A company launches a brand-new intranet with all the bells and whistles.
The design is slick, the budget huge, and leadership excited. Yet, weeks later, usage stats reveal almost no employee engagement. Why? Because they didn’t ask the right questions before launch.
Great internal communication isn’t about the tools alone. It’s about making smart, intentional decisions based on what your people and business truly need. Asking the right questions upfront saves time, money, and frustration while boosting engagement and trust.
This blog will guide IC leaders through 19 essential questions that help make better decisions—and how Sparrow Connected’s platform solves many common communication challenges along the way.
1. Strategy & Alignment Questions
Every communication effort should clearly support your organization’s goals. If your messages don’t move the needle on business priorities, they become noise.
Ask:
- Are our communications tied to clear business objectives?
- Which employee groups or stakeholders are we aiming to reach or influence?
- How will we reduce unnecessary messaging and focus on what matters?
According to McKinsey, companies with aligned communication strategies see a 47% higher return on investment.
2. Audience & Engagement Questions
Knowing your audience is key to meaningful communication. Different teams have different needs and preferences—field workers, remote staff, and office teams may all require unique approaches.
Ask:
- What do employees say they need from internal communication?
- How do different segments prefer to get information (email, app, SMS, digital signage)?
- Which channels are underperforming, and why?
Gallup found that 54% of employees say better communication would improve their engagement at work.
3. Message & Content Questions
Your content must be timely, relevant, and easy to consume to cut through the clutter.
Ask:
- Is the message timely and relevant to the audience?
- Are we using inclusive, plain language that resonates across cultures?
- Can we make this content more visual, interactive, or bite-sized?
Research by 3M shows that visuals improve learning retention by 400%.
4. Channel & Technology Questions
More tech doesn’t guarantee better communication. Too many disconnected tools cause confusion and fatigue.
Ask:
- Are we choosing the right communication channels for this message?
- Does our technology simplify or complicate messaging workflows?
- Should we centralize messaging on one Omni-Channel platform?
A Deloitte study found that 70% of companies struggle with ineffective communication tools.
5. Metrics & Measurement Questions
What gets measured gets managed. Without clear metrics, you can’t tell what’s working.
Ask:
- How will we define success for this message or campaign?
- What are the engagement benchmarks across teams or regions?
- Are we actively collecting and acting on employee feedback?
Only 31% of companies regularly measure employee communication effectiveness (Ragan Survey, 2024).
6. Culture & Change Questions
Your internal communication reflects your culture. Messaging that aligns with your values builds trust and helps manage change smoothly.
Ask:
- Does this communication reflect and reinforce our core values?
- Will this message promote transparency, trust, and psychological safety?
- How can we communicate change clearly without overwhelming employees?
According to Harvard Business Review, organizations with high trust levels see 76% more engagement.
7. Final Decision Filter: The Litmus Test
Before finalizing any message, ask:
- Does this add value or just create noise?
- Would I want to receive and engage with this message?
- Are we empowering and inspiring employees or simply informing?
How Sparrow Connected Solves Your Internal Comms Challenges
Many of the challenges IC leaders face—lack of alignment, poor engagement, multiple disconnected channels, and insufficient measurement—are exactly what Sparrow Connected is built to solve.
Here’s how our platform addresses these key pain points:
- Omni-Channel Messaging: Sparrow lets you send messages across SMS, email, mobile apps, digital signage, and desktop alerts—all from one platform. This ensures your communications reach employees on their preferred channels, reducing message fatigue and boosting engagement.
- Smart Segmentation & Targeting: Easily segment your workforce by location, language, department, or role. Deliver the right message to the right people, increasing relevance and cutting down on noise.
- Real-Time Analytics & Feedback: Track open rates, engagement, and sentiment in real time. Use instant employee feedback tools to adjust your approach, ensuring your strategy is data-driven and agile.
- Multilingual Support: Communicate in 30+ languages with automated translation features, ensuring your messages resonate across diverse teams without language barriers.
- Content Management & Scheduling: Plan, approve, and schedule content with workflow tools that make publishing consistent and timely. This helps maintain strategic alignment and clear messaging.
- Mobile-First & Accessibility: Our mobile app and desktop notifications ensure your deskless and remote workforce stays connected anytime, anywhere.
For example, a global retail client consolidated five communication systems into Sparrow Connected and saw a 300% increase in engagement and a 50% faster message delivery rate. By unifying channels and improving segmentation, they reduced employee confusion and increased message relevance.
Turn Questions into Action
Asking the right questions is the first step to better internal communication. It helps you avoid wasted effort and focus on what truly matters—engaging, informing, and empowering your people.
Don’t guess. Use these questions to guide every decision and turn your internal communication from a challenge into a competitive advantage.
Ready to transform your internal comms?
Book your Free 30-Minute Internal Communications Consultation with Sparrow Connected today.
What’s Next?
