How can you edit your internal communications for different levels of the organization?

1 Know your audience

Before you write or edit any internal communication, you need to know who your audience is. What is their role, function, and level in the organization? What are their main goals, challenges, and interests? How do they prefer to receive and consume information? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your message to their needs and expectations. For example, if you are writing for senior executives, you may want to focus on the big picture, the strategic implications, and the key outcomes of your communication. If you are writing for frontline employees, you may want to provide more details, instructions, and examples of how your communication affects their work.

2 Choose your tone

Your tone is the way you express your attitude and emotion in your communication. It can convey respect, enthusiasm, urgency, or empathy, depending on the context and purpose of your message. Your tone should also match the level of formality and professionalism that your audience expects. For example, if you are writing for a casual and friendly culture, you may use a more conversational and informal tone. If you are writing for a more formal and hierarchical culture, you may use a more respectful and polite tone. You can also adjust your tone depending on the type of communication. For example, if you are writing an announcement, you may use a more authoritative and confident tone. If you are writing a feedback request, you may use a more collaborative and inviting tone.

4 Structure your content

Your content is the information and ideas you want to share with your audience. Your content should be relevant, useful, and engaging for your audience. You should also structure your content in a way that makes it easy to follow and digest. You can use headings, subheadings, bullet points, lists, tables, charts, or other visual aids to organize and highlight your main points. You can also use transitions, summaries, or questions to connect and reinforce your ideas. For example, you could start your communication with a clear and catchy headline that summarizes your main message. Then, you could use subheadings to divide your content into sections that address the what, why, how, and when of your message. Finally, you could end your communication with a clear and strong call to action that tells your audience what you want them to do next.

5 Proofread your communication

Proofreading your communication is the final step of editing your internal communication. It's the process of checking and correcting any errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting that may affect the quality and credibility of your message. You should proofread your communication carefully and thoroughly before you send or publish it. You can use tools like spell checkers, grammar checkers, or readability checkers to help you identify and fix any mistakes. You can also ask someone else to review your communication and give you feedback on its clarity, tone, and content. Proofreading your communication will help you ensure that your message is accurate, consistent, and professional.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?