For decades, the standard approach to corporate communication relied heavily on methods that required employees to either actively seek information, or be present for it's delivery. We're all familiar with the endless deluge of emails, the mandatory intranet visits, congested team meetings and the often-ineffective town hall meetings. These are all forms of pull communication. 

While popular, and relatively easy to implement, this strategy is fundamentally flawed. Especially when considering the increasingly fast-paced, fragmented modern workplace. More than ever we're seeing information silos, miscommunication, missed deadlines, and widespread employee dissatisfaction. 

In fact, in our own study with Unily, 72% of frontline workers felt that they were unclear on the company goals - feeling that data was spread across too many platforms.

And shockingly 60% of companies still lack a long-term, cohesive internal communication strategy, allowing critical information to get lost in the noise.

Changing internal communication strategies

Increasingly we're seeing a switch towards push communication, or a more ambient content delivery, rooted in the philosophy of the Information Radiator. Borrowed from the world of data and project management, an Information Radiator is a form of internal communication display, physical or digital, designed to deliver content passively. 

Think of waiting room displays, bulletin boards and even digital billboards - sources of information that we often consume almost without realising. 

But of course every workplace is different, and internal communication channels differ depending on the workforce. 

In this guide we're going to go beyond simple recommendations. We're going to dig in and build a definitive set of essential internal communication tips and guidelines for the modern organization. 

Section 1: Foundational communication guidelines

Effective communication starts long before a message is sent. It requires a clear strategy, defined roles, and a deep understanding of your audience.

Tip 1: Define your internal communication policy

The bigger the organization, the more important it is to have a broader internal communication plan. This might not be a concrete strategy, but it can help to define processes and even define who are your internal communicators.

Who communicates what: Who are the owners for different types of information (e.g., HR owns policy, Operations owns production data, Leadership owns mission updates).

The urgency hierarchy: Establish a clear scale for message importance (e.g., Level 1: Emergency Alert; Level 4: Optional Culture Content).

Frequency guidelines: Define expectations for how often messages are sent per channel to prevent overwhelming staff and contributing to "comms fatigue."

Tip 2: Implement a comms editorial calendar

A haphazard approach leads to overlapping, contradictory, or missed messages. So creating an editorial calendar, shared across departments, to track major company events, product launches, HR deadlines, company news and culture initiatives can be very helpful. 

All of this can ensure messages are appropriate, timely, consistent and generally support your overall business strategy and goals.

Sending one-size-fits-all communications to hundreds or thousands of employees is the fastest way to dilute your message and bore your audience. Segmenting your audience is a non-negotiable guideline if you're looking for relevance and the best engagement.

Comms personas: Profiles based on role (Finance vs. Engineering), location (HQ vs. remote vs. factory), and access (desk worker vs. deskless staff).

Channel mapping: Match the message to the segment's preferred channel. For example, operational safety metrics belong on the digital signage screens visible to deskless manufacturing staff, not just in an email sent to corporate HQ.

Section 2: Building the modern communication stack

Your tools are the infrastructure of your internal comms strategy, and form the basis of your approach to employee engagement. 

In fact, with studies finding that modern businesses waste between 20% and 48% of their budget on unused or unnecessary software, managing an effective comms stack is an important part of your broader approach.

Tip 4: Build a tiered communication stack

Some tools are important - of course. We're talking email and most likely a channel for internal messages and project management. But then it can quickly get complicated.

Build your software stack in tiers to keep track of your tools.

Tier 1 (Critical & archive): Centralized, searchable information. This includes your Intranet (for policies and deep dives) and Email (for personalized, legally required notices).

Tier 2 (Project management & discussion): Immediate, back-and-forth communication and task management is a mainstay for modern business. Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams are essential for team collaboration and quick inquiries. This is also where project management tools like Monday or Asana might feature - or other task management platforms.

Tier 3 (Passive & Visual): Ambient awareness and reinforcement. This is the domain of the Information Radiator - Digital Signage screens in common areas that broadcast high-level metrics and culture updates without interrupting work.

Tip 5: Use digital signage to surface clear communication

Digital signage is the ultimate tool for practicing the push communication philosophy. Unlike email, which requires staff to open, read, and interpret, digital screens broadcast critical information passively, ensuring maximum visibility, especially for hard-to-reach employees.

