Global Insights Into Internal Communications

Too many companies brag about being “global”… Until you ask them to communicate like it. If your “global” internal comms strategy: 🛑 Assumes English proficiency across the board 🛑 Ignores cultural nuance or translation 🛑 Doesn’t account for regional holidays or time zones 🛑 Uses idioms that don’t translate (literally or emotionally) …then your strategy is not global. It’s just loud. Here’s what real global comms looks like: ✅ Running a French-language benefits meeting in French ✅ Knowing the difference between localization and translation ✅ Checking cultural calendars before you schedule a town hall ✅ Choosing words that include rather than isolate Language is access. Culture is context. Communication without either is exclusion dressed up as efficiency. If your team spans the globe, but your message only reaches the “HQ usuals,” it’s time to rethink. Because if your comms can’t cross borders, they won’t build bridges either.

Bridging Direct and Indirect Communication Styles in Global Teams: A Leader's Guide 🤝 🌏 Have you ever sent what you thought was a clear message, only to realize it was interpreted completely differently by team members across the globe? You're not alone. 💭 Imagine a Dutch supervisor giving feedback on a Brazilian team member’s proposal: "This proposal needs significant work." The Brazilian colleague, however, walks away feeling disheartened. 💔 Neither intended for this disconnect—both simply wanted to produce great work. 🎯 Here are four tested strategies I've seen transform global team communications: 1️⃣ Create a "Communication Charter" 📝 Work with your team to document and share each culture's typical communication patterns. Make it explicit: "In Germany, direct feedback is a sign of respect" or "In Japan, suggestions often come wrapped in careful language." 2️⃣ Use the "What I'm Hearing" Technique 👂 When receiving indirect feedback like "Maybe we could consider..." or direct feedback like "This isn't working," practice restating: "What I understand is..." This simple practice reduces misunderstandings in global teams. 3️⃣ Establish Multiple Feedback Channels 💬 Some team members may never speak up in meetings but will share brilliant insights via email or one-on-one chats. Give your team options – it's not about changing their style but creating space for all voices. 4️⃣ Model Flexibility 🔄 As a leader, demonstrate switching between styles. With direct communicators, be clear and concise. With indirect communicators, provide context and be attentive to subtle cues. Remember: The goal isn't to make everyone communicate the same way, but to build bridges between different styles. The most innovative solutions often emerge when diverse communication styles meet in the middle. 🌉 What communication challenges have you encountered in your teams? Share your experiences below. 👇 #GlobalLeadership #CrossCulturalCommunication #DiversityAndInclusion #TeamManagement #GlobalBusiness ______________________________ 💡 Turn Cultural Differences into Your Team’s Competitive Advantage! Ready to build a culturally competent team? Let’s work together to turn cultural differences into strengths! 🌐 Learn more about how Mastering Cultural Differences can help your organization thrive. 🎁 Click the link on my profile to book a complimentary session and discover how we can empower your team to thrive globally.

Inclusive communication isn’t just about saying the right thing. It’s about making sure everyone actually hears it and understands the message. In practice, that means thinking about who usually gets left out of the loop. 👉🏽 Think customer-facing teams who aren't sitting in front of Slack all day 👉🏽 Or folks in different time zones who keep missing live updates 👉🏽 Or new hires who don’t yet know where to look for what I’ve been digging into Nectar’s recent blog on inclusive internal communication (https://lnkd.in/eicnJ4V9), and it really hits on something I believe in...good comms should adapt to your people, not expect your people to adapt to messy comms. Here are some eye-opening stats from Nectar’s blog on inclusive internal comms: 💡According to Bain, fewer than 30% of employees feel fully included at work. Turns out, no single demographic is safe—Asian men report just 16% inclusion, LGBTQ+ women 29%, and even straight white men only 24% 💡Nectar surveyed 1,000 full-time US employees and found 89.7% said regular company updates boost their engagement. Engagement goes way up when people feel informed, connected, and aware of what’s happening. So what does inclusive communication actually look like in action? ✔️ Write plainly, less jargon, more clarity, that works no matter your role or background ✔️ Share updates in multiple formats: Slack chats, short async videos (ahem, use Vidyard for async videos!) or quick written summaries so people can choose what works for them (AI can do this easily now!) ✔️ Time zone aren't gatekeepers, updates go out asynchronously so no one is missing out ✔️ Use repeatable templates so every team knows what info is coming and where to find it Nectar’s blog walks you through 11 steps to bring these ideas together in practice. And their new internal comms platform does the heavy lifting...targeting messages by role or location, and tracking open rates so no one slips through the cracks! 🔥 https://lnkd.in/e4Eife_J Bottom line: inclusive comms isn’t a checkbox, it’s a habit. When people feel seen, informed, and valued, engagement increases, turnover decreases, and trust grows. 📈

I’ve spent the last decade building global MarComms programs within large, complex companies. Here’s what I’ve learned about activating internal partners and making quick progress toward goals: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁. Focus on winning allies across the organization by understanding each colleague’s objectives and finding ways to support one another. Don’t worry about empire building. On paper, you may have a team of two, but in reality, you’ll have 50 people in your corner helping bring your vision to life.   𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱. When starting a position, quickly run a situation analysis and develop a hypothesis for the change that needs to take place. Even as your full strategy remains in development, identify and share a few core principles that can immediately unite your community. 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻–𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘀. Folks in Greece may have a different idea for bringing a program to life than the team in Kuala Lumpur or Canada. It’s important to articulate non-negotiable standards while allowing for maximum local/regional flexibility. Results will be better if local teams feel empowered. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰. Communicate openly and often about your progress. Use internal communication channels to celebrate wins and recognize key players; make them look good to their managers. Host regular meetings to gather your internal community and even consider a light newsletter to share updates. When appropriate, communicate externally on LinkedIn – this can actually yield even greater internal momentum. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘁𝘀. Within large multinational companies, it’s common for a team in one part of the world to be wrestling with an issue that a team elsewhere has already faced. With a global view, if you can connect colleagues across boundaries, you’ll speed up problem-solving – plus, you’ll achieve goodwill, which feeds back into the community-building efforts mentioned above. #Marketing #Communications #SocialMedia #Leadership