French’s ( 1977 ) findings resonate well with Astin’s ( 1984 ) regarding the degree of student involvement. Astin ( 1984 ) defines student involvement as the extent of physical and psychological energy invested in the college experience, including academic absorption, extracurricular participation, and interaction with faculty. Education literature distinguishes between student engagement and involvement. Engagement , according to Campus Intelligence (Gay, 2019 ), entails dedicating time and effort to educationally purposeful activities, surpassing mere involvement. Engaged students actively pursue endeavors that contribute to their educational goals, going beyond classroom actions like note-taking and questioning. In their recent research, Walker and Koralesky ( 2021 ) employed the definition of student engagement found in various scholarly reviews, indicating that student engagement is a multi-dimensional construct with three interconnected dimensions: affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement (Walker and Koralesky, 2021 ; as cited in Chapman, 2002; Fredricks et al., 2004 ; Mandernach, 2015 ; Trowler, 2010 ). Our comprehension of the distinction between these two terms aided us in pinpointing the themes of observation. This is because engagement, in this context, is not the behavior we are focusing on; instead, we are interested in examining classroom dynamics and communication.

Hall et al. ( 1977 ) indicated that non-verbal communication involves a sender and a recipient. Hall et al. ( 1977 ) highlighted that there are some variables that make this sending-receiving type of interaction more effective. Among those variables that Hall et al. ( 1977 ) listed is the “climate”, which refers to how friendly the teacher is in interacting with students. Students are encouraged to actively participate in class discussions if they receive these cues about friendliness and positivity through the sender’s facial expressions and voice tone (Hall et al., 1977 ). This coincides with Zeki’s ( 2009 ) findings that the teacher’s non-verbal communication creates a comfortable and relaxing climate, which consequently enables the students to effectively and confidently engage in class discussions.

In the literature, we discovered another element that affects the student’s engagement in class, which is the locus of control (Astin, 1984 ; Richmond and McCroskey, 2012 , p. 13). According to Astin ( 1984 ), “students’ degree of involvement in learning tasks can be influenced by whether they believe that their behavior is controlled by internal or by external factors.” This is related to belief systems, which are often rooted in one’s locus of control (Kopec, 2012 ). Those who have “a strong external locus of control believe that they are controlled by external forces” (Kopec, 2012 , p. 98). On the other hand, people who have an “internal locus of control believe that their actions, choices, and pursuits control their destiny” (Kopec, 2012 , p. 98). This can be an indicative measure of the student’s level of motivation (Zeki, 2009 ). A number of studies (Zeki, 2009 ; Kopec, 2012 ; Hall, 1959 ) stated that the components of non-verbal communication include, but are not limited to; facial expressions (i.e. mimics), eye contact, angulation, and gestures (i.e. body language). The amount of information one receives from their surroundings comes from all senses but mainly from the eyes and ears (Zeki, 2009 ). This highlights the importance of visual and auditory environmental cues in a classroom.

Verbal communication

Additionally, we sought to comprehend the influence of the new environment on verbal communication. Consequently, we delved into the literature pertaining to physical ergonomics, such as classroom layout, acoustics, and lighting within the field of environmental design.

Classroom layout

Through an examination of early literature centered on the physical ergonomics of classroom configurations, we came across a notable study conducted by Sommer ( 1977 ) that underscored the significance of classroom layout as a means of non-verbal communication. Sommer emphasized that a classroom should not be viewed as a single homogeneous space but rather as a collection of interconnected micro-environments. Elements such as windows, lighting, heating vents, blackboards, and display equipment were identified as factors influencing interactions within the classroom. Additionally, the arrangement of classroom furniture was found to impact body angulation, which in turn affects nonverbal communication (Kopec, 2012 ).

In the realm of classroom design, the establishment of structures known as “affordances” gives rise to opportunities for engagement or limitations in that regard (Metzger and Langley, 2020 ). Affordances pertain to both the perceived and tangible characteristics of objects or surroundings, influencing how they can be employed (Metzger and Langley, 2020 , as cited in Gibson, 1979). In other words, these affordances represent resources within an environment for those who perceive and interact with them. In the context of our study, affordances are represented by movable chairs, movable tables, Zoom technology, and microphones. These affordances are meant to enhance communication while also imposing limitations on social proximity.

Verbal communication in a classroom involves the teacher conveying speech to students through a combination of direct and reflected sound (Berg et al., 1996 ). Effective acoustics are achieved when the reflected sound enhances the quality of the direct sound (Berg et al., 1996 ). Sound within the classroom space exhibits three behaviors: reflection off obstacles, diffraction around obstacles, and transmission into obstacles or new media (Timeline: Sound Wave, n.d. ). Reflected sound can lead to two issues: echoes or reverberation (Timeline: Sound Wave, n.d. ). An echo occurs when a reflected sound wave reaches the ear more than 0.1 s after the original sound wave was heard (Timeline: Sound Wave, n.d. ). On the other hand, reverberation is the prolongation of sound as it repeatedly bounces off hard surfaces (Ballast, 2013 ). Reverberation is generally preferred in classroom acoustics as it enhances speech intelligibility in the interior environment (Ballast, 2013 ). To achieve good acoustics in a classroom, a well-designed space includes an appropriate combination of absorbent, reflective, and diffusive materials (Berg et al., 1996 ).

Classroom acoustics can be affected by sound transmission through barriers, such as HVAC systems and external noise from corridors or streets (Ballast, 2013 ). Research efforts have been directed towards exploring issues such as listening problems among special students, student disengagement, the teacher’s voice, and teacher fatigue (Berg et al., 1996 ). This information is relevant to our study as it pertains to the investigation of a socially distanced classroom setup. We also aimed to investigate acoustics because of its significant impact on both verbal and nonverbal communication, especially when considering the use of face coverings.

Daytime light exposure, particularly from sunlight, full-spectrum LEDs, and digital screens, is significant for learning as it affects both vision and a non-visual system tied to sleep-wake cycles and cognitive performance. Blue light has the most powerful impact on alertness and reduced sleepiness compared to other wavelengths, influencing hormonal secretion in the non-visual system (Uncapher, 2016 ).