Increasingly you'll see digital signage used for everything from company updates and top down communication, to sharing personal success stories or even video conferencing.

Factory floor dashboards: Display live data from your production line, or highlight safety statistics to reinforce operational goals at the point of action.

Lobby/reception screens: Showcase company mission, live social feeds, and corporate branding for both employees and visitors using lobby digital signage.

Break room newsfeeds: Deliver internal news, HR updates, and employee recognition on your break room screens - a great way to build that company culture and get key messages out.

Digital signage is a compliment to your internal communication strategy rather than the core focus. When paired with other internal communication tools such as intranet portals, instant messaging apps and knowledge sharing tools, you suddenly bring a whole world of hidden messaging to the fore. 

Many businesses find that adding digital signage to their internal comms stack increases productivity with stats suggesting an average 21% increase in productivity.

ScreenCloud's digital signage solution is built for enterprise teams and trusted by businesses of all sizes from around the world.

Tip 6: Streamline your tools (less is more)

To help you avoid issues with forgotten or redundant software,  make sure to conduct a regular (eg. annual) software audit. If a new platform doesn't get used regularly,  integrate seamlessly with your existing stack or seems redundant, then it contributes to "tool fatigue." 

Your tool evaluation can also tie into your border internal communication plan. When analyzing who is in charge of specific communication channels or your content delivery, take a look at all of your internal comms tools.

Do you really need three stock image subscriptions, two different email management suites and an AI slideshow designer? Unless they serve a core purpose and you're using them regularly, you can most likely cancel them.  

Section 3: Content creation and delivery tips

At it's core, great communication is about effectiveness, not volume. So when it comes to ensuring you have a truly effective internal communication strategy, you'll need to make sure your content follows these internal comms best practices.

Crazy stat time: The average human today consumes around 75GB of data - that includes video, images and text. This has more than doubled since 2009, and does also include information digested at work.

Putting it simply, our attention spans are shorter than ever.

So - keep content scannable and digestable, ideally in 5 seconds or less. 

This means: minimal text and clutter, high contrast, and visual data representation (charts, graphs, images) wherever possible.

While it might seem that it's always been that way, internal communication shouldn't be a top-down monologue. Not these days...

Success for your modern internal communication efforts means soliciting and acting on employee feedback. This is where the employee engagement aspect of internal comms comes into play.

There are numerous ways to create a more open internal comms forum to engage employees, such as:

Schedule dedicated Q&A or AMA (ask me anything) sessions

Feedback forms after specific events or milestones (ideally anonymous)

Monitored feedback channels on messaging apps

You can also integrate staff-submitted content channels into your digital displays to show that feedback is not only heard but actively valued.

So the SLT knows the company mission and probably has a good view of the milestones. But what about your broader workforce? 

While not everyone needs to know the quarterly financial figures, people do like to know how they fit into the bigger picture. So make sure your internal comms strategy helps to visualize the business mission and offers regular insight for your workers into business performance.

Show how department-specific work add up to the big picture

Use digital dashboards to constantly broadcast progress toward specific aims.

Highlight stories of individuals and teams whose work directly supports the mission

If you're looking for JUST ONE step to create effective internal communication, this might be the one. (But still, try and encompass as many of them as you can...)

It's one of the strongest ways of building both workplace culture and helping people feel more valued at their work. Recognizing when people have done well, either individually or as part of a team, shows what is working and helps to align employees across departments.

When people see what is done well using real life examples, they want a piece of that action and are more likely to engage.

The key is to make that recognition visible, timely, and specific:

Formal: Celebrate milestones (anniversaries, promotions) in company-wide newsletters or on lobby screens

Informal: Facilitate peer-to-peer recognition through integrated platforms that can then be showcased on visible displays, amplifying positive behavior

Data is obviously important - but nobody wants a wall of numbers or impenetrable bar charts. So, try to avoid raw spreadsheets. When sharing company metrics like growth, sales, or customer satisfaction, use high-quality data visualization tools. 

Turning raw numbers into dynamic charts, graphs, and simple dashboards makes the information immediately understandable and motivates teams to take ownership of results.

