“Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.”

 ~Brian Tracy,

motivational speaker

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”

~Dolly Parton,

country music superstar and philanthropist

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and again.  We can never get TOO good at internal communications.  There really is no such thing.  The efficient and effective exchange of information within the Community Action Committee of Pike County is the lifeblood of the work that we do to help address poverty in our communities.  It is essential that we get the right information out to our team members in a timely manner so that we can all continue to do the amazing work that we have been called into. 

The Community Action Committee of Pike County has grown tremendously over the last several years.  We evolved from a small one-county service agency to a much larger organization providing services to a multi-county area.  And, we are pretty complex with regards to the variety of work that we do.  This growth, complexity, and geographical distribution of our service sites and team members can make internal communication a challenge.  But, it is a challenge that is worth taking on.  We are committed to ensuring that our internal communication pathways work as well as they can.

We recently conducted a survey regarding preferences for internal communications.  This was our initial exploration into the effectiveness of our current communication practices and the communication preferences of our team members.  I want to use this space to share what we have learned so far, and talk about next steps on this important topic.

According to the 128 team members who participated in the survey, we do an OK job keeping our team members informed.  More than seventy-five percent rated our efforts as either “Excellent” or “Good/Average.”   Participants mentioned the monthly CEO newsletter and HR updates as being especially helpful.  We also received input on how we can improve these efforts, which included consistently using the same communication channel (e.g. email), increasing the volume and frequency of communication, holding department and/or facility meetings, and establishing recurring and predictable timing for communications when possible.

5. How would you rate CAC’s efforts to keep you informed?

An important topic for organizational communication centers on the sharing of the organization’s goals and how our team members contribute to the overall success of what we do.  Participants in the survey overwhelming expressed that they are aware of our agency goals.  We are pleased that nearly all participants feel they are either “Very aware” or “Somewhat aware” of where we are headed.  We have made significant improvements to this aspect of communication over the last couple of years, but there is more work to do.  Several mentioned the newly formed strategy teams (and related communications) as being extremely helpful in this regard.  Survey participants suggest a centralized repository for information so that team members do not have to search for what they need.  We will also continue to work on better whole-agency communication that is equally valuable and effective for locations outside of Pike County.

12. How would you rate your awareness of CAC’s goals?

How we communicate is just as important as what we put out there.  Communication is no good if it does not reach its intended audience in a timely and effective manner.  When asked what communication channels are most effective, email emerged as the clear preference, with Microsoft Teams, departmental meetings following in 2nd and 3rd. 

4. What communication channels do you find to be the most effective?

We will keep this conversation going. I am providing you with a link for ongoing feedback, input, and suggestions on this topic at:  https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8224659/Communication

Feel free to use this link if you think of something constructive that will help us continue to improve our communication processes.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this!

Until next time…