Skip to content
Effective communication within a company is much more than just the exchange of information. It is the foundation of successful collaboration, a strong corporate culture, and sustainable employee retention. Nevertheless, it remains an underestimated discipline in many organizations. In this article, we highlight the ten most important basic principles that companies can use to improve their internal communication in the long term.
Whether it’s onboarding new employees, change management, or day-to-day project coordination, communication plays a decisive role in how efficiently teams work, how motivated employees are, and how strongly an organization develops as a whole. Understanding communication strategically and actively shaping it creates the conditions for smoother processes and greater satisfaction.
Digitalization is also changing the way communication takes place within companies: remote work, hybrid teams, and digital tools place new demands on clarity, timing, and recipient focus. Companies that actively shape this change are strengthening their future viability.
The following ten principles provide guidance on how communication can be systematically improved—regardless of industry, company size, or structure.
Internal communication: definition, goals, instruments & practical examples
Internal communication explained clearly. With goals, suitable channels and tools. Practical with KPIs, checklist and customer example.
Challenges of corporate communications
Despite its central importance, communication within companies is often underestimated in practice or only handled reactively. Many organizations do not have a clearly defined communication strategy and rely on informal structures or the individual communication styles of individual managers. This leads to a lack of clarity regarding responsibilities, incomplete information flows, and misunderstandings between teams or hierarchical levels.
A common mistake is to view communication as merely the transfer of information. But it is much more than that: communication influences behavior, creates meaning, and provides orientation. Without strategic management, so-called “communication silos” can easily arise—departments that do not talk to each other or communicate with each other. This costs time, nerves, and trust.
Strategically improving internal communication: From information chaos to clarity
Learn how to promote the improvement of internal communication within your company in the long term through targeted measures and tools.
The lack of a communication structure becomes a problem, especially during periods of organizational change, such as reorganizations, mergers, or cultural shifts. If communication is not proactive, open, and coordinated, rumors, resistance, and uncertainty arise. To prevent this, binding processes, clear responsibilities, and a communicative attitude are needed at all levels. As an employee platform, Polario can create the framework for such processes.
Significance for leadership and culture
Communication is not only a tool for collaboration, but also the most important vehicle for corporate culture. It reflects and shapes the values, beliefs, and norms that are lived out within an organization. How decisions are made, successes are recognized, or mistakes are discussed—all of this is reflected in communicative behavior and has a direct influence on the working atmosphere.
Managers play a key role in this. Your way of communicating not only shapes your immediate team, but also sets standards for how everyone interacts within the company. When you communicate openly, clearly, and respectfully, you create trust and psychological security. On the other hand, inconsistent or hierarchical, distant communication leads to uncertainty, demotivation, and withdrawal.
Communication is also the most important management tool in a digital and hybrid work context. When teams no longer work together on site every day, the importance of virtual communication, clear expectations, and regular exchange increases. The ability to convey closeness, guidance, and feedback even over long distances is becoming a core competency of modern leadership.
Integration at a distance: tips for effective remote onboarding
Learn how to successfully onboard remote employees: from technical preparation to virtual team-building activities.
Onboarding process: Sync with the New Work world
Dive into the onboarding process and learn how to use modern approaches to meet the New Work world and successfully integrate talent.
Communication as a competitive factor
In an increasingly dynamic, uncertain, and competitive environment, communication is becoming a strategic success factor. Companies that communicate quickly, clearly, and authentically are better able to respond to change, strengthen their innovative power, and increase employee loyalty.
Internal communication plays a key role, particularly when it comes to competing for talent. An open, transparent, and dialogue-oriented communication culture has a direct impact on employer attractiveness. Companies that keep their employees well informed, actively listen to them, and involve them in decision-making are perceived as trustworthy, modern employers—a decisive advantage in a tight labor market.
Good communication also promotes operational efficiency: processes run more smoothly, decisions are made more quickly, and errors are detected early on. In crisis situations—whether due to external influences or internal challenges—it becomes particularly clear how crucial credible and structured communication is for maintaining trust and remaining capable of acting.
Two practical webinar recordings show how companies successfully overcome specific internal communication challenges:
In a concise webinar, Volkswagen OTLG reports on how the transition from the old intranet to the Polario employee app was organized, which functions are used in everyday work, and what lessons it can share with other companies.
👉 Watch the OTLG webinar recording now
Magdeburger Verkehrsbetriebe (MVB) also provides exciting insights into the use of the app for over 1,000 employees: from the initial idea to design decisions and implementation.
👉 Watch the MVB webinar recording now
Objectives of this article
The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the relevance and impact of communication within companies and to offer concrete suggestions for action. Although communication is omnipresent in everyday life, it is rarely considered strategically. With this article, we would like to help those responsible to understand communication not only as a means of passing on information, but also as a central management tool and cultural vehicle.