Section 4: Crisis and communication guidelines

We can't prepare for every eventuality. But, in the workplace, being prepared for the unexpected and having processes in place is the least we can do to keep our employees safe. This is especially the case when managing complex environments such as industrial or production lines, healthcare facilities or locations where your workforce mix with the general public.

Guideline 12: Build a crisis communication framework

When systems fail, or a crisis hits, speed and clarity are going to be important - and this is where your pre-built systems kick in. So, make sure your internal communication tools include the following features:

Single Source of Truth: Identify the channel guaranteed to provide accurate information (often a dedicated status page or specific emergency broadcast channel). This is where people will look in the event of an emergency.

Rapid override protocols: Ensure your communications technology (especially digital signage) can instantly push an urgent, full-screen message, overriding all existing content.

Pre-written templates: Have ready to go templates for common scenarios (e.g., IT outage, severe weather) to save crucial time when panic is setting in.

Backup systems: In some cases, such as an full system or electrical outage, you might need to build a plan to communicate offline. Understand where the points of failure might be and identify solutions that would be capable of rapid deployment - this might include some forms of more dated technology such as land line phones, walkie-talkie radios or even chalkboards. 

Guideline 13: Ensure your hybrid and deskless teams can be reached too

The rise of remote and hybrid work has highlighted disparities in information access. This is also the case for frontline workers, or workers who might be away from a device while working. But the goal remains the same - reach everyone!

Don't rely on proximity: Ensure essential updates shared in an in-office meeting are immediately summarized and posted to channels accessible by remote workers (e.g., Slack or a post-meeting update on digital signage).

Remote visibility: Use virtual team huddles and ensure leaders actively check in with remote staff, giving them equal visibility and voice.

Guideline 14: Audit your meetings (and how effective they are)

Meetings might be one of the most popular ways of sharing information. But they are notoriously inefficient communication channels. 

So to avoid that whole situation with meetings that could have been an email, issue a clear guideline: 

Meetings are for decision-making and problem-solving, not for simply conveying information. 

Make sure that status updates, announcements, and policy rollouts are handled via the appropriate Tier 1 or Tier 3 channel (email/intranet or digital signage). 

Discover essential tips for delivering effective internal communication and enhancing team collaboration. From better internal comms tools to strategies - read more.

When it comes to delivering an effective internal communication strategy, there are more tools and tips than ever. We dive into the modern workplace to share our best tips for internal comms strategists...

20 Essential Internal Communication Tips for 2026

Communication works in many ways. But as an organization grows, it can be harder to share key information with the people who need it. This is especially true with workforces spread across different teams, departments or offices - for example sharing information with factory workers 

In any successful modern organization, communication is paramount. Yet, the method of communication often determines its effectiveness. We frequently rely on emails, meetings, and documents - all forms of pull communication, requiring the recipient to actively seek out and process the information.

But, an information radiator offers an alternative: push communication. 

While this might sound a bit like more workplace jargon (which it is), we do think it's a useful way to think of information sharing. So, let's find out more about how an information radiator works.

In a similar way to how a household radiator emanates warmth, the information radiator emanates information and communications.

The information radiator is a visual display, strategically placed, that transmits critical, current information to an audience with minimal effort on their part. While it is used best for internal communications, it can also serve as a general communication and information source including for the general public. 

The concept originates from the Agile software development world, where it was necessary to make complex project updates and statuses immediately clear to the entire team. The core principle is that vital data should not be hidden behind logins, in inboxes, or buried in reports. It should be "radiated," passively reaching everyone in the vicinity, much like heat from a traditional radiator.

A true Information Radiator is defined by three characteristics:

Visibility: It must be large, clear, and positioned where the target audience passes by frequently.

Immediacy: The information must be relevant, current, and digestible at a glance - a five-second rule often applies.

Transparency: It commits the organization to honesty by showcasing actual progress, challenges, and goals, fostering accountability and trust.

Information Radiators in diverse settings

While the term may have technical origins, the application of information radiators is universal across different professional environments, using varied methods to suit the context.