In their case study, Tureková et al. ( 2018 ) aimed to show how the school environment significantly affects students’ academic performance. They found that factors like accurate lighting influence visual comfort and fatigue during visual tasks. Assessing the daylight factor in a university classroom revealed insufficient values, prompting the design of a potential software-based alternative to improve visual comfort. They also highlighted that natural light’s impact goes beyond academics, influencing physiological, psychological, and behavioral aspects of both students and workers (Tureková et al., 2018 ).

Al-Sallal ( 2010 ) studied daylighting in UAE classrooms, analyzing visual performance and quality. His research involved data collection from architectural drawings, compliance documents, site visits, and photography. Crucial design issues affecting visual quality, such as space size, depth-to-height ratio, window orientation, lighting direction, and desk position, were investigated through simulation. The study revealed design issues impacting daylighting and visual quality, including depth, glazing area, orientation, and daylighting direction. Visual discomfort was found due to contrasting luminance, high window brightness, and uneven daylight distribution. Mitigation strategies discussed focused on solar shading, glare protection, and daylight redirection, considering UAE climate design requirements. This study holds great relevance to our research because Qatar and the UAE share a similar climate. Our objective was to investigate whether there are any unexpected issues related to lighting in the new setup.

Joia and Lorenzo ( 2021 ) investigated the effectiveness of using Zoom, a popular choice for virtual communication during the pandemic (Joia and Lorenzo, 2021 ). The study’s findings emphasize the importance of a teacher’s digital proficiency on the platform and the availability of metacognitive support within the digital environment as key factors in achieving successful pedagogical objectives. Additionally, the research highlights that disciplines involving hard skills are more prone to not meeting their educational goals when transitioning to technology-mediated environments compared to soft skill disciplines undergoing a similar transition (Joia and Lorenzo, 2021 ).

Another study highlighted the benefits of video communication platforms, including expanding educational reach and enabling multimedia-based pedagogy (Earon, n.d. ). Online learning via Zoom showed satisfactory student levels in a study conducted in Pakistan (Minhas et al., 2021 ), but some students reported dissatisfaction due to technical issues (Kim, 2020 ). While online learning cannot replace face-to-face instruction (Ramadani and Xhaferi, 2020 ; Alawamleh et al., 2020 ), instructors’ digital competence and metacognitive support on Zoom can enhance the online experience (Joia and Lorenzo, 2021 ). The potential of using Zoom in a socially distanced classroom requires further exploration, given the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact and new social distancing measures. In our study, we aim to explore the use of Zoom as a supplementary communication medium in socially distanced classrooms.

To bridge the research gap on socially distanced classrooms that are specific to the context of Qatar, we embraced the philosophy of Epistemic Contextualism, asserting that knowledge attribution varies based on context (Rysiew, 2021 ). Following Morgan et al.’s ( 2016 ) recommendation, we adopted the case study methodology, drawing inspiration from the Case Study Observational Research (CSOR) approach. This approach entails conducting observations before interviews to delve deeper into aspects within the contextual framework. Our choice of a case study methodology aligns with qualitative research principles, suitable for exploring new fields or theorizing important issues (Jamshed, 2014 ). Consequently, we employed two data collection methods: observations followed by semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews, rooted in the belief in socially constructed reality, offer flexibility for cross-verification within and between interviews (Azungah, 2018 ). The main objective was to investigate the impact of socially distanced classrooms on student engagement and classroom communication. This cross-sectional study was conducted within a three-month timeframe. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis (Lawless and Chen, 2018 ) for both the observation and interviews. The study was conducted in a unique setting. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the classroom was designed as a studio for a single group, separated into two interconnected classrooms, illustrated in Fig. 1 as Classroom A and Classroom B. Additionally, two vestibules were designated as break areas for students. Classroom A had a dual function, serving as both a studio space and a location where students assembled their tables in the center for lectures. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures were implemented, mandating that each student remain in their assigned seat even during lectures. In other words, students were assigned to design-studio classrooms A and B. The instructor’s workstation, which contained all the necessary equipment, was located in classroom A. As a result, Classroom A was equipped with a TV screen for presentations, while Classroom B was equipped with a projector. Both the screen and the projector were connected to the audio/speakers’ area that was located next to the instructor’s workstation in Classroom A (see Fig. 2 ).

This figure demonstrates Pre- and Post-COVID layouts showcasing a floor plan of the two design-studio classrooms (A and B) interconnected by two vestibules, forming a unified socially distanced classroom. It also illustrates the locations of screens and instructor’s workstation in both classrooms.

A floor plan depicting the layout of design-studio classrooms A and B , along with four perspectives from both classrooms viewed from various camera angles (angles A , B , C , and D ).

Non-participant observations

Observational documentation spanned three months, from September to November, commencing at the start of the semester before obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for interviews, as no direct participant contact was required. Field notes encompassed written observations, hand sketches, and circulation maps, providing visual representations of classroom communications. The observer, the second researcher, attended the bi-weekly class sessions for approximately 60 min, ensuring comprehensive consideration of any potential confounding variables. The observation method was guided by findings from the literature review, shaping the framework for the study.

The observations involved observing students without actively participating, providing an overview of the setting and narrowing focus to specific elements of interest (Non-participant Observation, n.d. ). Students were closely monitored in their natural environments, with observations aligned with several themes derived from the literature review mentioned earlier. Field notes were recorded, specifically focusing on non-verbal communication aspects like angulation, body language, and gestures. Additionally, the observer examined any unanticipated data that had not been emphasized in the literature review. The aim of this method was to examine our predetermined themes extracted from the literature review and explore the emerging themes resulting from the new setup. Data were collected through field notes, sketches, and movement mapping over a period of three months.

Access to the classrooms was granted by both the Interim Chair of the Department and the Research Department. The first author served as the instructor for a lecture-based course during the research period, while the second author conducted the non-participant observations and subsequent semi-structured interviews. To maintain confidentiality, only data that had been de-identified and coded were provided to the first author for the purpose of data analysis.

It’s important to mention that we initially piloted a participant-observation method at the start of the semester, involving observations from both researchers. However, this proved impractical as the first researcher was also the course instructor, heavily engaged in fulfilling teaching obligations. Consequently, we opted for a non-participant observation approach, allowing one researcher to fully immerse in observing and documenting the identified variables from the literature review. Generally, “observational data can be integrated as auxiliary or confirmatory research” (Jamshed, 2014 , p. 88). Essentially, the use of observational data is intended to confirm the applicability of the predetermined themes identified in our literature review and to identify any unforeseen themes.

