How to Improve Internal Communication—and Why a Modern Intranet Is Essential

Today’s workplace realities make effective internal communication absolutely essential—but also much harder to get right. Organizations that invest in better strategies, tools, and measurement have a clear advantage in building a stronger and more productive workforce. 

Employees expect transparency and authenticity from their employer, while organizations aim to strengthen culture and build engagement. Both sides have much to gain from improving internal communication.

With organizations navigating constant change, managing a more distributed and diverse workforce, using an increasing number of communication channels, and facing widespread information overload, it’s clear that internal communication is more important—and more challenging—than ever before.

At the same time, leaders increasingly expect internal communication to demonstrate tangible business value—supporting outcomes such as stronger engagement, higher retention, improved productivity, and a better employee experience.

Below, we’ll explore how to address these challenges and share strategies and practical advice to help you improve internal communication across your organization. If you want to learn even more about this topic—check out the document Improving Internal Communication with a Modern Intranet.

Research shows strong evidence that effective internal communication can increase alignment, foster trust and a sense of belonging, enhance retention and productivity, and lead to better business outcomes. But successful internal communication doesn’t happen automatically—it requires a clear, structured approach aligned with organizational goals.

Here are key strategies to help you build a stronger, more impactful internal communication practice:

Start by defining clear goals for your internal communication—whether it’s to inform employees, align teams around company strategy, drive engagement, or support change initiatives.

Next, know your audience. What messages should be targeted to specific locations, departments, roles, leadership groups, or frontline teams? Understanding audience needs is essential for delivering relevant and meaningful communication.

You will also need to consider preferred communication channels. Different groups may engage better through the intranet, newsletters, mobile apps, digital signage, or other platforms.

Once you have defined your goals, identified your target audiences, and selected the right channels, you’ll have a strong foundation for tailoring your communication plan effectively. 

Learn more: Improving Internal Communication: Harnessing the Power of a Modern Intranet

Consistency builds trust. It is important to establish a regular rhythm for internal communication, such as daily news stories, weekly polls, monthly newsletters, or quarterly CEO videos.

Steady, predictable updates help employees feel connected to what’s happening across the organization—and make internal communication part of the everyday culture. Setting up a communication calendar can help ensure you meet employee expectations across channels and topics.

Image 1: Communication calendar to coordinate messaging in different channels.

Today’s workforce is diverse, mobile, and connected across a wide range of platforms. To maximize reach and effectiveness, use a combination of channels such as the intranet, mobile apps, email, Teams or Viva Engage, digital signage, and video updates.

Adapt content to the strengths of each channel—for example, a short video for mobile users or a longer intranet article for in-depth topics.

Also, match your choice of channels to the needs of different target groups—for instance, digital signage for factory workers or mobile messaging for employees on the go. 

Image 2: Surfacing the full intranet experience in Microsoft Teams.

Employees are much more likely to engage with content that feels relevant to them. Where possible, deliver targeted information that resonates with specific audiences—such as departments, locations, roles, or areas of interest.

Personalized communication shows that you understand your employees' needs and helps cut through the noise of information overload. Targeted communication also helps relieve employees from feeling overwhelmed by too many irrelevant updates.

Image 3: Editor selecting portals, campaigns, and promotion channels for a news article.

Internal communication should not be a one-way street. Today’s workforce expects timely, two-way communication, and organizations must create opportunities for dialogue and interaction.

Provide ways for employees to give feedback, ask questions, and share ideas—through polls, surveys, comment sections, discussion forums, ratings, or employee social platforms.

Fostering real conversations strengthens trust, builds engagement, and gives leadership valuable insights into employee sentiment.

Image 4: Social interactions and commenting of a news article.

Every page you publish and every message you send should reinforce your organization's culture and values—or at the very least, not contradict the desired image.

Clearly define your company's tone of voice, mission, and identity—and ensure that your communication style consistently reflects them. Today, AI tools can also help support consistency in content creation, tone, and messaging.

Using real stories, employee examples, and relatable language helps bring your culture to life and emotionally connect with employees.

Image 5: AI-powered content creation and quality assurance.

Empowering leaders and managers as communicators is a proven best practice. Look for ways to enable this group to establish communication channels and routines that allow them to be direct senders of important messages. Employees often trust information more when it comes from their immediate manager or team leader.

Provide training, resources, and tools to help leaders communicate effectively—whether it’s sharing strategic updates, recognizing achievements, or cascading key initiatives. Encourage managers to communicate in a way that feels personal, authentic, and connected to their teams.

To ensure this approach is successful, follow up regularly by measuring the frequency of manager-led communication and gathering feedback on communication quality through employee satisfaction surveys.

Image 6: Employee satisfaction survey on the intranet.

People absorb and retain information better when it’s presented visually. While traditional web pages and documents have their place, they are not always the best tools for capturing attention and driving active engagement. Instead, use videos, infographics, interactive content, and visual storytelling to make internal communication more engaging, accessible, and memorable.

Also, look for ways to allow employees to share their own stories, complete with images or videos, to bring internal communication to life and strengthen connection across teams.

Learn more: Maximizing Intranet Content: Strategies, Types, and Ideas for Better Engagement

Image 7: News article with image and video gallery on page.

The bottom line is simple: what gets measured gets improved. Implement dashboards and KPIs to track communication effectiveness.

Monitor metrics such as open rates, engagement rates, intranet page views, survey responses, feedback volumes, and time spent on content. Use this data to understand what’s working, adjust your approach, and continuously improve the impact of your internal communication efforts.

Learn more: 8 Effective Ways to Measure Intranet Impact and Drive Results

Image 8: Intranet usage dashboard within the Governance hub.

A modern intranet plays a central role in building an effective internal communication setup. It serves as a trusted platform where employees can find personalized, up-to-date information, connect with their teams, and stay aligned with organizational goals—all in one place.

The modern intranet meets the requirementents mentioned above and will support you when implementing the suggested strategies. This includes the intranet being a centralized hub for communication, allowing personalization and targeting, and reaching end-users in preferred channels. Also, the intranet will support two-way communication, visual and interactice content, and provide analytics for measuring effectiveness. 

By using a modern intranet as the foundation of your communication efforts, you can strengthen employee connection, drive engagement, and support key business goals.

Internal communication is more important—and more challenging—than ever. Throughout this blog post, we've explored why organizations must take a structured, strategic approach to communication and shared proven strategies that can help you build a stronger, more engaged workforce.

One of the most powerful tools for driving effective internal communication is a modern intranet. When designed and used strategically, an intranet can become the go-to platform for reaching employees, supporting dialogue, reinforcing culture, and measuring communication outcomes.

Improving internal communication doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start by taking small but strategic steps: review your current intranet and communication practices, identify opportunities to improve targeting, consistency, and engagement—and build on what works.

Ready to take the next step? Book your free 30-minute session with an Omnia Coach today and start transforming your internal communication strategy.

Not ready for that step yet? Then download the document 15 Intranet Best Practices for design examples within common feature areas.