1. The Agile Project Team (The physical board)

In its most traditional form, an information radiator is often a physical whiteboard or corkboard. Your teachers old chalkboard could technically be termed an information radiator too. Some of the traditional ways of tracking individual or team progress include...

Kanban boards/Scrum boards: These are the archetypal radiators. A team physically moves sticky notes -through columns like "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done." These days you'll find digital tools doing the same thing such as Asana, Monday.com and Trello.

Burndown/Burnup charts: Hand-drawn graphs used to track remaining work versus the time left in an iteration. They instantly convey whether the team is on track to meet its deadline.

Team status and metrics: A type of dashboard which might display project notes, errors to fix, team notes, or simple visual icons indicating system stability.

While we're used to digital boards these days, the power of the physical board lies in its tactile nature. The act of moving a sticky note is a commitment, part of the process, and the board becomes a central focal point for collaboration.

2. Manufacturing and logistics floor (Operational displays)

The modern factory or logistics setting relies on multiple team members aligned on a handful of tasks. Here, the radiator shifts its focus from abstract project progress to hard, real-time operational data.

Andon lights and boards: Originally a manual system, similar to traffic lights, used in the Toyota Production System, Andon lights are now often digital displays that signal the status of a production line. A green light means all is well; a yellow or red light instantly indicates a problem or stoppage, demanding immediate attention from supervisors and maintenance staff.

KPI dashboards: Large screens displaying key performance indicators (KPIs) like units per hour, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), scrap rates, and adherence to safety metrics. This real-time feedback loop allows operators to self-correct and maintain targets without waiting for shift-end reports.

Here, the information radiator is less about internal team workflow and more about externalizing the immediate state of physical operations.

3.  Corporate office and service environment (Digital displays)

In non-production corporate environments, the most scalable and flexible form of the information radiator is the digital display, the precursor to modern digital signage networks. These can include:

Customer service queue status: Displays showing waiting times or which agent is serving which customer.

Sales target thermometers: Visual representations of how close the team or organization is to quarterly sales goals.

Financial ticker tapes: Screens in a trading room displaying live stock market data, serving as a critical environmental backdrop.

For these sources to be effective and to display the current status on key metrics, they need to connect to a data source. These are usually some form of Business Intelligence (BI) tool or live data feed.

Digital signage: The modern information radiator

The logical evolution of the information radiator leads us to modern digital signage. While dashboards on digital screens are nothing new, digital signage helps to make the communication process more dynamic, versatile, and manageable. Especially across multiple locations or huge sites, as with many enterprises. 

Using digital signage moves the information radiator concept from a single-function project board to a multi-functional, organization-wide communications platform.

Sharing up to date or even vital information across large sites can be a challenge, especially when communicating with deskless workers. With 80% of the world's working population having no access to a work device, sharing key information is a big focus for internal comms. And when deployed within an office, factory, or healthcare facility, digital signage solves the core challenge of internal communications - reaching everyone with highly visible displays.

Digital signage excels at aggregating data from various internal systems into a clean, compelling visual format. This includes:

System status alerts: Immediately displaying if core IT systems (email, servers, SaaS applications) are experiencing issues. This preemptively answers the "Is the network down?" question before staff can call the help desk.

Goal tracking and benchmarks: Connecting to BI (Business Intelligence) dashboards to display current sales numbers, customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), or product quality metrics. By visualizing progress against a target, the screen acts as a constant motivator and unifying force.

SLT transparency: Displaying concise summaries of executive-level meetings, corporate strategy updates, or messages from leadership in high-traffic areas. This is a great way to share key information with the broader organization.

Beyond technical data, internal digital signage is also a great way to share culture-based information. In an era where building company culture is a big focus, this can be a great help, particularly in hybrid or large, distributed teams:

Recognition and praise: Highlighting recent team or individual successes, service anniversaries, and employee-submitted thank-you notes. Seeing their name or team celebrated on a public screen provides immediate, high-impact reinforcement.

Wayfinding and scheduling: Displaying dynamic meeting room schedules outside conference rooms or interactive maps in lobbies. This information reduces friction, saves time, and enhances the visitor experience.

Safety and emergency alerts: In a crisis, the system can instantly override standard content with an urgent, full-screen emergency notification (e.g., severe weather warnings, evacuation instructions), using the screens' high visibility to deliver life-critical information.