Semi-structured interviews

The second method utilized involved the conducting of face-to-face semi-structured interviews with college students who were pursuing a major in interior design. This was carried out following the approval granted by a national Institutional Review Board. Data was collected from a group of students ( n  = 20) aged between 18 and 20 years old. Ultimately, a total of 17 interviews were conducted, with three participants choosing to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts that arose during the final weeks of the semester. The inclusion and exclusion criteria can be found below in Table 1 .

Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, with each session lasting approximately 30 min (Jamshed, 2014 ). The interview questions, derived from the literature review and observations, were intentionally designed as semi-structured to provide participants with the opportunity to elaborate on their responses. The inquiries primarily consisted of open-ended questions, aiming to delve into participants’ authentic feelings and attitudes regarding the new setup. However, close-ended questions were also incorporated to ensure clarity and consistency in responses.

The interviewing process employed a funnel approach, focusing on building trust and rapport and presenting questions in an unbiased manner to minimize biases from both the interviewer and interviewee (Azungah, 2018 ).

Data analysis

We adopted the inductive/deductive hybrid thematic analysis approach. According to Proudfoot ( 2022 ), thematic analysis that combines elements of both inductive and deductive approaches presents promising prospects for researchers. We initiated the coding process with a deductive approach, employing pre-established themes crafted before engaging with the collected data. These themes were formulated based on the literature review findings, detailed in Tables 2 and 3 . As we analyzed the interview data, we identified new themes that emerged from the study. Consequently, we adopted an inductive coding approach to highlight these additional insights.

Observations

During a 3-month period, the various movements of communication behaviors were captured with sketches. Video or audio recordings were not viable options due to cultural considerations. The outcomes of the non-participant observations align with the previously identified findings from literature review as shown below in Table 2 .

Based on our field observations, the instructor’s position within the room has a significant impact on student engagement. When the instructor is physically present in the room, it positively influences student-instructor interaction. Some students actively participate in class discussions and take notes only when the instructor is within their line of sight. However, there are other students who seem eager to participate regardless of the instructor’s location. While this observation might seem apparent, it proved valuable as it allowed us to connect it to the concept of locus of control. We were particularly interested in exploring whether student engagement stemmed from an internal or external source. Although this observation didn’t offer in-depth information, it provided an insight into how some students might possess an internal locus of control, motivating them to participate actively in class discussions regardless of classroom conditions or arrangements.

Additionally, our observations highlight that establishing eye contact plays a significant role in enhancing verbal communication and increasing student engagement. It is quite normal to see students eagerly joining classroom discussions by raising their hands, especially when they are in a position where the instructor can easily see them. In instances where students cannot recall technical terms for architectural concepts (e.g., forms, shapes, etc.), they resort to using hand gestures to convey their ideas. However, this might pose a challenge for those participating in the class discussion through Zoom from the adjacent room (classroom A or B), as they may not be able to see or interpret these hand gestures effectively. Body language encompasses a broad spectrum of non-verbal cues involving different parts of the body. Emphasizing the significance of hands in particular, they play a pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness of verbal communication. Our observations also reveal that students commonly adjust their body position, specifically their angulation, to enhance their ability to actively engage in classroom discussions. This adjustment often involves orienting themselves towards key focal points within the classroom, which typically include the instructor’s position or the screen/display, particularly in lecture-style classes. This angulation adjustment may have potential musculoskeletal consequences, which is an aspect we aimed to explore further during the interviews.

This setup is relatively novel and has yet to receive attention in the existing literature. Our field observations underscore the significance of technology utilization in a socially distanced classroom setting. It notably reduces the time spent on communication between two separate rooms. Without the aid of microphones and speakers, instructors are required to repeat discussions for both rooms, effectively duplicating their verbal communication efforts. This duplication of effort can lead to fatigue, occasionally diminishing the instructor’s overall productivity in a socially distanced classroom. Conversely, the positioning of the microphone held significant importance for student engagement. Students seated in closer proximity to the microphone or those with unobstructed access to it demonstrated higher levels of participation in class activities and discussions as illustrated in the mapping diagram (Fig. 3 ).

A mapping diagram that layers the instructor’s movement and students’ movement in the classrooms. In this diagram, the instructor’s movement frequency is highlighted with purple hexagons, while student movements are depicted with green hexagons.The dark microphone symbol denotes the primary location of the microphone, while the gray microphone symbol indicates changes in its position based on student movement.

Personal space and crowding

We also aimed to investigate the concept of crowding concerning personal space within the socially distanced setup. Most responses indicated that this feeling was barely experienced within the new arrangement. It appears that some students confused the psychological meaning of crowding with the physical aspects of overcrowding, and a follow-up question might have been helpful to clarify the investigation’s focus. Nonetheless, we suggest that the absence of the feeling of crowding could be attributed to individual personality traits, particularly whether one is a screener or non-screener (Kopec, 2012 ). Screeners are skilled at filtering out irrelevant stimuli and are less easily distracted or upset (“The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine,” 2006 ), while non-screeners have difficulty shifting attention and tend to experience higher levels of anxiety and empathy ( Nonscreener , n.d. ). Participant 4 exhibited a generally calm demeanor and a resilience to the influence of environmental factors. This disposition may shed light on the coping strategy that was observed, which includes either texting or stepping outside the classroom as a response to feeling overwhelmed. This coping strategy was also highlighted by participant 17.

Participant 17: “I actually try to take a break and try to go to the toilet or get a coffee, just a five-minute break, try to look to my phone to distract myself” .

Regarding the concept of personal space, the majority of participants perceived it positively in the socially distanced classroom. They appreciated the spaciousness of the setup and the generous size of their workspace, aligning with existing literature findings related to the concept of personal space as indicated below in Table 3 .

Furniture arrangement was generally perceived positively by 11 out of 20 participants, who appreciated the spacious personal space it provided in studio classes. However, some participants found the layout inconvenient, especially during lecture classes. The availability of a personal pin-up wall was appreciated by some students, but those sitting in the middle of the classroom, such as participant 13, felt disadvantaged due to the lack of this feature. Socially distanced classrooms were better tolerated in studio classes than in lecture classes, with students enjoying the increased personal space regardless of their location in the classroom.

