Consistency is the key to building trust in your
intranet, according to delegates at the latest Item event.
Two guest speakers - Audrey Philbrooks, Group
Intranet Manager at Alliance & Leicester, and John Baptista
from the London School of Economics – shared the learning
from a two-year research project into the business benefits of
a trusted intranet.
John, who carried out the research, also outlined
the model he has created to help communication managers assess
the skills and strategies needed to evolve an intranet.
Delegates discussed the challenges they’ve faced in building
trust, and their shared experiences provided an insight into how
these obstacles can be avoided.
The key is consistency.
Content
The material that’s on your intranet has to be relevant and
up to date. If it isn’t, why would anyone want to read it?
A content audit can check that material isn’t duplicated
(and thus taking up valuable space) or contradicted (showing inconsistency)
elsewhere. While a content management system can warn authors at
a specified time that their submission needs to be updated if it
isn’t to be sent to the recycle bin.
Presentation
If you have several intranets within your business, it’s
important to work to guidelines that encourage a consistent ‘one
company’
look and feel. You can also support publishers with training to
ensure that they’re confident in their roles and understand
the presentation guidelines. A relevant and consistent tone of
voice, allied to killer content, can help to reinforce the company’s
brand and build trust.
Processes
Umbrella departments, such as Human Resources, can help to bring
everything together and ensure consistency. A content contract,
meanwhile, can be useful in terms of clearly defining the scope
of the intranet, the role of authors and any other ground rules.
Item hosts a number of industry events that bring
together high profile speakers and an invited audience to discuss
topics of common interest. These events run in conjunction with
Item’s regular ASPIC programme of learning and networking
events for communications professionals. For more information go
to www.aspic.co.uk
