Overcommunication is not micromanagement.
Announcement 📣
I’m changing the name of this newsletter soon (goodbye, Brand First!) — to correspond with the title of my upcoming book.
Same content for you, same focus for you, new name for me.
I'm also considering a shift to one weekly newsletter (a round-up of topics on Friday) vs. emailing you each topic individually as a daily newsletter.
Which do you prefer: weekly or daily?
Your team should be mocking you.
Because you repeat the same message.
Over and over and over again.
Why?
Internal communication is different from micromanagement. That’s telling people how to do their jobs.
Overcommunication is constantly reminding your team why their work matters, who is responsible, what they should be doing, when it needs to be done, and where the organization is going in the future.
That’s just good leadership.
And that leads to maximized funding, because you operate more efficiently and make the most of your fundraising.
So repeat, repeat, repeat your same core messaging, theory of change, positioning strategy, and strategic plan. Repeat your brand.
Until it sticks.
And “over-communicate,” says Alex Irvine. “It’s better to tell someone something they already know than to not tell them something they needed to hear.”
💪🏽💛
The daily bonus
A few more of my ideas on this topic of overcommunication vs. micromanagement.
Get this:
❌ Humans only retain half of what we see and hear.
❌ 7 out of 10 business mistakes are due to poor communication.
❌ 74% of employees feel they’re missing out on company information.
❌ People must hear a message between 6–20 times before remembering it.
And solid internal communication helps you in a dozen ways, according to Nonprofit Marketing Guide:
✅ Motivate staff to act
✅ Foster accountability
✅ Streamline workflows
✅ Boost decision making
✅ Create brand ambassadors
✅ Build relationships and trust
✅ Improve project coordination
✅ Unify people around shared goals
✅ Align and update priorities as needed
✅ Encourage more listening and learning
✅ Provide big-picture context for decisions
✅ Implement changes within the organization
So what’s the secret to internal communications?
Use many media, but one message.
Utilize email, WhatsApp, Slack, 1:1 conversations, team meetings, monthly CEO newsletters, quarterly town halls, lunch-and-learns, video updates, employee surveys, office signage, handwritten notes, whatever you want.
Helpful?
Let me know in the comments below. Or, as always, just respond to this email. I answer every one!
Need my help?
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