Participant 13: “It is good, but at the same time I feel I don’t like it. I need a corner to sit in, in my area I sit in the middle, so I don’t have a pin up wall. Like in the Junior studio, I feel it is better because they have more corners, their tables are arranged in a U-shape, so most of them have corners and the area in the middle is empty. Having our tables in the middle, ok it is good for me to concentrate during the lecture classes, but in the studio classes it is uncomfortable” .

One drawback of this layout was the limited number of electrical outlets, which could become crowded when students needed to charge their laptops simultaneously. Another concern raised was the L-shaped table setup, which provided more space but required students to frequently turn their bodies and necks to view the screen during lectures, leading to potential musculoskeletal problems as emphasized by participant 14.

Participant 14: “The L-shape table setup is nice, because it gives us more space. However, the layout is not good, because we are not facing the screen, so we have to turn our bodies and neck in order to see the screen, which is very tiring. To open the laptop, take notes, following the lectures on the big screen with a layout that is not comfortable makes me lose focus” .

Instructors moving between the two rooms during class meetings to ensure equal engagement posed a distraction for some participants. They described maintaining two classrooms simultaneously as overwhelming for the instructor. Furthermore, some students found communication with instructors more convenient through Zoom compared to the socially distanced setup.

Nonverbal communication

Body language significantly influences a student’s attentiveness, as highlighted by 16 participants who emphasized that they are more focused when the instructor is physically present in the same classroom. Participant 14 expressed that seeing the instructor’s body language and personality creates a more engaging experience compared to feeling like they are listening to a machine, which helps them concentrate better. The term “focus” was used by those 16 participants to describe their level of engagement in class. Regardless of whether the interactions are one-way or two-way conversations, most students indicated that body language plays a vital role in keeping them attentive during class. However, it is essential to note that in-class participation does not always imply complete engagement with the class content. Rather, it is a term we used to assess the effectiveness of communication within this setting.

Participant 14: “Because focusing makes me understand the class materials, for example, if he or she (referring to the instructor) is here, I will be able to focus and understand, however, if they are in the other room, I try to listen to them but I cannot focus much “ .

Participant 13 emphasized the significance of body language, especially eye contact, in enhancing vocal communication. She mentioned that being able to see the instructor in front of her helps her understand the class materials better compared to when the instructor is in another room, and she struggles to maintain focus. This aligns with the observation that students tend to be more engaged when the instructor is within their line of sight.

Non-verbal communication or body language encompasses various aspects such as eye contact, gestures, voice, facial expressions, touch, space, and body movement/posture (Segal et al., 2023 ). Among these elements, the eyes and ears are the most utilized in any form of vocal communication, whether in one-way or two-way conversations. Hall’s ( 1966 ) findings indicate that the unaided ear’s effective coverage is limited, making visual cues crucial for effective communication.

Participant 14 mentioned relying more on visual cues than auditory ones, suggesting that visual learners may find it challenging to adapt to socially distanced classroom environments, especially when they cannot consistently see the speaker. This lack of human connection, as described by Participant 16, can hinder effective communication between the speaker and the audience.

Participant 10 emphasized the significance of visual access provided by Zoom in a socially distanced classroom. She expressed that when the instructor makes eye contact with the camera, it creates a sense of direct connection and engagement. To her, establishing eye contact is essential for comprehending lessons and establishing a connection with the instructor. She also noted that recalling the instructor’s body language while reviewing PowerPoint slides after class enhances information retention compared to audio-only classes, where relying on notes is necessary.

Additionally, Participant 10 highlighted the importance of eye contact, even in virtual settings, through the Zoom camera. When the instructor looks directly at the camera, it gives the remote audience the impression of maintained eye contact. This effort allows visually inaccessible students to stay involved and potentially engaged with the class content. Furthermore, the participant mentioned that body language helps in mentally noting information for better retention.

Participant 10: “somehow it does work, especially if the instructor is making eye contact with the camera or something. It makes me feel she is directed towards the students and she is looking at us. And for me eye contact is very important in communication, especially when it comes to understanding a lesson. Also, it is like having a relationship with the instructor, it is not just audio, but it is visual as well. Sometimes, when I go over the PowerPoint slides again after class to study, I sort of remember the instructor’s body language and it is like remembering the information that was said during the class. I feel I retain the information better, however, if it was only audio, I feel I will need to go back to my notes to remember and to refresh my memories.”

Participant 1 mentioned the advantage of immediate interaction in studio or graphics classes, where movement and questions are encouraged. However, there was confusion between audience etiquette and lack of participation, as remaining silent during a lecture is expected to avoid distractions. Questions were facilitated through raised hands, achieved by sharing screens via Zoom to connect both rooms. The perception of student engagement may have been skewed because of the room’s dual function (serving as both a studio and a lecture room), potentially causing some misinterpretation.

Three participants mentioned that the socially distanced setup facilitated effective communication with their classmates within the same classroom more than with those in other classrooms. Participant 6 expressed developing stronger relationships and feeling comfortable talking to nearby classmates, whereas communication with students in the other room was less frequent. This sentiment was shared by other participants, highlighting that student-to-student communication was confined within microenvironments, typically within a 1-m radius.

The type of course, whether studio-based or lecture-based, played a significant role in defining student-to-student communication. Studio classes held in those classrooms allowed for more walking around and talking, leading to increased interactions among students. On the other hand, lecture courses tended to limit communication to those sitting nearby or using microphones for questions.

Participant 10 acknowledged the ease of communication within their class but found it challenging to interact with students in the other room. However, efforts were made to maintain personal connections and engage in group discussions, even with students in the adjacent room. Similar experiences were shared by other participants, who expressed greater communication with those sitting closer to them, particularly in lecture classes.

Student location

The quality of a student’s learning experience is correlated with their location in the classroom, as indicated by several responses. Participants mentioned that being closer to the instructor’s position resulted in a better learning experience, allowing for comfortable, conversational distance and improved concentration.

Apart from proximity to the instructor, students also considered other factors when choosing their seats, such as adequate daylighting. Some preferred corner spots for privacy, storage space, and access to pinup walls, while middle spots were perceived as lacking privacy due to the absence of vertical partitions. However, certain desk locations led to musculoskeletal issues for students as they tried to adjust their positions to see the screen or instructor clearly. Participants 5 and 17 pointed out that poor ergonomics could result in disengagement from class activities.

