Gone are the days when communication flowed in just one direction, from the boardroom to the break room. Today, the most successful organizations view internal communications as a conversation — not a broadcast.
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Consider this: Companies with highly engaged employees are 21% more profitable. And what’s one of the biggest drivers of engagement? Employees who feel heard.
That’s where two-way communication comes in. It’s not just a strategy; it’s the key to creating a thriving, connected workplace. Let’s explore what two-way communication really means — and why it’s the backbone of modern employee engagement.
Traditionally, employee communications were one way. Leadership would put out a message, which would then be cascaded downward to managers and employees.
A top-down approach established the C-suite as the primary source of internal communication. It also made it difficult for employees to speak up and be heard.
Two-way communication is different. It incorporates three types of communication:
With channels that support these three types of communication, information moves in all directions. Leaders still share company updates — but this multi-pronged approach gives employees the chance to contribute to the company conversation, too.
They can respond to employee surveys, comment on posts in the company news feed, ask questions in town hall meetings, and send instant messages to peers and managers. Information is shared quickly and openly, just as it is on the social media platforms we’ve all grown accustomed to.
In a culture of two-way communication, employees are no longer just passive consumers of internal communications, but active participants in it. And the benefits this can bring to any organization are substantial.
Poor communication is bad for the employee experience: You’re unlikely to foster a positive employee experience without an effective internal communications strategy.
And poor communication isn’t just bad for culture — it’s bad for business, costing an estimated $15,000 per employee per year on loss of time, productivity, and profit.
Adopting two-way communication is a meaningful way to improve communications at your organization — and it comes with a host of business benefits. Here are all the reasons two-way communication lies at the foundation of any modern workplace.
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Imagine a conversation with the chattiest person you know. They’re talking nonstop and you struggle to get a word in edgeways. Because you don’t get a chance to speak, you disengage and stop really listening to what is being said.
It’s the same in company-wide conversations. When employees are allowed an active role in communications, they engage more with your message. They’re a lot less likely to ignore your internal content — and a lot more likely to read your comms and take the desired action.
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Two-way communication doesn’t just improve engagement with internal messages. It enhances employee engagement across the board.
We know that highly engaged employees are 3x more likely to say they feel heard at their workplace than their highly disengaged counterparts. When employees know that their thoughts and opinions matter to leadership, you improve their satisfaction, motivation, and sense of belonging.
When you facilitate two-way communication, you get constant feedback from employees. Employee comments, questions, and survey responses help you build a picture of what works — and what doesn’t — in regards to your internal communications.
You’ll develop a better understanding of which messages are cutting through and which are creating employee uncertainty. This knowledge helps you to craft better, more effective employee communications going forward.
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No matter the content controls you put in place, opening up your communications to employees requires transparency and trust on the part of your leadership team.
Leaders must be willing to share information on company goals and challenges. They also need to be happy to field employee questions in response to that information.
When leaders demonstrate this level of transparency and trust, employees are more likely to follow suit. You create a company culture in which open communication is valued — and where employees feel comfortable sharing their opinions and concerns.
According to The Workforce Institute, 83% of UK employees say people at their organization are not heard fairly or equally — and 46% say that underrepresented voices are undervalued.
Adopting a policy of two-way communication gives space to previously unheard voices. With the right ethos — and the right internal communications platform — you ensure that all employees are empowered to speak up and be heard.
This leads to greater mutual understanding. It also helps you to create a more inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued.
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Peer-to-peer connection is another beneficial result of two-way communication in the workplace. Over internal communication channels, employees get the chance to build meaningful relationships with coworkers.
This is particularly important for remote and frontline employees, who may spend the majority of their days working alone. Two-way communication channels prevent isolation and disconnection and promote a sense of belonging.
74% of employees say they are more effective at their jobs when they feel heard.
In a culture of two-way communication, employees get information on policies, tasks, and expectations. But they also get the chance to clarify any uncertainty. With a clear idea of their role and responsibilities, employees are more efficient and less likely to make mistakes.
It’s also easier for coworkers to collaborate with one another. Whether they’re based in the same office — or in completely different locations — employees can share their knowledge and insights, granting a further boost to workforce productivity.
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Research shows that 1 in 3 employees would rather quit or switch teams than voice their true concerns to management. This makes open, trusting, two-way communication channels a crucial part of employee retention.
When employees feel that they can voice their concerns with managers, managers get a chance to respond. They can make changes to the employee experience and encourage employees to stay.
Two-way communication requires effective internal communication tools and channels — and this is where a modern employee experience platform (like Blink) can help.
Whether you’re reexamining your current employee communications platform and exploring alternatives, start by looking at solutions that give employees a voice.
A great way to power two-way communication is by starting to use interactive channels like:
Your platform should make it easy for leadership to share company updates. And for employees to share their thoughts and questions with coworkers, managers, and the C-suite.
By embracing these technologies, internal comms teams can create an inclusive environment where every voice is heard and every employee feels connected.
To encourage a potential customer to purchase, it’s not enough to attract attention with a flashy product or an interesting service for a business. Today's market is highly competitive and many companies are offering a similar product at a lower price.
If a person wants to buy from you, it is necessary to gain his trust through properly built communication with him. "2-way VS 1-way communication?" — Decision Telecom experts tell us what model of interaction with customers will help businesses maximize sales in .
One-way communication is a model of communication between a business and its target audience, where the company is the only source of information. All existing and potential customers act as passive recipients.
In one-way communication, the business has full control over the messages and their delivery. As the sender, it determines what data is shared, how it will be presented, through what channel and when it’s transmitted. Recipients don’t influence the communication process because the company doesn’t ask for feedback.
One-way communication is often used in situations where the primary business objective is to quickly deliver messages to a large audience. Examples of such messaging include:
One-way communication is a valuable tool for quickly communicating messages to a wide audience. With the use of modern Internet technologies, it provides a large coverage and high effectiveness of messages. With the right segmentation of the audience and sending targeted messages to each segment, companies can maximize the number of cold sales.
One-way communication saves time for both the sender and the receiver. Businesses can offer new products to customers immediately — without lengthy discussions about their advantages and disadvantages. Customers have the opportunity to immediately purchase the services or goods that they feel an urgent need for. This is advantageous during the pre-holiday period or when selling seasonal goods, when both the seller and the buyer have time constraints.
Decision Telecom specialists have compiled a list of disadvantages associated with the exclusive use of one-way communication:
To overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of one-way communication is called 2-way communication, which will be discussed below.
Two-way communication is a model of interaction in which both the business and the target audience are active and equal participants in communication. Existing and potential customers can ask the company questions, express doubts, and make suggestions.
Two-way communication, as opposed to one-way communication, opens up many more opportunities for business success. By engaging in a dialog, members of the target audience feel directly involved in the project, which leads to an increase in their trust in the company.
Other benefits of two-way communication:
When a business talks to a customer, listens to their point of view, and allows them to ask questions and make suggestions, they feel like there are real people behind the company who are willing to help them meet their needs.
Businesses implementing a two-way communication model need to consider the following points:
In answering the question "two-way VS one-way communication?", it should be emphasized that both models have advantages and disadvantages. To achieve better results and maximize sales, businesses need to balance one-way communication with two-way communication.
One-way communication works on reach, whereas two-way communication works on conversion. After launching an advertisement (one-way communication) and receiving a new "cold" customer for its business channel in messenger or page in social network, the company should involve him in every possible way in interaction through polls, voting, surveys, and other interactives (two-way communication) to "warm up" and turn him into a customer.
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