Q: Which of the internal communication channels did the 489 respondents rate the most effective?

A: The results showed that they see the newsletter “From the VC’s desk” as the most effective internal publication at the NWU, with 58% of the respondents rating it very effective and 33% rating it average. Of all the NWU publications, this one received the fewest “I don't read it” and “Ineffective” responses.

 

Q: How did the Eish! fare?

A:  The Eish! was hot on the heels of “From the VC’s desk”, with 45% of respondents rating it very effective, and 34% rating it average. Only 21% of staff members regard the Eish! as ineffective or indicated that they don’t read it.

 

In all cases, about two-thirds of respondents indicated that they are satisfied with the frequency of the different communication channels.

 

Q: Did respondents say why they don’t use some of the internal communication channels?

A: Yes, they indicated that their biggest reason for not reading NWU publications was that they do not have the time to do so. They cited “inbox overload” as the second biggest reason, followed by “not relevant to me” as the third reason.

 

Q: Through which communication media do they prefer to receive their communication?

A: For general internal communication, they prefer emails by far. Their second preference is the intranet and thirdly communication by SMS. But when it comes to crisis communication their first choice is SMS and second choice email.

 

Many respondents suggested WhatsApp as a possible communication channel – something that we will definitely investigate.

 

Q: What do they see as the most important functions of communication?

A: Most importantly, it must give them valuable information. In the second place it should explain policies, and thirdly provide the opportunity for two-way communication.

 

Q: Do the communication channels give them opportunities for two-way communication?

A: Yes, there are various links to the editor’s email address for comments or suggestions. Unfortunately, very few readers use these. We would really like to receive frequent feedback on each edition of our various publications and not only through less regular methods such as this survey.

 

Q: Which topics did the respondents like most and which ones would they like to see more often?

A: The most popular topics in our internal communication channels were – from most important to less important – general notices, internal training and development, important events such as conferences and concerts, campus news and messages from the vice-chancellor.

 

Although already included, the respondents indicated that they want even more information on internal training and development, important events, policies, implementation of newly adopted strategy/structure, and general notices.

 

Q: What were the most interesting suggestions or comments that you received?

A: Some respondents felt that there were too many different channels and that some of them could be combined, while others were satisfied with the current communication channels.

 

One of the concerns was that some of the channels were too “big” and therefore filled up their email inboxes. This response shows that not everybody understands that they only receive the links to the information in their inboxes – the information and photographs are hosted elsewhere.

 

We will also consider featuring more student and sport news, writing shorter articles, providing easier navigation possibilities, and avoiding long-windedness and complicated communication.

 

I want to thank our colleagues for their valuable input and their honesty in completing the questionnaire. Corporate Communication will definitely be able to use the feedback to ensure more effective internal communication.