Participant 17: “As a social distance I have no issues. But after the midterms I changed my location because I got neck issues. My table was facing the wall, so I had to twist my whole body to follow the lecture on the screen and that was very tiring”. She added, “…. and after the midterms, I did not like my grades, they were average but I did not like them. So, I felt I had to change, I had to be more comfortable, so I can focus more. Then I found another available place” .

Participant 6 indicated that the instructors’ movement between classrooms was influenced by the layout, with the primary workstation attracting them to stay longer in that room. This affected student engagement and communication with the instructor during class.

Participant 6 said, “Now that I think about it, I mainly talk with people sitting closer to me. However, my location is near the junior partition, which is annoying because I can hear everything through a little crack in the partition—their lectures, jokes, fights, everything.” The external noise from adjacent rooms with similar setups poses additional distractions, especially for students sitting on the wall-side. Despite having absorptive materials (fabric) on the pinup walls, the doors in between the classrooms require further treatment to address noise issues, considering the use of microphones and speakers as part of the socially distanced setup. Acoustics are significantly impacted by the flooring in the classroom, and footsteps and flooring noises can also contribute to distractions.

Circulation

Some participants described the circulation as tight, with Participant 1 stating, “I think the circulation is a bit tight, but overall it is good.” This perception may be attributed to the limited pathways intentionally designed to restrict each student’s space and minimize potential areas of congregation. On the other hand, other participants found the circulation to be convenient for their work and overall smooth. Participant 5 expressed appreciation for the circulation, particularly the provision of two desks for each student, which was beneficial for their work and required ample space. They also found the circulation easy to navigate, with no challenges in moving around the classroom.

Upon analyzing the layout and comparing the seating positions of Participant 1 and Participant 5, we observed that both locations were unobstructed and conveniently accessible from the classroom entrance. Both participants were equidistant from the instructor’s position and the TV screen. However, it is worth mentioning that while Participant 5 was seated near a window, Participant 1 occupied a seat in the middle of classroom A. Despite this difference, they were still relatively close to each other. This variation in seating may have influenced their perceptions of the room’s overall circulation, with the window-side location potentially contributing to a greater sense of spaciousness.

Participant 1 expressed a preference for dimmer environments during lecture courses, stating, “Sometimes when I see it is dark there, I wish I was in the other room. My side has too much light.” This suggests that there is a variation in lighting preferences among students in a classroom setting. The proximity to windows is considered a privilege by some students, providing them with a view and the ability to control daylight, as described by Participant 1. Participant 14, on the other hand, mentioned being situated far from the window and lacking direct sunlight. Additionally, she found the artificial lighting in her class to be either excessively bright or too dim. As someone who enjoys natural light, she expressed a desire for more sunlight in her space. The quality of light, whether natural or artificial, significantly impacts students’ perceptions of the environment. For instance, Participant 14 attributed feelings of lethargy and tiredness during afternoon classes to the absence of sunlight. She believed that more windows would increase her energy and alertness. Participant 5 indicated that having her desk somehow close to the window and receiving sunlight in the morning helps awaken her, suggesting a positive association between productivity and good daylighting. However, Participant 12 pointed out that sitting near windows could be overwhelming in hot weather, expressing a preference for blinds to regulate natural light and maintain a comfortable temperature. Surprisingly, glare was not as problematic as initially thought, as students found ways to adjust their seating to avoid it, utilizing the spacious workspaces provided. In fact, several participants, including Participant 1, stated they had no glare issues due to the L-shaped tables, which allowed them to adjust their laptops accordingly.

While many participants appreciated the adequate amount of daylight in their classroom, they felt that the artificial lighting was inadequate and, to some extent, contributed to feelings of drowsiness. For instance, Participant 16 mentioned that the artificial light in her class (referring to classroom B) was low and dull. Furthermore, Participant 6, who occupies a seat in classroom B, found screen light during presentations or lectures to be bothersome for her eyes despite not receiving direct sunlight due to her window being closed. The room’s darkness and strong light from the screen caused discomfort and eye irritation for her.

The placement of microphones and their limited number discouraged several students from actively participating in class discussions during lecture-based courses. Participant 14 expressed frustration, describing walking to the fixed microphone location as a “nightmare.” A significant issue, pointed out by 12 participants, is the challenging distance between their desks and the microphone, which hinders their ability to engage in class discussions effectively. Participants used terms like “time-consuming” and “waste of time” to describe the inconvenience of walking to the microphone, which can impact the overall communication in the class.

Some students prefer to participate in discussions while remaining seated, especially if the microphone’s location is prominently visible in the room. Shyness was identified as a reason for some students’ hesitance to use the fixed microphone. It is speculated that shyness may stem from cultural factors or personality traits, but further investigation is required to understand the underlying reasons behind this sentiment.

Another theme that emerged from the interviews is that students intentionally refrain from participating due to spatial and technical challenges. For example, participant 4 explained that she holds back from answering questions because she believes others in the second room will reach the microphone faster or the instructor will notice them first. As a result, she remains silent and stays in her place. Participant 10 echoed a similar sentiment, stating that sometimes it takes the instructor time to realize that they want to ask or answer a question, leading to a reluctance to disturb the class or interrupt the instructor. The time required to walk to the microphone makes them hesitant, as by the time they reach there, the instructor might have moved on to the next topic. This situation can be embarrassing for students, as they do not want to interrupt the lecture inadvertently.

Participant 6 shared a similar experience, stating that she refrained from participating altogether during lecture classes due to the effort and stress involved. The process of walking to the microphone, ensuring it works, and repeating herself to those in the other room feels overwhelming. Participant 12 also acknowledged this challenge, indicating that she often weighs whether her question or comment is worth the time and potential disruption to the class.

Participant 3 expressed that she avoids participation due to the lengthy process involved in a socially distanced classroom. She feels that someone else will answer, so she does not need to speak up. Similarly, Participant 4 chooses not to participate in certain situations, believing that others will answer before her.

We propose that this pattern of hesitating to participate may be linked to a concept known as “learned helplessness.” This phenomenon occurs when individuals are repeatedly exposed to uncontrollable stressors, leading them to develop a belief that they lack control over their environment. Thus, this diminished sense of control can reduce their motivation to take action or attempt to change the situation ( APA Dictionary of Psychology , n.d.)

