When working in an international company, one of the hardest job facing any corporate communicator is getting the message out to the whole company – no matter where they are based. These borders – either literal borders, or assumed boundaries – can act as a huge barrier to understanding, engagement, and action.
A good communications team needs to be able to work across spatial, geographical, or temporal separations. But there are issues:
- Language, culture, and differences in working habits can all lead to misunderstanding, or, worse, apathy.
- Communications partners can be lacking in the skills or power to be real strategic partners.
- Thanks to cultural differences, one message definitely doesn’t fit all.
- Sign off procedures can lead to unreactive and slow communications.
- There is little knowledge sharing between groups leading to constant reinventions of the wheel.
However, there are a few simple solutions available to alleviate the problems caused by working across borders. Read my top five tips (well, 15 actually, in five categories!) to help you deliver effective communications to all employees, no matter where they’re based.