Let's go old school!

Employee communications channels

Noticeboards (analog)

PurposeTypical audienceProsConsCan you do it yourself?Thinking points
A great rallying point for colleagues to read lots of small, non-critical messagesUsually site-specific –whether in the factory or office (eg, in coffee corner)A good, inexpensive channel for communicating more personalized and informal informationIt can be hard to make your message stand out among the many – plus you never know who has seen itYesDon’t forget to remove your message once it’s out-of-date

What is this channel?

If you want to go 'old school', what about a good-old fashioned notice board? Many of our factories feature large notice boards for displaying news; while in offices these boards are often found next to coffee corners. This channel is ideal for raising awareness on non-critical topics like sports and social events – although you can never be sure who has actually seen them…

What and when is it typically used?

Think about your audience; can you share your messages properly and reach them via this channel? Check out the comparison notes below and weigh your pros versus cons. This will help you decide how to spend your time/ money for the best result.

Benefits

  1. Ideal for production workers with less access to digital channels.
  2. It‘s fast.
  3. Cheap, especially if you print yourself.
  4. Good for site-specific information (RC)
  5. Allows for personal messages (eg, personal sponsorship).

Challenges

  1. Notice boards can be missed.
  2. Hard to know who has seen your message (or how many).
  3. Your message will often be one of many: how do you make it stand out?
  4. How do you update your message if you’re not physically in the location?

How to use this channel

  • Develop a memo or a poster.
  • Print it and hang it up; or make it available digitally and send to your colleagues for them to print and hang up!

Things to keep in mind

  • Keep the board updated.
  • Remove your message once it’s out-of-date.

KPIs for this channel

How will you know ‘what success looks like’? Measuring the response to this channel /tool could give you a better understanding of whether you’ve reached your communication objective. KPIs can be qualitative or quantitative. Here are some ideas:

  • It’s all about word-of-mouth. Listen out for people talking about ‘what’s up on the wall’.
  • Make your message interactive to boost engagement: maybe ask people to attach post-its or comments; or include a scorecard for people to complete and provide you with feedback. 
  • Provide some kind of small incentive for reading /responding.

Final thoughts

If this a stand-alone initiative, then go ahead! However, if this is part of a wider initiative, you might want to take a step back and look at the broader communications perspective. A good starting point is our 9-step approach to creating your communication plan - which includes an overview of all the internal channels and tools.

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