Microphone manners

One emerging sub-theme from the study is the intimidation some users, especially students, experience when using microphones. Instructors are also not effectively trained in microphone usage. Participants reported instances where they could not hear the instructor clearly due to audio volume fluctuations. This was attributed to instructors holding the microphone too far away or pointing it at their chin instead of their mouth, causing acoustic issues for students in the other classroom. Consequently, students tended to zone out when unable to hear clearly, impacting their engagement in class discussions.

Participant 5 mentioned that although instructors were generally audible, there were instances of sound cut-offs or distractions when the microphone was too close to the professor’s mouth, picking up unwanted sounds like breathing. Participant 7 also noted that some students had soft voices even when using the microphone, affecting clarity.

Zoom was deliberately chosen to visually connect people in both rooms for this study, as the transition from full online learning for two years made it a suitable platform. However, interview results revealed two main perspectives on using Zoom in a socially distanced classroom. Some participants found Zoom distracting, perceiving it as a reminder of online classes, while others appreciated its usefulness, especially visual learners who could easily view lecture slides through the sharing feature.

Distraction emerged as a recurring concern among several participants, particularly related to visual and auditory stimuli. These distractions encompassed factors such as noise originating from neighboring classrooms, the movements of the instructor, and technical issues. Notably, some students, like Participant 14, disclosed that they had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and experienced heightened sensitivity to various forms of movement, which made both virtual and in-person classes equally challenging in terms of maintaining focus. Conversely, some participants held a positive perspective regarding Zoom’s role in enhancing communication between the two interconnected classrooms. For example, participant 10 expressed gratitude for the opportunity to observe the lecturer’s body language, which contributed to a sense of human interaction, even within a semi-virtual learning environment.

Technical issues occasionally led to student disengagement, but Zoom proved helpful for those in the no-instructor classroom. Students utilized Zoom’s sharing feature to follow lecture slides and virtually raise their hands for participation. However, overall, students preferred face-to-face interaction over Zoom communication, finding the latter tiring and distracting. Observations during the study supported this preference for face-to-face interaction.

Locus of control

Four participants indicated that they had little control over their classroom location and settled for what was available. However, some, like Participant 5, displayed an internal locus of control, stating she could teach herself and adapt to any situation. Participant 5 emphasized that the physical presence of the instructor was not crucial for her learning, indicating a strong internal strength and adaptability.

Conversely, Participant 17 exhibited a blend of external and internal locus of control. Initially, her seat choice was influenced by the location of her friends, reflecting an external factor. However, she later opted to change her seat with the goal of “improving her grades,” indicating a degree of internal control in her decision-making process.

Participant 17: “At the beginning I was just walking with my friends, and they sat so I sat. So, we sat and we were chatting, then I realized oh ok this is my place. But then I felt I cannot continue, and after the midterms, I did not like my grades, they were average but I did not like them. So, I felt I had to change, I had to be more comfortable, so I can focus more. Then I found another available place” .

Participant 15, on the other hand, favored keeping her laptop active during lectures, utilizing Zoom’s sharing feature to manage slides and search for answers when necessary. In doing so, she demonstrated an external locus of control, relying on available resources such as Zoom to address technical and acoustic challenges.

To our knowledge, this study is the first exploration of post-pandemic classroom design and its effects on classroom communication and student engagement under preventive measures such as face covering and social distancing. To investigate the research question in this case study, a thorough examination of both old and recent literature was methodically undertaken. This approach serves as both a limitation and a strength. The absence of pertinent studies prior to the research in 2021 posed a significant challenge. Nevertheless, delving into well-established older literature proved instrumental in overcoming this hurdle and establishing the groundwork for this exploratory research.

With the implementation of social distancing and the redefined proxemics, our study aimed to investigate the variations in the concept of personal space in this context. Hall’s work provided the foundation for our research in this specific area. While reviewing several studies referencing proxemics theory, none closely resembled ours. Thus, we utilized the original work as a starting point for exploration. This approach mirrors Mehta’s study ( 2020 ), which explored the impact of COVID-19 measures in urban settings, noting the transformation of spaces in response to social distancing. Mehta’s findings on sociable spaces resonated with our results regarding furniture arrangement and classroom layout. Our findings on the redefined proxemics in the new setup reveal that the post-pandemic classroom was widely praised for its redefined personal space. A majority of 11 out of 17 participants expressed positive sentiments about the spaciousness and convenience of the newly defined personal space (Table 3 ). Crowding, a psychological concept associated with personal space, was seldom experienced in the new setup. Some participants mentioned that crowding was only felt when there was limited access to charging outlets for their laptops. Additionally, individuals who experienced any form of stress in class identified checking their phones or taking short breaks as coping strategies.

Our findings also show that the furniture arrangement of the post-pandemic classroom is key in facilitating class communication. While being in close proximity to the instructor in the front or middle of the classroom is deemed conducive to student engagement, as it enables close and direct communication that helps students stay on task (Berg et al., 1996 ; as cited by Gullup, 1986), our study reveals that these middle seats do not cater to the spatial requirements of design students in studio classes, mainly due to the absence of pin-up walls. The findings indicate insufficient attention to the needs of students situated in the middle, exposing them to more visibility and diminished privacy compared to their counterparts along the perimeter. This situation is akin to the airplane aisle and window seats’ dilemma. While middle-seat students benefit from being close to the lecturer as a source of information, wall-side students enjoy privacy, access to a pin-up wall, and window advantages. A socio-petal (Mehta, 2020 ) furniture arrangement is recommended as it can provide equal opportunities and amenities for art and design students while facilitating communication in a socially distanced classroom.

The results of interviews and observations highlight the substantial influence of the instructor’s positioning in the classroom on communication with students, encompassing both verbal and non-verbal aspects. The students are more inclined to engage in class discussion if the instructor’s location in the classroom, as well as their body language are visually accessible. This highlights Kopec’s insights about the benefits of a rectangular classroom layout and how it supports the instructor’s capacity to establish eye contact with students since they fall within “the instructor’s primary visual field” (Kopec, 2012 , p. 224). Moreover, our research shows that 80% of the interview responses highlight the positive impact of body language on students’ attentiveness and engagement. This finding is consistent with the established literature, specifically Zeki’s ( 2009 ), emphasizing the significance of body language in non-verbal communication within the classroom. Put differently, the arrangement of the classroom is pivotal for both verbal and non-verbal communication, both in a general classroom setting and specifically in the post-pandemic classroom. Our study contributes to the existing knowledge by examining the utilization of Zoom to enhance body language, including eye contact, in a scenario involving the coordination of two or more classrooms simultaneously, necessitated by insufficient space in the facility. Fifteen percent of our sample expressed positive perceptions of using Zoom as an alternative to face-to-face communication to address spatial challenges in this context (Table 3 ). Based on these findings, we propose that new hidden dimensions arise, shaping communication and interactions within socially distanced classrooms. The noted expansion of personal, social, and public spheres, with the public sphere arguably encompassing the use of Zoom, prompts further exploration in these settings. The distances between students and instructors have the potential to redefine proxemics in post-pandemic classroom arrangements.