The information radiator concept extends seamlessly to external-facing digital signage, where the goal is to inform and influence customer or visitor behavior. Typically this is seen in the world of retail, or DOOH, but this can also be seen in other public facing environments.

For customers, external digital signage radiates product information and urgency.

Dynamic pricing and promotions: Regularly updating product prices, sale countdown timers, or flash promotions. A powerful way to promote a sense of urgency and ensure pricing consistency across physical locations.

Product storytelling: Using high-quality video to demonstrate a product's usage, its ethical sourcing, or its production process. An increasingly popular way to highlight a product's quality and value, engaging the customer while they wait.

In service environments, the information radiator’s function is to both ease anxiety and manage expectations. It can also be used for customer messaging such as promotional content too.

Patient status boards: In waiting rooms, screens can display anonymized patient numbers and estimated waiting times. A proven way to manage anxiety and the perceived waiting time.

Safety and protocol announcements: Sharing information for visitors about health and safety protocols or evacuation procedures can greatly improve both the visitor experience and facilities management.

Menu boards and service listings: While these are great for restaurants, they're also very useful for displaying price lists in hospitality settings or sharing service offerings on-screen in healthcare settings.

For many of us, this will be our most familiar interaction with the information radiator. While there of course schedules (arrivals and departures etc) there are actually many different types of information shared here.

Live transportation schedules: Displaying arrival/departure times, gate changes, or delays at airports, train stations, or bus stops. This is perhaps the most critical external information radiator, as its currency directly impacts real-time decisions.

Public service announcements: Providing weather forecasts, local news headlines, or essential public health advisories to a mass audience.

Safety and protocol announcements: Reminders not to leave baggage unattended, directions to meeting areas and safety alerts in case of wet weather can all be shared on dynamic visual displays.

Promotional content: Special offers in duty free, breakfast deals in the coffee shop or promoting local hotels or experiences are forms of useful information.

Key considerations for effective digital radiators

To avoid simply becoming a neglected screen, a digital signage network needs to adhere to the core principles of the information radiator. This means that...

Data integration is non-negotiable: The system must connect seamlessly with the source of truth (e.g., HR databases, ERP systems, project management tools). Manual content updates introduce latency and can result in information becoming stale and irrelevant.

Keep content minimal: The five second rule should be obeyed when possible. Content should be visual, easily scanned, and cycle through quickly. Walls of text or complicated charts defeat the purpose of passive communication - so less is most definitely more.

Placement dictates purpose: Screens must be placed where people naturally pause; coffee areas, elevator lobbies, production line heads, or reception desks. Information should be relevant to the people in that specific physical location. For instance, a sales performance dashboard belongs in the sales bullpen, not the manufacturing floor.

Security and access control: While the information is transparent to employees, access to the system must be tightly controlled to prevent the unauthorized display of sensitive data or disruptive content.

Read our complete guide to internal communications.

Using ScreenCloud to share your Information Radiator

When it comes to building a digital information radiator, ScreenCloud offers one of the most versatile and powerful solutions to connect organizations. While you can easily share your internal communication content, it's also a great way to display task boards, dashboards with those big visible charts and real time updates from a variety of data services.

There are more than 80 apps ready to connect, and our Playgrounds app offers almost unlimited integrations. Our Quick Post app is one of the best tools to create professionally formatted and engaging content for digital signage in minutes.

Find out for yourself and sign up for a FREE 14 day trial, or book a demo today.

Discover how an information radiator can enhance communication and transparency for different organizations. Learn their key benefits and improve your workflow - read more!

Discover what is an information radiator and how this can enhance communication and transparency for different organizations. From the office to public spaces, find out more about how to use an information radiator.

The Information Radiator: A Communication Guide

In this guide we’re going to give you 10 tips and best practices on how to share information more effectively.

We now have so many office communication methods at our disposal: Slack, Microsoft Teams, emails, SMS, Zoom, meetings, post-it notes… There are almost too many ways to get a message across.

