In the end, an internal communication strategy is about understanding and communicating with, not to, employees. What do they need and want to hear? How will the information help them do their job better? How can their ideas be incorporated into the operation and ethos? Answer these questions and an organization might just be able to answer the most important question of all: Where will the next great idea come from?

The Force Field Analysis helps identify the forces for and against change. People do not fear change. We fear uncertainty. We fear loss. We fear the unknown. Change is a very normal part of our lives. So, let’s start any change management conversation by dropping the antiquated adage that people fear change and start focusing on how to remove the unknown.

Internal communication is such a simple topic it is nearly always forgotten as a strategic element of organizational performance. When was the last time anyone read a company’s strategic plan and found a section on internal communication? And yet how and when we communicate is so important to an organization’s culture, and central to a performance culture.

Move beyond the body. To build a performance culture, focus recognition and reward programs on efforts that tap the spirit of the person and the team. Remember, each “me” plays a role in the “we” and creates the team.