Our investigation explored lighting aspects, revealing that they had the least impact on the socially distanced classroom setup. Students’ main concerns revolved around having more control over lighting levels in their designated spaces. Responses showed diverse preferences for lighting conditions, with some favoring dim lighting and others opting for brighter classrooms. The L-shaped workspace effectively addressed glare issues, allowing students to adjust their positions for control if the problem arose. In a prior UAE study (Al-Sallal, 2010 ), it was observed that simulation runs revealed three key issues causing visual discomfort: sharp contrasts in luminance between the task surface (e.g., whiteboard) and nearby surfaces, excessive brightness from windows and uneven distribution of daylight in the space. In his study, the student’s sitting location was identified as a crucial factor influencing visual quality. The most problematic location was reported to be “the rear, opposite side of the windows” (Al-Sallal, 2010 , p. 208) in terms of acceptable luminance. While our study primarily addressed lighting preferences and emerging behaviors impacting post-pandemic classroom communications, certain findings resonate with Al-Sallal’s ( 2010 ), especially those related to student location. Six out of 17 students favored daylighting and found glare issues insignificant, attributing this to their ability to adjust positions within the spacious workspace. Additionally, four out of 17 participants expressed a preference for more control and the ability to adjust lighting levels according to their individual needs to enhance attention and focus (Table 3 ). Some participants positively associated proximity to windows with productivity, as highlighted in the lighting results subsection. To prioritize confidentiality, our study analyzed responses without linking them to specific student locations, resulting in a lack of specificity in our results. This limitation is acknowledged, but the decision was made to safeguard confidentiality, especially since one researcher served as the course instructor, creating a potential challenge in handling information related to student locations. This aspect is worth exploring in future research to understand the correlation between lighting and student location in post-pandemic classrooms.

In addition, we investigated acoustics in this distinctive setup utilizing technology to facilitate the operation of two classrooms simultaneously, aiming to improve verbal communication. Our research focused on exploring the consequences of preventive measures on classroom communication in a post-pandemic setting. Considering earlier research in the field, notably Berg et al.’s ( 1996 ) review article, which synthesized results from diverse studies, emphasizing the influence of noisy classrooms on students’ effective listening, impacting task engagement, discipline, and cooperation. They highlighted that teachers adjust their vocal approach, exhibiting variations in strength (Berg et al., 1996 ; as cited in Gallup, 1986; Ray, 1990). While some effectively project their voices, individuals with weaker voices may encounter stress when elevating their vocal levels (Berg et al., 1996 ; as cited in Berg, 1993). These findings proved valuable as we sought to comprehend the challenges faced by instructors in both general and specific settings. Our findings show that the adoption of microphones eliminated the need for vocal exertion by instructors. One of the acoustic concerns pointed out by some participants was noise. In this setup, noise primarily originated from adjacent classrooms and internal sources, such as speakers’ echoing sound and unwanted noise resulting from improper microphone use (e.g., instructor breathing). Seven out of 17 interviewees expressed more concern about noise related to technical issues, while three out of 17 interviewees identified external noise as more distracting (Table 3 ). For instance, participant 6 mentioned that her location is mainly distracting due to external noise from the neighboring classroom. These findings emphasize emerging challenges in temporary arrangements for socially distanced classrooms, suggesting areas for further exploration, such as the impact of using speakers in acoustically unprepared lecture spaces during emergencies.

This research uncovered novel findings not present in existing literature. One such discovery is the concept of microphone etiquette, an aspect not previously addressed in the specific context of our study. This introduces a new avenue for exploration by researchers and designers. The intentional inclusion of microphones in this setting aimed to improve verbal communication between two interconnected classrooms. Further investigation into blended learning or hybrid approaches utilizing microphones could be valuable, potentially mitigating challenges during local or global outbreaks.

An aspect warranting future exploration in research is students’ perceptions of microphone usage. Approximately 70.6% of participants indicated that microphone location affected their level of engagement in class. Three out of 17 participants explicitly reported abstaining from engagement due to recurrent technical issues, leading to delayed verbal communication. Students refrained from participating due to shyness, as they had to walk to the microphone location and their apprehension that technical problems might arise (Table 3 ). Arguably, this behavior can be attributed to learned helplessness, which is defined as “occurring when an individual continuously faces a negative, uncontrollable situation and stops trying to change their circumstances, even when they have the ability to do so” (Psychology Today, n.d. ). This finding resonates with Polat’s study ( 2022 , p. 95), which suggests that the students’ “individual uncertainties” can lead to learned helplessness, diminishing motivation and resulting in decreased academic performance and passive behaviors. However, given the sample’s size and homogeneity, it remains challenging to definitively associate learned helplessness with the socially-distanced setup or other variables in this case study. Additional data is needed to establish this as a dependent variable specific to this context. The locus of control was also identified within the responses, as outlined in the results section. A more comprehensive understanding of the data regarding locus of control could have been achieved with a larger sample and the incorporation of additional qualitative methods, such as surveys. The four responses collected in this aspect may be influenced by unanticipated variables specific to this context beyond the locus of control.

It is essential to recognize that the findings derived from this case study are highly contextual. If a similar setup is implemented in a different context or country, the results, especially concerning student attitudes toward microphone usage and privacy concerns, may vary. The transferability of our findings may be constrained both geographically and across disciplines. Since the study exclusively targeted interior design students, its relevance to other fields in the hard sciences may be restricted due to the unique nature of their work. It is noteworthy that cultural aspects were not explicitly addressed within the scope of this research.

