Internal Comms is More Than a System to Document

Clara Ma sparked a great conversation recently about the growing pains of internal communication as companies scale. She said the first thing to break isn't usually the strategy or execution. It's communication. Her first tip? Treat internal comms with the same rigor as product design, starting with documentation.

I agree documentation helps. But clarity and consistency are the floor, not the ceiling. Let's zoom out.

The deeper issue? Most teams think internal comms is a system to design, not a capability to build.

You can document decisions. You can design rituals and playbooks. You can even bring in product-like "rigor."

But if your people don't understand how to act, what to prioritize, or what to share forward, then your documentation is just shelfware.

Internal comms isn't a document.

It's not a weekly update.

It's not even your all-hands.

It's the collective ability of your team to stay aligned, adapt quickly, and move with purpose, even when things are messy.

And when it breaks down:

 • Priorities feel like whispers from the top, not shared missions

 • Middle managers deliver strategy like the telephone game

 • Teams act fast, but in different directions

High-impact internal comms help people ask:

 • What does this strategy mean for me?

 • How should I act differently because of it?

 • What do we value more when tradeoffs happen?

That level of impact requires more than cadence. It requires communication that aligns with how your org actually functions. 

Here are 3 ways to build that capability:

𝟭. 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆: 

Don't stop at "what". Help teams understand the "why" behind decisions and the "so what" for their work. 

𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲: 

Most documentation stops at the top. The real impact happens when frontline and mid-level managers can translate strategy into everyday work. Equip them with training, tools, trust, and time to discuss, not just cascade.

𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀: 

Your standups, townhalls, and updates should reinforce what matters most right now. Push beyond inform. Focus attention and build shared interpretation. 

So yes, bring rigor into your internal comms. Define your channels and cadence. But if you want comms to drive alignment, speed, and trust as you grow, don't confuse structure with capability. 

Effective internal communication translates strategy into stories that people can understand, believe, and act on. That takes more than structure. It takes intent.