These are not theoretical models, but rather practical principles that have proven themselves in real-world applications. The selection of basic principles is based on experience gained from change processes, leadership development, internal communication, and cultural work in various organizations and industries.
This article is aimed at communications officers, HR managers, executives, and project managers who want to reflect on and improve their internal communications in a targeted manner. The goal is to critically examine one’s own communication behavior.
The example of Magdeburger Verkehrsbetriebe (MVB) shows what successful implementation in practice can look like:
The use case for the MVB employee app clearly illustrates how digital communication contributes to employee retention and process optimization.
The interview with MVB managers provides even deeper insights, describing challenges, lessons learned, and successes firsthand.
Interview: Effective internal communication through the MVB employee app
With the Polario employee app, MVB improves internal communication, reduces information loss and increases operational efficiency.
MVB Employee App
At Magdeburger Verkehrsbetriebe, Polario connects employees in real time, increases efficiency and saves time – digitally and sustainably!
10 basic principles of successful communication in business
1. Creating clarity and transparency
Unclear messages lead to misunderstandings, inefficiency and frustration. Clear, structured and comprehensible communication ensures that information is understood and accepted. Transparency means proactively providing relevant information and communicating decisions in a comprehensible manner. This is how trust is built.
Practical example: In a monthly video update, a CEO shares important company figures and strategic goals – in simple language, with visual support.
2. Encourage active listening
Good communication is not a one-way street. Listening shows respect, interest and appreciation. Active listening means consciously focusing on the other person, asking questions and reflecting what has been said. This promotes mutual understanding and reduces conflicts.
Practical example: Feedback rounds are established in team workshops, in which everyone has a chance to speak. Moderators visualise the contributions so that they are visible to everyone.
3. Communicate purposefully
Not all information is relevant to every target group. Effective communication within a company is tailored to the needs of the recipients. This means adapting content, differentiating formats and setting priorities.
Practical example: The HR newsletter informs employees about new benefits, while management receives strategic decisions via the intranet.
4. Consistency in messages and values
Communication only works if it is credible. This means that statements must remain consistent across different channels. Repetition is permitted and important for anchoring messages – as long as they are congruent.
Practical example: The company values are visibly practised on the website, during onboarding, in meetings and in the feedback process.
5. Selecting the appropriate channel
Not every message is suitable for every medium. Sensitive topics require face-to-face discussions. Updates can be communicated via email. Video calls or internal social platforms are suitable for interactive formats.
Practical example: A strategic reorganisation is presented at a town hall meeting, accompanied by an FAQ page on the intranet.
6. Enable and request feedback
An open feedback culture improves processes, boosts innovation and strengthens trust. Feedback should be constructive, timely and regular – in both directions: from employees and from managers.
Practical example: An anonymous feedback function on the intranet provides a continuous snapshot of the mood and gives impetus for improvement.
7. Show empathy and appreciation
People communicate not only objectively, but also emotionally. Those who communicate empathetically show understanding for the perspectives and needs of others. Appreciation motivates, promotes cohesion and loyalty.
Practical example: Regular recognition of small successes in team meetings creates motivation and a sense of belonging.
8. Use visual communication
A picture is worth a thousand words – this is especially true in a business context. Visualisations help to better understand and retain complex relationships.
Practical example: An infographic on the intranet explains the new distribution of roles following a reorganisation.
9. Establish rhythm and regularity
Communication needs structure. Regular formats (e.g. weekly updates, monthly Q&A formats or quarterly reports) create reliability and make it easier to find your way around the company.
Practical example: Every Monday morning, an internal update is published with dates, news and project status.
10. Actively practise communication
Communication skills can be trained. Presenting training courses, giving feedback, conflict resolution and media use directly contribute to the quality of communication within the company.
Practical example: Managers take part in communication training on how to address employees.
Conclusion
Communication within a company is more than just a ‘soft’ issue. It determines cooperation, culture and success. Those who live by the basic principles described here lay the foundation for a motivated, informed and capable organisation.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between internal communication and employee communication?
The terms are often used synonymously. However, internal communication also includes communication with internal stakeholders such as committees, owners, or strategic partners. Employee communication, on the other hand, focuses exclusively on dialogue with the workforce.
Why is employee communication more important today than ever before?
In a working world characterized by digitalization, remote working, and global collaboration, it is becoming increasingly complex to reach all employees. Effective employee communication ensures that information is communicated in a timely, understandable, and targeted manner—and that employees feel taken seriously and involved.
How can you better reach non-desk workers?
Employees without a fixed workplace in the office require mobile solutions. Apps with intuitive operation, push notifications, and multilingual display can also be used to effectively address these target groups. Accessibility and ease of use in everyday work are important factors here.
What role does feedback play in employee communication?
Feedback is a key element of successful communication. It enables companies to identify the needs and opinions of their employees, adapt processes, and develop specific topics. Feedback channels should therefore be easily accessible and taken seriously.