It is worth mentioning that the non-participant observation method proved valuable in aligning predetermined themes from the literature review with the research question. Given this unprecedented environmental context, we opted for deductive coding to stay within the scope of this research study on classroom communication post-pandemic. However, the semi-structured interviews revealed unexpected themes, providing opportunities for further research, as mentioned earlier. Hence, we utilized a hybrid approach, incorporating both deductive and inductive coding, to identify patterns in the interview responses. This method facilitated the emergence of new themes, including the consideration of microphone etiquette.

In addressing potential biases arising from observations, we took measures to clearly delineate the role of each researcher (Glesne, 2011 ) to ensure transparency and maintain participant data confidentiality. Throughout the study, we consistently practiced reflexivity ( Reflexivity , n.d. ), allowing us to continually scrutinize our own biases and perspectives during data collection and analysis. The decision to employ a single observer was influenced by regulations limiting classroom capacity and other restrictions related to external visitors. Additionally, we incorporated the Devil’s Advocate approach (Trochim, 2020 ) during data analysis, actively challenging our interpretations of the findings.

This research holds relevance for administrators as they strategize for campus emergencies. Future studies could delve into the optimization of furniture arrangement, considering aspects like privacy and body language, particularly in emergency scenarios necessitating preventive measures like face covering and social distancing. The insights gleaned from our findings might aid administrators in effectively organizing designated spaces for concurrent use or incorporating hybrid modes to ensure instructional continuity during emergencies. A deeper understanding of enhancing hybrid learning environments post-pandemic could contribute to user satisfaction and reduce reliance on lockdown measures.

Conclusions

The pandemic has instilled in us the importance of carefully designing successful learning experiences and programs for our students. It forced us to reevaluate our priorities and life choices, leading to significant changes in communication due to preventive measures like face coverings and social distancing. In times of hardship and uncertainty, telecommunication has become indispensable for businesses, governments, and communities to sustain themselves. As a result, interior environments should be adaptable to accommodate such emergencies.

Our study investigated communication dynamics within a classroom environment adapted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus while ensuring instructional continuity. We conclude that the impact of preventive measures on classroom communication in a post-pandemic setting is multifaceted and context-dependent. While we have delved into specific aspects we believe are linked to communication, there may be more to consider. Among these aspects, we have explored proxemics, which have evolved beyond its cultural definition to incorporate new physical dimensions to accommodate social distancing. Our findings indicated that psychological concepts like crowding in this socially distanced setting require reassessment. The increased spaciousness in classrooms resulting from the setup with social distancing has reduced crowding. Interestingly, the use of cell phones during class, not resulting in disciplinary action, has served as a positive distraction for students experiencing crowding or stress.

Furthermore, post-COVID spacing mechanisms, including occupant load and furniture arrangement with social distancing in mind, have reshaped our perception of personal space. People became less concerned with non-verbal cues that differ across cultures and define their personal space. Instead, the COVID-preventative measures have introduced new hidden dimensions to our understanding of personal space. These new hidden dimensions encompass factors such as proximity to microphones, the instructor’s desk, the pinup walls, and/or windows, all of which regulate communication within a socially distanced classroom. For instance, adopting a socio-petal layout in the classroom could significantly enhance these new hidden dimensions, thereby facilitating communication in a socially distanced setting. Our findings indicate that crowding, often associated with personal space and spatial density, is less prevalent in the post-COVID setup, as each student benefits from a more spacious personal area dictated by COVID protocols. This reduction in crowding contributes to improved performance as individuals regain control over their social interactions.

In times of emergency, like the pandemic, technology becomes essential to facilitate both verbal and non-verbal communication. This exploratory case study highlights the significance of technology in socially distanced setups in design-studio classrooms, particularly in addressing the communication challenges identified. However, further research is needed to investigate the potential for tailored technology usage and its effectiveness within these distinctive educational environments.

Data availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are accessible upon request from the corresponding author (MA). The data cannot be publicly released as they may contain information that could compromise the privacy or consent of research participants.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the students who participated in this study for sharing their time and valuable insights. We also appreciate the support and funding provided by Virginia Commonwealth School of the Arts in Qatar for this research.

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Abdelmonem, M., Karawia, S. Classroom communications post pandemic: a case study. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 728 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03171-6

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Integration of Sports Sponsoring into Marketing and Corporate Communication

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In addition to planning individual measures, a major concern of the sponsoring planner is to achieve an integration of the sports sponsoring strategy into the communication and marketing strategy. Synergistic effects can only be achieved through a strategic and operational interlocking of the various communication instruments. In particular, the use of sports sponsoring offers a multitude of possibilities for a systematic networking with other instruments of marketing and corporate communication. This necessitates examining the possibilities of integration in detail and making various adjustments in marketing and corporate communication. This is evident not only from the detailed case study of Deutsche Telekom, but also from other company examples such as ABB, BMW, Coca-Cola, Commerzbank, Mercedes-Benz, Milka and others.

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The Cisco Security portal provides actionable intelligence for security threats and vulnerabilities in Cisco products and services and third-party products.

Get to know any significant issues, other than security vulnerability-related issues, that directly involve Cisco products and typically require an upgrade, workaround, or other customer action.

Check the current status of services and components for Cisco's cloud-based Webex, Security and IoT offerings.

The Cisco Support Assistant (formerly TAC Connect Bot) provides a self-service experience for common case inquiries and basic transactions without waiting in a queue.

Suite of tools to assist you in the day to day operations of your Collaboration infrastructure.

The Cisco CLI Analyzer (formerly ASA CLI Analyzer) is a smart SSH client with internal TAC tools and knowledge integrated. It is designed to help troubleshoot and check the overall health of your Cisco supported software.

My Notifications allows an user to subscribe and receive notifications for Cisco Security Advisories, End of Life Announcements, Field Notices, and Software & Bug updates for specific Cisco products and technologies.

More Support

• Partner Support
• Small Business Product Support
• Business Critical Services
• Customer Experience
• DevNet Developer Support
• Cisco Trust Portal

Cisco Communities

Generate and manage PAK-based and other device licenses, including demo licenses.

Track and manage Smart Software Licenses.

Generate and manage licenses from Enterprise Agreements.

Solve common licensing issues on your own.

Software and Downloads

Find software bugs based on product, release and keyword.

View Cisco suggestions for supported products.

Use the Cisco Software Checker to search for Cisco Security Advisories that apply to specific Cisco IOS, IOS XE, NX-OS and NX-OS in ACI Mode software releases.

Get the latest updates, patches and releases of Cisco Software.