But here's the thing: having more tools doesn't always mean better communication. In fact, our joint study with Unily shows that employees spend around 31 minutes per shift just searching for internal information. That comes out to about 15 full work days per year spent hunting down the details they need to do their jobs. The study also revealed that, despite all these communication tools, employees still use unauthorized platforms to share sensitive company data; a phenomenon known as Shadow IT.

And it gets worse. According to Salesforce, poor communication is linked to 86% of workplace failures. When information doesn't flow properly, projects fall behind, mistakes happen, and teams become frustrated.

However, companies that have good communication do see tremendous results. For example, organizations with high levels of engagement and clear information sharing are 21% more productive and have 22% higher profitability. For a company with around 1,000 employees, improving information sharing could save up to $2.7 million annually.

So how do you break through the noise and give your messaging the impact it needs?

That’s what this guide covers. We’ll share 10 tips and best practices on how to share information more effectively.

Are messages getting lost? Are certain teams constantly out of the loop? Do people spend half their day hunting for information that should be easy to find?

We need these answers first, to decide the best way to share information more effectively.

Start by talking to your team. Ask managers what communication challenges they're seeing. Talk to frontline staff about whether they're getting the information they need. Check for common problems:

Are important announcements buried in email threads?

Do different departments use completely different tools to communicate?

Are remote workers missing information that in-office employees get naturally?

Is the same question being asked over and over because the answer isn't documented anywhere?

2. Choose the right tools for your team's needs

Not every company needs the same communication tools. While some businesses might be mostly built around office workers, others might include a mix of office, remote or hybrid workers, multi-national, and frontline workers with no device access.

Here's how to think about choosing tools:

For real-time communication: Instant messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams work for quick responses within an office setting.

For formal communication: Email is still the top choice here, especially if the comms need a paper trial

For knowledge storage: A company wiki, knowledge base, or intranet, like Unily or Notion

For project coordination: Asana, Trello, or Monday.com help teams track tasks, share updates, and see progress.

We have a full blog on internal communication tools for modern teams.

The key is integration. Your tools should work together, not create more silos. If you post an announcement on the office digital signage screen, it should link to more information that your people already have access to.

3. Answer, “what does clear communication look like?”

If a team member has important information to share, where should they put it? Should it go in Slack? Email? The team meeting? A document somewhere? They make their best guess, but half the team never sees it because they were looking in the wrong place.

This is why you need clear guidelines about what information goes where.

Create a communication playbook that covers

How to share different types of information

Make this playbook easy to find and reference. Include examples so people can see what good communication looks like. Update it as your needs change.

When everyone knows the rules, communication becomes smoother and less frustrating.

4. Establish the right level of transparency

How much should you share with employees? It depends on your culture and what helps people do their jobs better.

Some companies like Buffer share everything: financials, salaries, strategic plans. But most companies land in the middle, sharing goals and performance updates while keeping sensitive data private. 

Some more traditional companies also share on a need-to-know basis, which often leaves people feeling disconnected.

Here's a simple test for deciding how much to share (keeping your company culture in mind as well): "Does this information help employees work better or feel more connected?" 

If yes, share it. If it's confidential for legal reasons, don't.

5. Make information easy to find and access

We already shared how employees spend 30+ minutes each shift searching for information. That's a full day wasted hunting down what they need.

One solution for this problem has been around for a while: company knowledge bases. A central location where everyone looks first. Make it searchable so people find answers in seconds, not hours. Also keep it organized with clear categories and assign owners to keep it current.

For deskless workers who can't access computers easily, use digital signage in break rooms or common areas to share the information and keep everyone on the same page. This type of direct display is often referred to as an information radiator in some circles, owing to the fact that key information and data emanates from it, like heat.

Knowledge bases take time to create and maintain. But, they are a huge plus in the long run, especially when you think about the potential time loss if they aren’t available.

Up to 71% of employees report ignoring company emails. Instead of sending all communications to one destination, consider meeting your people where they are. 

Everything you need to know, tips, tricks, and best practices about sharing information in the workplace more effectively, from choosing channels, to documenting communication and measuring success.

In this age of hybrid, remote and deskless working, sharing information effectively is key to internal communication and employee engagement. So here are our top 10 tips and best practices for information sharing!

Internal Communications - Page 4

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